Duty Practitioner in Leyland

Help children and young people access the right support. You are someone who cares about making a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. As a Duty Practitioner, you will join our Leyland Mental Health Support Teams (MHST), helping children and young people access timely support for mild to moderate mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties across education settings. You will coordinate referrals, oversee triage and assessment bookings, and work closely with parents, carers, education settings and partner agencies to ensure referrals reach the most appropriate service. You will also help develop our duty system, provide information, advice and signposting, and work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure safeguarding concerns are recognised and escalated appropriately.

Main duties of the job:

• You are an organised, proactive practitioner who thrives in a busy environment and is passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families.

You will bring:

• A relevant qualification in mental health or working with children and young people, alongside evidence of continued professional development.
• Experience of working within a children and young people's mental health service, community or educational setting, engaging effectively with children, young people and families.
• Experience of working across agencies and multidisciplinary teams, including coordinating or delegating duties.
• An understanding of safeguarding, child protection, confidentiality, consent and information sharing, with the ability to recognise and escalate concerns appropriately.
• Strong communication, organisation and IT skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, work under pressure and maintain accurate records.
• A collaborative, adaptable and solution-focused approach, with the confidence to use your initiative, build positive relationships and contribute to service improvement.
• Knowledge of common mental health difficulties experienced by children and young people, MHST service models or relevant legislation would be welcomed.
• A therapeutic postgraduate qualification would also be beneficial.
• Access to your own transport, or evidence of being able to commute efficiently between community venues, is essential.

About us:

Compass is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. For 40 years, Compass has been a national charity which works in communities across the UK providing services spanning substance misuse treatment and rehabilitation, early interventions for vulnerable young people, school-aged health programmes and associated prevention as well as treatment and health promotion initiatives.

We positively encourage applications from all members of the community, regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age, or sexual orientation, and encourage applications from people who have experiences in life which enrich skills and empathy. This is part of our commitment to equality and developing a truly inclusive and representative workforce.

Benefits:

• 27 days holiday + bank holidays, rising to 32 days over time (pro rata)
• Life assurance at 2 x basic salary
• Competitive contributory pension scheme
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and OH service
• Enhanced sick pay
• Excellent learning & development opportunities and career progression
• Annual salary review

Help us to make a positive change to the lives of children and young people!