Educational Mental Health Practitioner

Job summary Are you passionate about transforming the mental health landscape for children and young people?
As an Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), youll have a unique opportunity to deliver life-changing support within education settings.
Working closely with schools, families, and communities, youll provide evidence-based interventions tailored to the needs of children and young people with mild to moderate mental health challenges.
Your work will empower young minds to thrive emotionally and academically while equipping school staff with the tools to build a culture of mental wellbeing.
In this dynamic role, youll be at the heart of meaningful collaboration, working alongside education leaders, families, and mental health professionals.
Youll offer tailored guidance, support whole-school approaches to mental health, and contribute to creating safe, nurturing environments for young people.
Whether conducting risk assessments, managing caseloads, or providing psychoeducational tools, your efforts will have a direct, positive, and lasting impact on childrens lives.
Well support you with ongoing supervision, professional development opportunities, and a values-driven team that celebrates innovation and shared learning.
If youre motivated to make a real difference and thrive in a role that combines compassion, expertise, and collaboration, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
Join us and help shape a brighter future for young people and their communities.
Main duties of the job We are seeking a compassionate and skilled professional dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
With a qualification as an Education Mental Health Practitioner or a related field, you bring a strong understanding of educational environments, safeguarding protocols, and therapeutic approaches such as CBT or solution-focused brief therapy.
Your experience working with children, families, and a variety of agencies has equipped you to navigate complex social systems and environments with confidence and care.
As an effective communicator with excellent assessment and organisational skills, you excel in delivering 1:1 and group therapeutic interventions, supporting whole-school mental health strategies, and offering actionable guidance on managing risk.
Your ability to connect with vulnerable groups, including looked-after children and those with social, emotional, or behavioural challenges, makes you a trusted advocate for their needs.
You are skilled at tailoring interventions to individual circumstances with a focus on outcomes and safety.
Driven by integrity and continuous development, you embody values like honesty, respect, and reliability.
Your proactive approach ensures you deliver impactful solutions, foster partnerships, provide mental health training, and inspire positive change, empowering young people, families, and educators to thrive.
If this sounds like you then we'd love to see you apply for this amazing role
About us Compass is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and you should share our commitment.
Established for over 30 years, Compass is a national charity which works in communities across the UK providing services spanning substance misuse treatment and rehabilitation, early interventions for vulnerable young people, school aged health programmes and associated prevention as well as treatment and health promotion initiatives.
All Compass posts are subject to appropriate level DBS checks.
We positively encourage applications from all members of the community, regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation and encourage applications from people who have experiences in life which enrich skills and empathy.
This is part of our commitment to equality and developing a truly inclusive workforce.
We are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments individuals may require in the recruitment process, on commencement, or once in post.
Benefits We offer a range of benefits including: 27 days holiday + bank holidays, rising to 32 days over time (pro rata) Life assurance at 2 x basic salary Competitive contributory pension scheme 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and OH service Enhanced sick pay Excellent learning & development opportunities and career progression Annual performance / salary review Please Note:- We may close this advert earlier if we receive a large number of applications.
Job description Job responsibilities Are you passionate about transforming the mental health landscape for children and young people?
As an Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), youll have a unique opportunity to deliver life-changing support within education settings.
Working closely with schools, families, and communities, youll provide evidence-based interventions tailored to the needs of children and young people with mild to moderate mental health challenges.
Your work will empower young minds to thrive emotionally and academically while equipping school staff with the tools to build a culture of mental wellbeing.
In this dynamic role, youll be at the heart of meaningful collaboration, working alongside education leaders, families, and mental health professionals.
Youll offer tailored guidance, support whole-school approaches to mental health, and contribute to creating safe, nurturing environments for young people.
Whether conducting risk assessments, managing caseloads, or providing psychoeducational tools, your efforts will have a direct, positive, and lasting impact on childrens lives.
Well support you with ongoing supervision, professional development opportunities, and a values-driven team that celebrates innovation and shared learning.
If youre motivated to make a real difference and thrive in a role that combines compassion, expertise, and collaboration, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
Join us and help shape a brighter future for young people and their communities.
Person Specification Qualifications Essential Be a suitably qualified Education Mental Health Practitioner Desirable Teaching qualification Youth Mental Health First Aid trained Experience Essential Knowledge of educational environments Knowledge of safeguarding issues Knowledge of capacity and consent issues including Gillick competence Experience of working with children and young people, their families and others Experience of working and liaising with a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders Experience of working with children and young people who have social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties Experience of working with anxiety disorders Experience of working with affective (mood) disorders Experience of the delivery of specific therapeutic interventions to children, young people or their families ( CBT, solution focused brief therapy Desirable Knowledge of the functional operation of specialist Children and Young Peoples Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing services teams Experience of working with children and their families in a healthcare setting Experience of working with children and their families in an education setting Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for childrens emotional wellbeing Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priories or agendas Experience of working with looked after children Experience of working with other vulnerable groups Additional Criteria Essential Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health interventions with children Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic mental health interventions with families Ability to work within educational settings to increase mental health awareness within staff group Ability to conduct mental health assessments of children and young people Ability to make an assessment of risk and to record and communicate it appropriately Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk Excellent oral and written communication skills Excellent time management and organisational skills Access to own transport or evidence of ability to commute efficiently between community venues.
Ongoing commitment to maintain registration in core profession Willingness to study further if required Desirable Ability to teach others about mental health issues Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families Proven commitment to continuous professional development