East London NHS Foundation Trust

Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)

The closing date is 12 October 2025

Job summary

In line with the government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) role is an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England.

A Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner will be expected to work under supervision as part of a dynamic mental health team in a creative environment where evidence-based interventions, new ideas, ways of working and supporting children and young people (CYP) are actively encouraged. This approach requires flexibility and adaptability, and above all a passion for working with CYP in educational settings. Over the course of the training year, the post-holder will, under supervision, develop knowledge and practice skills to employ a range of evidence-based interventions for common mental health problems via direct individual and group support for children, young people, and their parents, in line with the university expectations.

Main duties of the job

The Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner role will:

  • Work closely alongside a team of mental health professionals delivering a wide range of evidence informed interventions, under supervision.
  • Develop and practice evidence-based skills under supervision to work directly with children, young people, and families.
  • Develop and practice evidence-based skills under supervision to carry out holistic and child-centered mental health assessments, including risk assessments.

The training programme for this post will consist of academic and supervised practice learning across mental health services and educational settings, such as primary and secondary schools, and further education colleges.

Delivery of the programme will be provided through a combination of taught days at the Anna Freud office in North London (Rodney St, N1 9JH), independent self-guided study days, and experience gained in the Wellbeing in Newham Schools Team (WINS) and partnering education settings.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Details

Date posted

02 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£32,199 to £34,876 a year per annum Inc HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

363-SS7479399

Job locations

Newham CAMHS

411 Barking Road

London

E13 8AL


Job description

Job responsibilities

Anyone applying for this role also needs to secure a place on the Educational Mental Health Practitioner PG Dip course at UCL. You are required to make a separate application for the university course: https://evision.ucl.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login_enc?0qhYzuG1h9udTFM8i9sPhtGiUgIR6D6inoqhAaU88mQz1TP-axNSoUQsdmcXcRAfPThKFMfz2bQ=

Basic stating salary for a trainee EMHP is the bottom of an NHS band 4. Previous experience in the NHS cannot be counted or used for a higher placing on the scale. NHS staff in London also receive an Inner or Outer London high cost area supplement which is an additional sum. You can see details about how this is calculated and how it will affect your final salary in the agenda for change pay rates linked here: Please see https://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/pay-and-reward/agenda-for-change/pay-scales/annual

The EMHP posts are training positions subject to 2-year fixed term contracts. Upon completing the training year and receiving final confirmation of a pass from the education provider the candidate will be offered progression to Band 5 on a permanent basis within the Newham CAMHS WINS team.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Anyone applying for this role also needs to secure a place on the Educational Mental Health Practitioner PG Dip course at UCL. You are required to make a separate application for the university course: https://evision.ucl.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login_enc?0qhYzuG1h9udTFM8i9sPhtGiUgIR6D6inoqhAaU88mQz1TP-axNSoUQsdmcXcRAfPThKFMfz2bQ=

Basic stating salary for a trainee EMHP is the bottom of an NHS band 4. Previous experience in the NHS cannot be counted or used for a higher placing on the scale. NHS staff in London also receive an Inner or Outer London high cost area supplement which is an additional sum. You can see details about how this is calculated and how it will affect your final salary in the agenda for change pay rates linked here: Please see https://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/pay-and-reward/agenda-for-change/pay-scales/annual

The EMHP posts are training positions subject to 2-year fixed term contracts. Upon completing the training year and receiving final confirmation of a pass from the education provider the candidate will be offered progression to Band 5 on a permanent basis within the Newham CAMHS WINS team.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

  • Undergraduate degree, upper second class or above, in Psychology or related subject
  • Successfully secured a training place on EMHP course at UCL/Anna Freud (PG Dip Educational Mental Health Practitioner).

