Senior Mental Health Practitioner

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time Senior Mental Health Practitioner with a keen interest in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Autism and Learning disabilities, to work within our early intervention SEND Mental Health Support Team (MHST). The post holder will be involved in the continuing development and implementation of the SEND MHST.

Proposed interview date: 17-Dec-2025

Main duties of the job

The SEND MHST delivers evidence-based interventions supporting emotional wellbeing through groups, individual interventions, consultation, and training whilst incorporating a full assessment of need. The aim of the SEND MHST is to support a whole school approach to develop, build, and support emotional well being.

We are seeking to appoint a Senior Mental Health Practitioner, who can work flexibly and is committed to the success and delivery of the project. The post is full time; however flexible working opportunities will be considered. The post is based in Sandridge Gate, St Albans with regular planned travel across Hertfordshire and West Essex.

About us

A big thank you for considering joining us at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust. You'll find it a great place to work with many benefits offered to you as a member of our staff.

We can offer you:

• Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development.
• Opportunities to work closely with a multi disciplinary team and learn from other evidence based frameworks and approaches.
• Involvement in service development including undertaking clinical audits, project work and service forums.
• Flexible working.
• 27 days annual leave, 29 if you have worked for the NHS for 5 years and 33 if you have worked for the NHS for 10 years, in addition to 8 days bank holidays.
• Entitlement to the NHS pension scheme.

Job responsibilities

The ideal candidate will be:

A registered mental health practitioner with a minimum of five years experience. Able to oversee all clinical interventions and resources within the service. Able to plan and lead workshops and therapeutic groups. Work in partnership with schools. Provide training and support to schools. Provide clinical supervision and line management to Band 5, 6 and 7 staff. Provide learning and development opportunities for the whole team. Offer a SEND consultation service to other MHSTs. Have a vast experience of SEMH provisions and working with CYP who have experienced trauma. Assess and manage risk and safeguarding. Able to establish and maintain effective inter agency and inter team communication. To provide specialist assessment, intervention, advice and consultation on CYP's care to colleagues, professionals from other agencies and to other non professional carers. Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working in settings where there is a highly emotive atmosphere. Flexible in their approach and have resilience under pressure. Able to work both in a team environment and autonomously.

This role requires you to drive across Hertfordshire and West Essex. You must hold a full valid driving licence, and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010). If you do not meet both criteria, it is unlikely that you will be shortlisted for this role. For further details please contact Sarah Garvey or .

Word versions of documents are available if needed to allow for any adaptations to be made i.e. font, colour, background, convert to Read Aloud.

Person Specification Training and Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in relevant field. Professional Qualification (RMN, DipSW, OT, SWP, IAPT or equivalent) supplemented by post graduate diploma specialist training, experience, short courses plus further specialist training to master's equivalent level.
• Experience in relevant mental health/learning disability setting.
• Specialist knowledge within the field of clinical skills gained through theoretical and practical training and experience.
• Membership of relevant professional bodies.
• Approved mental health professional (AMHP).
• Further training in relevant areas of Autism, Learning Disability and mental health.

Experience

• Significant experience of risk assessment within a mental health or learning disability setting.
• Significant experience of working clinically in a mental health and/or learning disability setting assessing, containing and managing complex cases in a multi disciplinary setting.
• Experience of working with people who have a learning disability and/or neurodiversity.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of groups, across the whole course of presenting challenges that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Knowledge of child development, child and adolescent mental health and a range of therapeutic models.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised therapies and assessment methodologies.
• Multi Disciplinary Team and multi agency working.
• Experience of dealing with Safeguarding Incidents.
• To have good knowledge of local community services.
• Provision of effective clinical/practice supervision.
• Experience of developing and delivering training and/or groups.

Knowledge & Skills

• Ability to lead professionally and managerially.
• Ability to identify appropriate evidence based interventions for mental health.
• Ability to perform under pressure, to be able to analyse information effectively, therefore ensuring correct conclusion for action.
• Evidence of well developed critical decision making skills.
• High level of communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate effectively complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to a range of audiences.
• An ability and commitment to work as a member of a team and effectively communicate with the team.
• Ability to recognise the emotional consequences of working with children with distressing and life changing disorders and seek support if needed.
• An ability to work effectively in a range of direct care settings with families, carers and staff.
• Ability to communicate effectively when under pressure and dealing with challenging phone calls.
• Ability to recognise signs of stress and to seek appropriate support in self and others.
• Ability and willingness to work flexibly including evenings and weekends as required.

Personal Abilities

• An interest in, and commitment to, working with children who have a learning disability and/or an neurodiversity and/or mental health difficulties.
• Able to meet targets and deadlines in line with triage times and returning phone calls.
• Values that match positive behaviour ethos.
• Good organisational skills and an ability to manage own workload.
• Able to challenge and to be challenged.
• Professional attitude to work and team members.

Other Specifications

• A full valid driving licence and access to a car to use for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
• Willingness to travel to alternate locations to provide services.
• Eligible to live and work in the UK.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This 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.

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum pro rata