About this role
Job summary
What if the right support at the right time could change the direction of a young person's life?
As a Mental Health Practitioner within our Derbyshire Early Intervention and Targeted Support Service, you'll provide early mental health support to children and young people experiencing mild to moderate difficulties across the Derbyshire county.
You'll hold your own caseload, completing assessments and delivering structured, evidence based therapeutic interventions that help young people understand what they're experiencing, develop practical ways to cope and build confidence for the future.
Your impact won't stop with the young person in front of you. You'll work alongside families, schools and other professionals, offering advice and consultation and helping people navigate the support available. You'll also provide supervision to Emotional Wellbeing Practitioners, sharing your experience and supporting safe, effective practice.
You'll join a skilled, supportive team where early intervention matters and where your professional judgement and ideas are valued.
If you want to use your clinical skills somewhere you can see the difference they make, this is your opportunity to help children and young people build stronger futures.
Main duties of the job
You're a compassionate and skilled practitioner who understands the difference the right mental health support can make. You'll work confidently and autonomously while building trusted relationships with children, young people, families and professionals.
Essential Criteria
Core professional or clinical qualification, such as EMHP, CWP or PMHW, with professional registration as appropriate Experience working therapeutically with children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs Experience delivering evidence based psychological interventions for anxiety and low mood Experience supporting children, young people and families to build confidence in managing mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties Knowledge of safeguarding, capacity and consent, including Gillick competence Experience working with families, agencies and stakeholders Ability to deliver therapeutic interventions with children and support families Ability to recognise and manage risk appropriately Excellent communication, time management and organisational skills Youth Mental Health First Aid training would be welcomed but isn't essential. Experience monitoring outcomes, working in education or community settings, or supporting looked after children or other vulnerable groups would also be an advantage.
If you want to use your skills to help young people build confidence and move forward, we'd like to hear from you.
About us
Compass is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. For 40 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 and representative 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 salary review Help us to make a positive change to the lives of children and young people!
Closing Date: 21.10.2026 Interview Date: 28.10.2026 #LI-BE1 #CompLives
Job description Job responsibilities
What if the right support at the right time could change the direction of a young person's life?
As a Mental Health Practitioner within our Derbyshire Early Intervention and Targeted Support Service, you'll provide early mental health support to children and young people experiencing mild to moderate difficulties across the Derbyshire county.
You'll hold your own caseload, completing assessments and delivering structured, evidence based therapeutic interventions that help young people understand what they're experiencing, develop practical ways to cope and build confidence for the future.
Your impact won't stop with the young person in front of you. You'll work alongside families, schools and other professionals, offering advice and consultation and helping people navigate the support available. You'll also provide supervision to Emotional Wellbeing Practitioners, sharing your experience and supporting safe, effective practice.
You'll join a skilled, supportive team where early intervention matters and where your professional judgement and ideas are valued.
If you want to use your clinical skills somewhere you can see the difference they make, this is your opportunity to help children and young people build stronger futures.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Core professional and/or clinical qualification, for example Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP), Childrens Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP) or Primary Mental Health Worker (PMHW), with associated professional registration as appropriate.
Desirable
Youth Mental Health First Aid trained.
Experience Essential
Experience of working with children, young people and families facing mental health and emotional wellbeing challenges. Experience of working therapeutically with children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs. Experience of delivering evidence based psychological interventions for anxiety and low mood in children and young people. Experience supporting children, young people and families to improve their skills, knowledge and confidence in the self management of mild mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties. 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.
Desirable
Experience of monitoring and recording outcome measures for children's emotional wellbeing. Experience of working in education, community and/or social systems and environments where there may be conflicting priorities or agendas. Experience of working with looked after children. Experience of working with other vulnerable groups.
Additional Criteria Essential
Knowledge of safeguarding issues. Knowledge of capacity and consent issues, including Gillick competence. Ability to carry out one to one therapeutic emotional wellbeing interventions with children. Ability to provide one to one therapeutic emotional wellbeing advice and support to families. Ability to take appropriate action to mitigate or manage risk. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent time management and organisational skills. Able to work all year round and flexibly as part of a team to best meet business need. Ongoing commitment to maintain professional registration requirements.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Compass
Address 2nd Floor, St. Katherines House
Mansfield Road
Derby
Derbyshire
DE1 3TQ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.compass-uk.org/ (Opens in a new tab)