Experience

Essential

  • oPrevious experience of working with children and young people in either a health or educational setting

Desirable

  • oWork in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters
  • oAn enthusiasm for brief interventions in schools
  • oExperience of providing a culturally sensitive service
  • oExperience of working in a culturally diverse Inner city area

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

  • oKnowledge of the educational system in England.
  • oKnowledge of children and young people gained through academic study in child development, child wellbeing or mental health.
  • oAn interest of developing some area of expertise
  • oAbility to form excellent working relationships with colleagues and work flexibly with others in multidisciplinary and multi-agency settings
  • oKnowledge and skills in effective communication, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS (e.g. schools)
  • oBasic computer skills
  • oAbility to recognise own limits and seek support re supervision as appropriate.
  • oThe ability to empathise in a complex sensitive or emotional environment.
  • oAbility to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods
  • oAbility to study as a self-motivated learner who can formulate their own progress towards learning objectives and negotiate pathways to achievement with supervisory teams

Desirable

  • oKnowledge of evidence informed interventions for low mood, self-harm, anxiety and common behaviour problems in young children in education settings
  • oPresentation/ teaching skills oKeyboard skills

Other

Essential

  • oCommitment to equal opportunities
  • oFull, enhanced and current satisfactory DBS disclosure for the role
  • oAbility to personally manage a sensitive, traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload
  • oAble to travel to meet the requirements of the post
  • oExcellent time management and organisational skills oSelf-motivated, assertive and flexible.
  • Freedom to act: oPhysical effort: Confined sitting position (therapy); travelling within community. oMental effort: writing reports; planning teaching; concentrating for therapy sessions /clinical supervision; managing psychiatric emergencies. oEmotional effort: Dealing with families in breakdown; experiencing trauma and abuse; occasional patient complaints; conveying of unwelcome news oWorking conditions: Occasional verbal and physical abuse; unpredictable clinical scenarios eg. emergency home visits; travel in community all weathers.

Desirable

  • oAble to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for any illness or disability
Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

  • Undergraduate degree, upper second class or above, in Psychology or related subject
  • Successfully secured a training place on EMHP course at UCL/Anna Freud (PG Dip Educational Mental Health Practitioner).

Experience

Essential

  • oPrevious experience of working with children and young people in either a health or educational setting

Desirable

  • oWork in a multi-cultural setting, including working with interpreters
  • oAn enthusiasm for brief interventions in schools
  • oExperience of providing a culturally sensitive service
  • oExperience of working in a culturally diverse Inner city area

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

  • oKnowledge of the educational system in England.
  • oKnowledge of children and young people gained through academic study in child development, child wellbeing or mental health.
  • oAn interest of developing some area of expertise
  • oAbility to form excellent working relationships with colleagues and work flexibly with others in multidisciplinary and multi-agency settings
  • oKnowledge and skills in effective communication, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS (e.g. schools)
  • oBasic computer skills
  • oAbility to recognise own limits and seek support re supervision as appropriate.
  • oThe ability to empathise in a complex sensitive or emotional environment.
  • oAbility to learn in a variety of settings and using a variety of learning methods
  • oAbility to study as a self-motivated learner who can formulate their own progress towards learning objectives and negotiate pathways to achievement with supervisory teams

Desirable

  • oKnowledge of evidence informed interventions for low mood, self-harm, anxiety and common behaviour problems in young children in education settings
  • oPresentation/ teaching skills oKeyboard skills

Other

Essential

  • oCommitment to equal opportunities
  • oFull, enhanced and current satisfactory DBS disclosure for the role
  • oAbility to personally manage a sensitive, traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload
  • oAble to travel to meet the requirements of the post
  • oExcellent time management and organisational skills oSelf-motivated, assertive and flexible.
  • Freedom to act: oPhysical effort: Confined sitting position (therapy); travelling within community. oMental effort: writing reports; planning teaching; concentrating for therapy sessions /clinical supervision; managing psychiatric emergencies. oEmotional effort: Dealing with families in breakdown; experiencing trauma and abuse; occasional patient complaints; conveying of unwelcome news oWorking conditions: Occasional verbal and physical abuse; unpredictable clinical scenarios eg. emergency home visits; travel in community all weathers.

Desirable

  • oAble to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for any illness or disability

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Newham CAMHS

411 Barking Road

London

E13 8AL


Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Newham CAMHS

411 Barking Road

London

E13 8AL


Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Lead for MHST (WINS)

Lisa Young

lisa.young8@nhs.net

02084309000

Details

Date posted

02 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£32,199 to £34,876 a year per annum Inc HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

363-SS7479399

Job locations

Newham CAMHS

411 Barking Road

London

E13 8AL


Supporting documents

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