Mental Health Expert Practitioner

We are looking for a qualified Mental Health Expert Practitioner to serve the pastoral and wellbeing needs of targeted students across a number of secondary education academies.

We are interested to hear from talented mental health practitioners who have experience of working with young people. This is a brand new role within the Harris Federation and you will be involved in conducting appropriate assessments to ascertain the needs of the students; designing and delivering bespoke programmes, followed by monitoring the progress of the students and auditing the efficacy of the programmes.

Reporting to the Lead Coordinator of Mental Health, you will work as part of a new team to offer supervision as well as  guidance and advice for specialist referrals.

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 51 primary and secondary academies across London and Essex, employing over 5,000 staff and educating some 40,000 young people. 

Main Areas of Responsibility

As a Mental Health Expert Practitioner (MHEP) you will be responsible for managing an integrated mental health and wellbeing service across a group of academies and working as part of the wider multi-disciplinary team to enhance the mental and emotional wellbeing of young people at Harris Federation.

You will work collaboratively with staff, students, families and outside agencies to support the students in line with the aims, objectives and development plan of the Academies, and will participate (and lead) in the development of service to and for the students of the Academies and their families/carers.

You will work alongside the DSL and welfare team at each Academy, under the overarching guidance of the Principal, creating enhanced specialist capacity; offering specialist clinical and therapeutic interventions, monitoring and reviewing practice, and expediting access to external services as appropriate. You will work across a number of Academies and be part of a team led by an Expert Practitioner Lead Coordinator (EPLC).

Caseload Management

• Undertake clinical assessments and formulations to provide and/or facilitate provision of appropriate wellbeing/mental health evidence-based interventions for students, and their parents. This will include advice, intervention, adaptations and support to the pupil and their carers/staff
• Plan, deliver and evaluate clinical/therapy treatment programmes as identified in the child student’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Personal Development Plan
• Provide break time and lunchtime drop-in sessions for students
• Devise and run Parent Partnership interventions as agreed with the EPLC and Academy leadership team
• To lead on and coordinate audits within the Wellbeing Team and to feedback regularly to the Senior Leadership Group, Trustees and Governors etc as required

Mental Health Objectives

• Maintain a high quality of wellbeing/mental health service, according to the UKCP, Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (here), Academy policies and code of conduct
• Develop the role of wellbeing and mental health services across the designated Academies so that it is accessible to all students
• To identify and recommend training needs within the Academy welfare and safeguarding team to support approaches needed to enhance the wellbeing and mental health needs of the students at the designated Academies
• Contribute to risk assessment process in relation to students’ wellbeing/mental health including suicidality, self harm, forensic and other behavioural or developmental risks
• Keep up to date with developments in the field of Mental Health and Wellbeing, SEN by reading, discussion and attendance at courses and maintaining a personal training log

Manage Referrals

Alongside the designated safeguarding lead the MHEP is expected to refer cases:

• of suspected abuse and neglect to the local authority children’s social care as required and support staff who make referrals to local authority children’s social care
• to the Channel programme where there is a radicalisation concern as required and support staff who make referrals to the Channel programme;

Please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification.

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
• Be registered with their relevant professional body (HCPC, BACP, PTUK, UKCP or NCS)
• 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
• Have a clear understanding of child protection policy and procedures and commitment to safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults
• Demonstrate knowledge of the school environment
• 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 Academies

Next Steps

If you would like to arrange a call to discuss the opportunity, or if you have any questions, please contact Harry Bond, Head of Talent via e-mail: harry.bond@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.

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 we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

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

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.