Mental Health Advisor

About Us: Newham College London, now merged with NewVIc Sixth Form College, is the largest post-16 education provider in Newham. With campuses in East Ham, Stratford, Plaistow, and the London City Institute of Technology (LCIoT) in Canning Town, we serve over 11,000 students across a range of pathways – including 16–18 study, adult education, apprenticeships, and higher education. With over 800 staff, four main campuses, and an annual turnover of £60 million, Newham College is one of the borough’s largest employers and plays a key role in driving local economic and community development.

The Role: There are 2 vacancies, one full time, permanent and term time only basis, and one part time permanent and term-time only basis. As a Mental Health Advisor you will ensure the college sets a great foundation to ensure mental health and wellbeing is a priority, removing barriers and tackling stigma to ensure our services are inclusive and accessible. You will work with students who present with mental health concerns to support them to become physically and mentally healthy. You will work closely with other colleagues in the safeguarding and welfare team to provide appropriate and timely information, support and interventions, understanding when and how to refer students to other agencies as appropriate. You will offer 1 to 1 and group sessions to students and support the wider student experience team to provide information and organise events to promote mental health.

Key responsibilities:

• Deliver one to one sessions, issue-based groups and workshops to be positively proactive in supporting vulnerable students with specific mental health needs, those needing regular mental health support or are at risk of underachieving due to poor mental health.
• Inspire and motivate staff and students to fully engage in mental health enrichment programmes by delivering relevant, contemporary content which enables students to develop their resilience and empower them to identify their own academic and social support needs.
• Contribute to the development of appropriate materials and website information to promote good mental health and wellbeing.
• Contribute to meetings with external agencies as required.
• Liaise closely with curriculum, support teams and students to collate up to date and current feedback to shape and drive the mental health and wellbeing offer.
• Deliver sessions, activities and trips, including following all procedures and completing appropriate paperwork, including risk assessments etc.
• Ensure resources and published materials are relevant and up to date on the websites, VLE and noticeboards.
• Ensure that participation records are maintained and updated to ensure data required by the College as well as external organisations is readily available.
• Contribute to cross college activities such as fresher’s fayre during induction.
• In partnership with the schools liaison team, implement interventions for prospective students progressing into college.
• Keep concise confidential records of meetings and ensure information is shared appropriately and in line with data protection and GDPR.
• Keep up to date with developments in mental health research and local and national strategies and policies.
• Contribute to a review and evaluation of the areas Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP).

Our Ideal candidate should have the following qualifications, skills and experience:

• Experience of providing mental health support.
• Experience of collecting and analysing data to inform decision making.
• Experience of organising and delivering engaging presentations.
• Experience of delivering individual and group sessions.
• Experience of developing effective relationship/partnership working.
• Experience of representing a brand in an outward facing role.
• Experience of developing promotional/information materials.
• Experience of creating and maintaining databases and report writing.

Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults: In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education, all employment offers are subject to employment checks. These include (some of which are dependent on the role and the individual): Enhanced DBS including Children’s Barred List check, DfE teaching/management Barred List check, online searches, overseas criminal record check, evidence of identity and Right to Work in the UK, satisfactory references, confirmation of medical fitness, evidence of relevant qualifications and a check of previous employment history. The College is committed to safeguarding and promotes the welfare of all learners and expects its staff to share this commitment. You will be required to become familiar with the College's policies, and comply with the requirements to safeguard and protect the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults. All staff are asked to complete mandatory training in relation to KCSIE and other key areas, and to read the relevant policies.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: The College has a strong commitment to working towards the implementation of equality of opportunity in both service delivery and employment. The College’s mission and strategic objectives directly support this aim. All employees are required to actively support the development, dissemination and implementation of this aim and related policies and programmes.

Recruitment Process: The email account you use to apply will be used for all recruitment communication. Please ensure that you use an email account that you regularly monitor. All application forms must be fully completed, including a full record of education and employment history. Incomplete applications will not be considered for shortlisting. The salary for this position is inclusive of London weighting. Please note that we advertise our salaries on a range to indicate the trajectory of progression that can be made. Appointments are usually made at the start of the salary range. We regret that we are unable to respond to every application. Therefore, if you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early, should we receive sufficient applications.