School Mental Health Team Leader

The School Mental Health Team Leader (SMHTL) plays a crucial role in leading the development of mental health services across eight secondary schools. They lead a team of four School Mental Health Practitioners (SMHPs) to provide integrated mental health services, offering clinical supervision, and ensuring the team's performance. The SMHTL also personally delivers interventions, closely monitors progress, and provides reports to the Harris Senior Lead Consultant and Director of Secondary. Additionally, they ensure that SMHPs submit reports detailing student access to services and outcomes achieved. The SMHTL holds their own caseload, collaborates with staff, families, and external agencies, and provides essential support to school staff in understanding mental health, welfare, safeguarding, and referral processes. Their work includes partnering with senior school leaders to develop the wider service and share best practices, ultimately aiming to provide the best possible support for students' mental well-being.

We can be flexible on full or part-time hours. This role is term-time only, with the salary calculated pro-rata based on 41 weeks per year.

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

You will supervise a team of four School Mental Health Practitioners (SMHPs) in providing an integrated mental health service to students aged 11-18, their teachers, and their families across eight secondary schools. This will involve:

• Providing regular clinical supervision to the SMHPs
• Managing and supporting them in delivering clinical assessments and interventions to students experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues

You will also hold your own caseload of students, provides specialist interventions, with responsibilities including:

• Liaising with parents, carers, staff, and external agencies as needed
• Working collaboratively with the Harris Federation Senior Lead Consultant, Directory of Secondary Schools, senior school leaders of the eight schools, and SMHPs to develop the wider service, share best practices, and innovate

A full list of responsibilities can be found in the Job Pack.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We would like to hear from you if you:

• Hold a graduate level degree in field relevant to the post
• Hold a recognised training qualification in youth counselling and/or evidence-based psychological therapy for children, young people and families
• Are registered with your relevant professional body
• Have completed post qualification training and supervised experience in a clinical role with children, young people and families who experience mental health difficulties
• Have completed post qualification training and experience in a clinical role involving the supervision/leadership of others in their work with children, young people and families who experience mental health difficulties
• Have significant post qualification experience within a relevant field of expertise
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the full range of emotional and mental health needs of young people and associated risk and protective factors
• Demonstrate skill and theoretical understanding of a range of evidence-based psychological therapeutic models relevant to troubled young people, and their families
• Have experience of and skills in undertaking clinical assessment, formulation and treatment planning alongside parents, carers and school staff based on child's needs
• Have the ability to plan and deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions to address the full range of mental health disorders with a young person and their carer
• Demonstrate knowledge of school environments and an understanding of the process of engaging young people who require or would benefit from emotional and therapeutic support
• Have skills in supporting parents and providing evidence-based parenting advice and interventions
• Have the ability to provide staff consultation and advice in a timely manner to sustain students' wellbeing
• Have the ability to work in partnership with specialist mental health providers and third sector agencies to support troubled students and families
• Have the ability to complete assessment and formulation of the full range of child and adolescent mental health disorders and related neurodevelopmental conditions and associated risk and protective factors
• Have the ability to undertake mental health risk assessments with children and young people, including suicidality and self-harm, eating disorders and sexually harmful behaviours

For a full person specification, please download the job pack.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Harris has a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

You will also have access to a variety of benefits, support programmes and initiatives including:

• Excellent opportunities for continuous professional development and career progression
• Annual performance and loyalty bonus
• Pension scheme (Teachers' Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contribution
• 26 days' annual leave (inclusive of our Christmas Eve closure day) plus bank holidays, rising to 27 days after 2 years' service, or equivalent for staff on term time contracts
• Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan including cover for routine and specialist healthcare
• Employee Assistance Programme for free and confidential advice
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• Wide range of shopping, leisure, and travel discounts
• 20% off at Tapi Carpets, exclusive to Harris employees
• Interest-free ICT and season ticket loans

For most non-teaching staff based at our Head Office in East Croydon, we also offer lifestyle friendly working arrangements including flexible start and end times, and hybrid working with two days from home and three days on site.

APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation.

Screening calls will take place on 8th November, and in-person interviews on 15th November.

Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date.

When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.