School Mental Health Practitioner

Summary

We are looking for a School Mental Health Practitioner (SMHP) to offer evidence-based clinical assessments and specialist mental health interventions to young people aged 11-18 who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues in two secondary schools.

At Harris we strive to improve the outcomes and experiences of all our students and particularly those facing mental health challenges. This is why we are committed to creating and developing a new and dynamic central team of four School Mental Health Practitioners (SMHPs) who will be led by a central School Mental Health Team Leader (SMHTL). The SMHTL will also provide regular supervision and training opportunities.

Each full-time SMHP will work with two Harris secondary schools to ensure we maintain a high-quality service and provide continuity of support for our students. Part-time SMHPs will work predominantly in one school. Time will be allocated for SMHPs to meet as a team with the SMHTL to share practice, develop the service and undertake training. Harris Federation is a dynamic and rapidly expanding organisation with many career opportunities for new and existing staff. We are excited to build, develop and innovate through this new School Mental Health Team to help ensure all our students can reach their full potential.

We are ideally looking for a full-time candidate for this role, but are happy to consider those who would prefer a part-time role.

About Us

The Harris Federation mission is to transform education in London so that every student in a Harris Academy receives an outstanding education. Closing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers has always been a core mission. The founder, Chairman and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We now have 52 primary and secondary academies across London and Essex, employing over 5,000 staff and educating some 40,000 young people.

Main Areas of Responsibility

The aim of the School Mental Health Practitioner’s (SMHP’s) role is to:

• offer evidence-based clinical assessments and specialist mental health interventions to young people who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues in two secondary schools (students aged 11-18);
• provide a range of mental health prevention and wellbeing advice to students to address a range of common adolescent emotional, behavioural and relationship difficulties within the two secondary schools;
• expedite access to external services for troubled students as appropriate, including supporting those with more severe needs in accessing the correct support;
• work as part of each school’s wider multi-disciplinary team (e.g. with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), safeguarding team, wellbeing team, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) team and teachers, as appropriate). This will be under the overarching guidance of the school’s principal and will be with the support, guidance and line management of the central Harris Federation School Mental Health Team Leader (SMHTL);
• work collaboratively with staff, families and outside agencies to support the referred students in line with the aims, objectives and development plan of the two designated schools;
• participate, with the SMHTL and senior school colleagues, in the development of the service to and for the students of the two schools and their families/carers;
• support and advise teaching staff and help them feel confident on mental health, welfare, safeguarding, child protection and referral processes;
• support staff in considering how safeguarding, welfare and educational outcomes are linked, including to inform the provision of academic and pastoral support;
• work collaboratively with the other SMHPs and SMHTL to develop the wider service across eight schools, share best practice and innovate.

For a full list of responsibilities, please download the job pack via the link.

Qualifications & Experience

The successful candidate will:

• Hold a degree in a field relevant to the post
• Hold a recognised training qualification in youth counselling and/or evidence-based psychological therapy for children, young people and families
• Have post-qualified experience in a clinical role with children, young people and families and an understanding of the full range of emotional and mental health needs children, young people and schools
• Demonstrate an understanding of the full range of emotional and mental health needs of young people and associated risk and protective factors
• Demonstrates skill and theoretical understanding of a range of evidence-based psychological therapeutic models relevant to troubled young people, and their families
• Experience of and skills in undertaking clinical assessment, formulation and treatment planning alongside parents, carers and school staff based on child’s needs
• Have the ability to plan and deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions to address the full range of mental health disorders with a young person and their carer, as appropriate, hold regular reviews of clinical work and measure the outcomes
• Demonstrate knowledge of school environments and an understanding of the process of engaging young people who require or would benefit from emotional and therapeutic support within educational settings
• Have skills in supporting parents and providing evidence-based parenting advice and interventions
• Be able to provide staff consultation and advice in a timely manner to sustain students’ wellbeing
• Be able to work in partnership with specialist mental health providers and third sector agencies to support troubled students and families
• Be able to complete assessment and formulation of the full range of child and adolescent mental health disorders and related neurodevelopmental conditions and associated risk and protective factors
• Be able to undertake mental health risk assessments with children and young people, including suicidality and self-harm, eating disorders and sexually harmful behaviours
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the needs of service users from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, and stakeholders and range of service provision offered to support them across designated schools
• Take an active approach to self-development and shows a commitment to continuous professional learning

For a full person specification, please download the job pack via the link.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact us via e-mail careers@harrisfederation.org.uk

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. You will need this when completing your application.

Please note: we may hold interviews as and when applications are received and we reserve the right to offer to a candidate prior to the closing date. We only accept applications submitted online via our careers website and which are completed before the closing deadline. With this in mind, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible and advise you check the job information as per the listing on our careers site.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan including access to a virtual GP, electric car scheme, 26 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays) for staff who work across the full year, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.