Additional Information
Band 3 Agenda for Change £25878.00
South Cumbria Mental Health Support Teams
We have an exciting opportunity to offer a new role as an Assistant Education Mental Health Practitioner in our South Cumbria Brrow and South Lakes locality team.
This will involve working in schools in Barrow, Dalton, Millom, Ulverston, Kendal and surrounding areas.
In line with the government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, opportunities have arisen for 1 Assistant Education Mental Health Practitioner in South Cumbria.
The postholders will be supporting the MHST'S provision of a high-quality service to students (and their families) experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
Candidates who are successful in gaining an interview will be asked to prepare a short, five minute presentation on how they will deliver workshops in schools with children and young people alongside other practitioners in the team.
South Cumbria MHSTs comprises of:
- 1 Children's Service Manager
- 1 Team Manager
- 1 Clinical Leads
- 5 Senior Practitioners
- 17 Education Mental Health Practitioners
- 1 Assistant EMHPS
- 1 Admin and assistants
The service bases are situated in Barrow and Kendal. The office bases for post holders will be agreed following interview.
The South Cumbria locality MHST currently work with 22 education settings which include 21 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.
The post holder will work alongside Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) and Senior Practitioners who are trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) through direct delivery of evidence-based interventions to support the recovery of young people referred to the service. The post holder will deliver whole school approach sessions to children and young people. This work will be in accordance with clinical governance processes and professional standards.
You will be employed by Barnardo's as a Project Worker 1. In this role you will support and provide a high-quality service to children and young people (and their families) you will not be responsible for a caseload but will support delivery of evidenced based emotional wellbeing activities to children, young people and their families, as well as support education staff under supervision.
The role is to support the delivery of whole school approach with the team in schools, and work alongside trained practitioners in CBT who lead the therapeutic group interventions. This role will involve contributing to locating, preparing and utilising resources for whole school approach. This may involve facilitating school assemblies or small groups using whole school approach resources. You would also support with collecting experience and outcomes feedback for the team.
You will be well supported with appropriate supervision and CPD. You will then be well placed to apply for the trainee EMHP roles should this development be of interest.
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: -
Qualifications
Essential
- BTEC higher diploma or Foundation degree in relevant areas (children and young people -CYP) or equivalent skills/knowledge and experience of a minimum 2 years
Experience
Essential
- Experience working with CYP/Families
- Delivery of mental health/wellbeing advice to support CYP and their families
Desirable
- A minimum of two years' experience working with CYP/Families
- Experience in delivering training/ groups.
- Experience of working with an educational establishment or childcare setting/ or in children's mental health.
- Experience in supporting service development.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Understanding of mental health and emotional wellbeing issues that impact children, young people and their families.
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 MHSTs 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.
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, Children's Service Manager [email protected]
Mobile 07874 795 425
Interviews will be face to face and held at the Barrow base on 11th September 2026
