Job summary
- Main area
- Education Mental Health Practitioner Trainee
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (candidates will be offered a permanent contract as a Band 5 EMHP following successful completion of training)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 425-25-7308917
- Employer
- Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
- Town
- Sheffield
- Salary
- £27,485 - £30,162 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 31/08/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 06/10/2025
Employer heading
Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)
NHS AfC: Band 4
Job overview
Location: Sheffield
Contract: Full-time, 12-month fixed-term (with guaranteed permanent Band 5 role on successful completion)
Training Starts: Spring 2026
Sheffield Mental Health Support Team (MHST), part of Sheffield CAMHS, is recruiting Trainee EMHPs to deliver early, evidence-based mental health interventions in schools. In partnership with the University of Sheffield, you will combine academic learning and hands-on experience to support the emotional wellbeing of children and young people across 60 schools in the city
Essential Information:
-
Training: Fully funded postgraduate diploma
-
Duration: 12 months – 3 days/week in service (2 in schools), 2 days/week at university
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Post-Training: Permanent Band 5 role upon successful qualification
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Hours: Full-time, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
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Requirement: Must be able to work full-time in Sheffield from February 2026
Selection Process:
-
500-word essay (assessed by University of Sheffield)
-
MHST panel interview
-
University of Sheffield interview
Interviews: Early October 2025 in Sheffield.
Main duties of the job
Reporting into the Service Lead, your responsibilities will include:
During Training:
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Deliver structured, evidence-based interventions to children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs in schools
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Support whole-school approaches to promoting emotional wellbeing
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Facilitate training and guidance to school staff on identifying and responding to mental health concerns
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Work with school staff and mental health professionals to improve access to care
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Develop skills in safeguarding, clinical governance, and risk management
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Evidence progress toward academic and practical competence as part of the postgraduate diploma
Once qualified, EMHPs are required to meet professional registration requirements to continue with their employment.
Please see further information about the main activities of a Trainee EMHP in Sheffield MHST.
Working for our organisation
At Sheffield Children’s, our purpose is clear: to provide healthier futures for children and young people. Our three strategic aims are Outstanding Patient Care, Brilliant Place to Work, and Leaders in Children’s Health.
We work with partners across local, regional, and national levels to deliver physical and mental healthcare in both acute and community settings. Many of our clinicians are nationally and internationally recognised for their expertise.
We’re proud that 73% of colleagues would recommend Sheffield Children’s as a place to work, placing us among the top five NHS trusts in England — and the top-ranked trust in the North East and Yorkshire — in the latest NHS Staff Survey.
Our nearly 4,000 colleagues bring our CARE values — Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence — to life every day, creating a kind, welcoming environment where patients and families feel safe and supported.
As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2026, we’re excited to keep building our leadership in children's health, improve experiences for patients and staff, and focus on our communities and population health.
We also offer excellent benefits to support your wellbeing, with generous annual leave and pension schemes, health and wellbeing programmes, and exclusive discounts — helping you thrive at work and beyond.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For more information on the main responsibilities for this post, please refer to the job description and person specification.
Please note that Sheffield Children's uplift pay to meet the Real Living Wage, which is £12.60 per hour.
Diversity Statement
At Sheffield Children’s, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment that celebrates diversity and supports everyone’s success. We prioritise Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in our recruitment practices, creating a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds, including ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ members.
Recognising that inclusivity is an ongoing effort, we review our processes and welcome feedback to enhance our practices. A diverse team strengthens our organisation and the quality of care we deliver. For ideas on how we can improve, please contact our Recruitment Manager at [email protected]. Together, we’re building a workplace where everyone belongs.
#LI-Onsite
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Undergraduate degree in Psychology OR related subject (e.g., Psychology, Education, Childhood development, Social Work etc)
- Proven record of previous academic attainment.
- Good solid basic literacy and numeracy qualifications at a • minimum of level 2
Desirable criteria
- A further relevant post graduate qualification
- Teaching qualification
- Any subject with further training or experience in a relevant field (e.g., Teaching/TA; Learning Support; HCA; Youth Work etc)
- Training in Counselling skills
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience of working with children and young people
- Experience of working within education
- Experience of working within health, social care or VCR.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of supporting children’s emotional wellbeing and mental health
- Experience of navigating complex social systems and environments, who may have conflicting priorities or agendas.
- Experience of delivering training
- Experience of working with families
- Experience of delivering mental health interventions.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the educational system in England
- Computer literate
- Ability to study as a self-motivated learner who can formulate their own progress towards learning objectives and negotiate pathways to achievement with supervisory teams.
Desirable criteria
- Ability to link psychological theory to practice
- Ability to conduct other group therapeutic interventions with children and their families
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional, academic settings and within schools.
Personal attributes
Essential criteria
- Well-developed time–management skills & self-organising skills: a demonstrated ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals
- An ability to apply sustained and intense concentration both within the clinical work, and in order to plan workload and liaise effectively with multiple partners.
- Able to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for any illness or disability.
- Able to travel to meet the requirements of the post.
- Clear indication that they understand the EMHP role
- Clear indication that this is a targeted application to work within the Sheffield service
- Indication of their compassion to school communities.
- Ability to work with a professional manner and recognise the needs of the service in terms of clinical governance
Desirable criteria
- Clear indication of a commitment to want to continue to work in Sheffield
- An interest in working with children with psychological problems and their families.
- An interest in working within schools.
- A commitment to promoting the voice of children and young people and developing their participation in changing their school environment.
Specific attributes
Essential criteria
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to personally manage a sensitive, traumatic and potentially emotionally distressing caseload.
- A commitment to meeting the academic requirements of this training post.
Desirable criteria
- Proven commitment to continuous professional development
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- A recognition of the pressures on schools and the need to navigate this professionally within the role
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lyndsey Bridgman
- Job title
- Service Delivery Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01142716507
- Additional information
Given the high demand for this role, we cannot offer individual appointments to discuss the position in advance of being invited to an interview.
Preferred contact via email.
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