Duty Practitioner

Job summaryHelp children and young people access the right support.Youre someone who cares about making a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.As a Duty Practitioner, youll 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.Youll 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.Youll 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.Ready to help children and young people access the support they need? Wed love to hear from you.Main duties of the jobYoure an organised, proactive practitioner who thrives in a busy environment and is passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families.Youll 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 peoples 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.If this sounds like you, take the next step and apply today.About usCompass is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. For 40 years, Compass is 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.All Compass posts are subject to appropriate level DBS checks.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.We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments individuals may require in the recruitment process, on commencement, or once in post.BenefitsWe offer a range of benefits including:27 days holiday + bank holidays, rising to 32 days over time (pro rata)Life assurance at 2 x basic salaryCompetitive contributory pension scheme24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and OH serviceEnhanced sick payExcellent learning & development opportunities and career progressionAnnual salary reviewHelp us to make a positive change to the lives of children and young people!Closing Date: 13.11.2026 #LI-BE1 #CompBloom DetailsDate posted29 October 2026Pay schemeOtherSalary 29,545 to 34,683 a year ContractPermanentWorking pattern Full-time Reference number816Job locationsUnit 8, Balfour CourtOff Hough LaneLeylandLancashirePR25 2TFUnited KingdomJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesHelp children and young people access the right support.Youre someone who cares about making a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.As a Duty Practitioner, youll 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.Youll 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.Youll 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.Ready to help children and young people access the support they need? Wed love to hear from you. Job description Job responsibilitiesHelp children and young people access the right support.Youre someone who cares about making a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.As a Duty Practitioner, youll 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.Youll 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.Youll 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.Ready to help children and young people access the support they need? Wed love to hear from you.Person Specification Qualifications EssentialQualification in mental health or working with children & young people such as Diploma in Youth Work, Diploma in Social Work, Psychology degree, accredited counselling.Evidence of continued professional development.DesirableTherapeutic post graduate qualification Experience EssentialExperience of working within a CYP mental health service OR in a community and/or educational environmentExperience of working in a high demand fast paced role.Experience of effective engagement with CYP and familiesExperience of Inter agency and multi-disciplinary workingExperience of directing/delegating team duties Additional Criteria EssentialUnderstanding of safeguarding and child protection procedures, including recognising indicators of abuse, neglect, exploitation, self-harm and other safeguarding concerns, and knowing when and how to escalate concernsUnderstanding of confidentiality, consent and information sharing, including parental responsibility, young people's rights to confidentiality, Gillick competence, safeguarding exceptions and data protection requirementsThe ability to delegate and co-ordinate referralsRecognition and escalation of risk, contributing to control measures Planning workload, time management Work under pressure and able to manage changing priorities Understand need for evidence and statistical data collection, and achieving targets IT skills Team player and a dynamic personality Multi-agency/disciplinary working Excellent communication skills and able to relate to CYPFsInnovative practice and ability to influence others Positive attitude; flexible and adaptable; solution focused; and tenacious.Has a strong degree of personal integrity.Access to own transport or evidence of ability to commute efficiently between community venues.DesirableKnowledge of common mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties experienced by CYP, including anxiety, low mood, emotional regulation difficulties, school related anxiety and behavioural presentations associated with underlying emotional needsUnderstanding of MHST service models and scope, including the role of Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs), evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties, and the boundaries of the MHST offerWorking understanding of Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026Ability to analyse data support service improvement Person Specification Qualifications EssentialQualification in mental health or working with children & young people such as Diploma in Youth Work, Diploma in Social Work, Psychology degree, accredited counselling.Evidence of continued professional development.DesirableTherapeutic post graduate qualification Experience EssentialExperience of working within a CYP mental health service OR in a community and/or educational environmentExperience of working in a high demand fast paced role.Experience of effective engagement with CYP and familiesExperience of Inter agency and multi-disciplinary workingExperience of directing/delegating team duties Additional Criteria EssentialUnderstanding of safeguarding and child protection procedures, including recognising indicators of abuse, neglect, exploitation, self-harm and other safeguarding concerns, and knowing when and how to escalate concernsUnderstanding of confidentiality, consent and information sharing, including parental responsibility, young people's rights to confidentiality, Gillick competence, safeguarding exceptions and data protection requirementsThe ability to delegate and co-ordinate referralsRecognition and escalation of risk, contributing to control measures Planning workload, time management Work under pressure and able to manage changing priorities Understand need for evidence and statistical data collection, and achieving targets IT skills Team player and a dynamic personality Multi-agency/disciplinary working Excellent communication skills and able to relate to CYPFsInnovative practice and ability to influence others Positive attitude; flexible and adaptable; solution focused; and tenacious.Has a strong degree of personal integrity.Access to own transport or evidence of ability to commute efficiently between community venues.DesirableKnowledge of common mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties experienced by CYP, including anxiety, low mood, emotional regulation difficulties, school related anxiety and behavioural presentations associated with underlying emotional needsUnderstanding of MHST service models and scope, including the role of Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs), evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties, and the boundaries of the MHST offerWorking understanding of Children Act 1989, Children Act 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026Ability to analyse data support service improvementDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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.Employer detailsEmployer nameCompassAddressUnit 8, Balfour CourtOff Hough LaneLeylandLancashirePR25 2TFUnited KingdomEmployer's websiteEmployer detailsEmployer nameCompassAddressUnit 8, Balfour CourtOff Hough LaneLeylandLancashirePR25 2TFUnited KingdomEmployer's website