The South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) commission Barnardo's to provide Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) across South Cumbria. Due to an exciting expansion to our service, we are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and committed Team Manager who can support staff to deliver an outstanding service to children, young people and their families across the region.
The service operates as 2 locality teams across South Cumbria ~ Barrow in Furness covering Barrow / Dalton / Millom and South Lakes covering Kendal / Ulverston / Sedbergh / Windermere. This role will involve covering the South locality area.
Each MHST locality area team comprises of:
- 0.5 – Children's Service Manager
- 2 – Team Manager and Clinical Lead
- 4 – Senior Practitioners
- 8 – Education Mental Health Practitioners/ Trainees
- 1 x Admin
The service bases are situated in Kendal and Barrow. The office base for the post holder will be agreed following interview.
The South Cumbria MHST work with 22 education settings which include 1
secondary schools, 2 higher education colleges, 3 special education
schools and 1 pupil referral unit (PRU) across the community.
However, with an additional 48 primary schools in September 2026.
Role Summary
We are seeking an experienced children and young people's mental health professional to work collaboratively with the Children's Service Manager; Clinical Leads and Team Managers to provide:
- leadership
- line management
- supervision across the South Cumbria MHST
The main responsibility of this role is :
- To lead on the development and expansion of the service, including recruitment, training and supervision of a multi-disciplinary team
- Operational management and leadership within the service
- Oversight and day-to-day responsibility for the waiting list and flow of young people through the service.
- To lead on developing, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of training packages to school staff, parents and young people.
- Creating and disseminating resources around Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Line management of Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) and High Intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapists in South Cumbria locality.
Principal Accountabilities:
- Service Coordination with Education
- Management of waiting list
- Working with Partners
- Supervision and Training of Team
- Line Management of Clinical Team
- Operational Leadership and Delivery
- Service Evaluation
Completing your application
Please find attached a Barnardo's Job Description and Person/Role Specification. Barnardo's use generic Job Descriptions and Person Specifications: when completing the application form please provide evidence to demonstrate how your skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the Person Specification and in addition, the following skills and experience: -
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification (minimum Diploma/Degree) e.g. Cognitive behavioural therapy, mental health nursing, social work, occupational therapy, education, teaching, psychological wellbeing practitioner, children and young people's wellbeing practitioner, child and adolescent psychotherapy, systemic therapy, interpersonal therapy, counselling
- Appropriate and valid UK professional registration e.g. Nursing Midwifery Council, Social Work England, British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, British Psychological Society, General Teaching Council
- Specific skills and knowledge relevant to working with mild to moderate mental health needs
- Experience of working in a mental health setting
Desirable
- Experience of working in a Mental Health Support team
- Qualification in Supervision /management or experience of managing staff/ volunteers.
- Relevant graduate qualification in Mental Health related field (e.g., CYP IAPT CBT, Systemic Practice, Interpersonal Therapy, Parenting, PWP)
- Completion of Senior Mental Health Lead training.
MHST Background
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a national programme jointly delivered with the Department for Education, NHS England and Health Education England. The programme has three core functions:
- Delivering evidence-based interventions for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs
- Supporting the senior mental health lead in each education setting to introduce or develop their whole school/college approach
- Giving timely advice to school and college staff, and liaising with external specialist services, to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education
MHST's support the promotion of wellbeing and good mental health with particular focus on early intervention. They work with existing social, emotional, mental health and wellbeing support within education settings, building relationships with each education setting and with children, young people, parent-carers and partner in the locally system to co-design and evaluate the support offer required.
The MHS teams provide direct therapeutic care to children and young people who show signs of mild to moderate mental health difficulties, alongside supporting education settings with their whole education approach.
Working for Barnardo's
Barnardo's has been providing services to some of the most vulnerable children across the UK for over 150 years. We work in partnership with children's social care and health partners enabling the delivery of integrated health and social care services in a number of areas. We recognise that to really transform children's life chances, they need sustained interventions that meet the diversity of their needs and that participation and co— production must a key component of any service. If you enjoy pushing the boundaries of what works; working closely with other agencies to innovate and create; have the clinical expertise to lead on this project and want to work with children and young people and their families to deliver services that truly meet their needs, then we would like to hear from you.
For further information, please contact:
Amy Armstrong
[email protected]
Tel:- 07874 795 425
We welcome enquiries from people interested in this role and are happy to facilitate online meetings prior to interviews.
Interviews are to be held on the 6th August 2026 The interview will be face to face and held at the Barrow office.
