RBC Specialist Wellbeing Practitioner (Part-time 22.2 hours per week) in Birmingham

RBC Specialist Wellbeing Practitioner (Part-time 22.2 hours per week)

Department Music and Acting Location Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Salary £45,235 to £51,182per annum pro rata Permanent Part time (22.2 hours per week) Post Type Part Time Release Date 02 November 2026 Closing Date 23.59 hours GMT on Wednesday 11 November 2026 Reference RBC26010

Please note: this opportunity is only available to current employees of the University

At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries. We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world-class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.

Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

The preferred working days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. However, there is some flexibility, which can be discussed with the hiring manager at the interview stage.

About the Role

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is seeking an experienced Wellbeing Practitioner to create a specialist wellbeing service for Music and Acting students experiencing mental health and wellbeing concerns.

You will deliver wellbeing and counselling support directly to Music and Acting students, and play a central role in the development of this bespoke service in the performing arts context. You will work closely with both Birmingham City University's Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing and RBC's Vice Principals for Music and Acting to build a supportive learning environment for RBC students, and (where appropriate) contribute to the development of the Conservatoire's policies and procedures in relation to health and wellbeing.

The main duties and responsibilities of the role are as follows:

• Assess the needs of individual students within RBC and, if appropriate, refer and liaise with internal services and external agencies.
• Offer ongoing wellbeing and counselling support sessions to students within RBC (according to the model of support agreed with the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing).
• Contribute to responding to urgent student queries and concerns ensuring that the university adheres to its safeguarding responsibilities.
• Undertake regular and ongoing training in both core safeguarding (Level 3) and specific safeguarding concerns such as gender-based violence.
• Promote services and support available within the wider Student Services portfolio and support RBC students to access these.
• Assist in the gathering, updating and disseminating of information to students, staff and other University users about access to support and the University’s facilities.
• Manage the resulting caseload with the on-going support of an external Supervisor and the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
• Be available for liaison and consultation with colleagues, both within RBC and the University as a whole. Develop good working relationships with colleagues within the University and other professionals in the wider community.
• In conjunction with Student Services staff, contribute to developing collaborative institutional responses to student difficulties and concerns (where appropriate) and be involved with the development and delivery of RBC staff training activities.
• Participate in the development of initiatives and the delivery of therapeutic interventions in relation to the student audience (i.e., group work).
• Implement appropriate service standards and, with the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing, ensure compliance with both legal requirements and the demands of best practice.
• Keep accurate and confidential records and session case notes as required by data protection and in line with relevant ethical frameworks and maintain accurate statistical records of work with clients and use these to update the database.
• Assist the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing to monitor and collate feedback from students and staff by appropriate means.
• Assist the Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing to provide management information and reports related to RBC.
• Attend individual supervision with an external supervisor and if appropriate group supervision. Participate in relevant internal and external meetings as required and be a member of appropriate professional organisations (e.g., BACP).
• Undertake appropriate professional development activities, related specifically to competence in the role and to maintaining professional accreditation (where applicable).
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grading and purpose of the post as may be required from time to time, including undertaking cross-divisional duties and department-wide activities as appropriate.

Essential requirements for the role are:

• A counselling or therapeutic qualification which meets the theory and skills training criteria for accreditation (e.g. BACP, BABCP, UKCP or BPS).
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Significant experience of working as a paid practitioner in a formal counselling or therapeutic setting.
• Experience of either working in or supporting those that work/learn within music, acting or the performing arts.
• Experience of managing a significant caseload and accurate record keeping.
• Experience of providing customer-facing services.
• A flexible attitude to working practices and willingness to work across different University sites.
• Ability to work in a student-centred way.
• Superb organisational skills and accurate record-keeping.

Desirable requirements for the role are:

• A qualification in Brief Therapy and/or experience of working with a time-limited approach.
• Experience of working as a Counsellor with students in HE settings.
• Experience of working with clients from a varied ethnic and cultural background.
• Experience of delivering group support, workshops or psychoeducational programmes to clients on topics related to mental health and wellbeing.

Further Information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Vice Principal of the Royal Birmingham Condervatoire, Shirley Thompson at Shirley.Thompson@bcu.ac.uk

We envisage that interviews for this position will take place in person on Thursday 19 November 2026.

• Work-life balance-Generous leave and hybrid working (role dependent).
• Career development- Opportunities to grow, develop and progress your career.
• Reward and wellbeing- Competitive pay, pension, wellbeingsupportand staff benefits.
• Inclusive culture- A supportive, diverse environment where everyone belongs.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

Disability Confident Employer

Birmingham City University is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company, BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to re-enter the scheme may do so and will be employed directly by the University.

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