Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner - Maternity Cover

Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus

Salary/Benefits: £30,915 – £41,085 per annum (Pro‑Rata), People's Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, professional development opportunities, access to college courses.

Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week – 40 weeks per year

Contract Type: Fixed Term – Term Time (Contract End Date 10 July 2026)

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner to join our Student Services department at The Bedford College Group.

Responsibilities:

• Student Support & Wellbeing – Provides trauma‑informed, student‑centred support through one‑to‑one and group interventions, promoting mental health, resilience and engagement in college life.
• Resource & Workshop Delivery – Designs and delivers mental health awareness sessions, tutorials and accessible resources for students, parents and carers.
• Collaboration & Referral – Works closely with internal teams and external services to address SEMH challenges, make referrals and ensure students’ needs are reflected in college policies and practices.
• Monitoring & Reporting – Manages caseloads, tracks intervention impact, maintains confidentiality and produces data‑driven reports to inform service development and student outcomes.
• Compliance & Development – Upholds safeguarding, equality and health and safety standards, contributes to Student Services and engages in ongoing professional development to support a whole‑college approach to wellbeing.

About you:

• Qualifications & Experience – Holds a relevant graduate‑level qualification (e.g. Social Work, Psychology, Mental Health), Level 2 English and Maths, and has at least two years’ experience supporting young people with mental health needs.
• Skills & Service Delivery – Skilled in short‑ and long‑term support, resource development, training delivery and managing projects with measurable impact in a customer‑focused environment.
• Communication & Collaboration – Strong verbal and written communication, confident in building relationships across diverse groups, promoting services and working both independently and as part of a team.
• Values & Professional Conduct – Works in line with core values (Student Centred, Excellence, Teamwork, etc.), maintains professional boundaries and promotes the organisation’s reputation with integrity and emotional intelligence.
• Safeguarding & Flexibility – Committed to safeguarding, equality, health and safety, continuous learning and flexible working across locations and hours, with a proactive approach to personal development.

Values & Vision:

• Valuing Teamwork – We are one team who, by working together, can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously – We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred – At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive – We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring – We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence – We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group:

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Safeguarding our Students:

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to a thorough vetting process which includes an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

Interview and Application:

Interviews to be held: TBC. For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.