About this role
Job summary
Ready to make a meaningful difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people? Join our Specialist Team and help shape brighter futures.
As a Mental Health Practitioner, you will play a vital role in delivering evidence based mental health support to children and young people within educational settings. Working as part of our Specialist Team, you will provide tailored one to one and group interventions for young people who may require additional adjustments to access support, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those affected by adverse childhood experiences.
You will undertake assessments, manage risk appropriately, and work collaboratively with children, young people, families, schools and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes. Alongside direct intervention work, you will support education staff through advice, guidance and consultation, helping to promote a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive and innovative service where your expertise, compassion and commitment can make a lasting impact on the lives of young people.
Main duties of the job
You will be a suitably qualified Mental Health Practitioner, such as a Mental Health Nurse or CYP IAPT Practitioner, with experience supporting children, young people and families.
Essential criteria:
Experience delivering therapeutic interventions to children, young people and families, including approaches such as CBT or solution focused interventions Knowledge of safeguarding, risk assessment and risk management processes Understanding of educational environments and the challenges faced by children and young people Knowledge of capacity and consent, including Gillick competence Experience supporting children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, anxiety and mood disorders Strong communication, organisation and relationship building skills Experience working collaboratively with schools, families and a range of professional partners Helpful but not essential are qualifications such as Youth Mental Health First Aid, accredited SEND training or a teaching qualification. Experience working within healthcare or education settings, supporting vulnerable groups or looked after children, and delivering group interventions would also be beneficial.
If you are passionate about helping children and young people overcome challenges, build resilience and thrive, we would love to receive your application.
About us
Compass is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. 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 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: 02.07.2026 #LI-BE1 #CompBE
Job description Job responsibilities
Ready to make a meaningful difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people? Join our Specialist Team and help shape brighter futures.
As a Mental Health Practitioner, you will play a vital role in delivering evidence based mental health support to children and young people within educational settings. Working as part of our Specialist Team, you will provide tailored one to one and group interventions for young people who may require additional adjustments to access support, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those affected by adverse childhood experiences.
You will undertake assessments, manage risk appropriately, and work collaboratively with children, young people, families, schools and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes. Alongside direct intervention work, you will support education staff through advice, guidance and consultation, helping to promote a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive and innovative service where your expertise, compassion and commitment can make a lasting impact on the lives of young people.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Be a suitably qualified Mental Health Practitioner (e.g. mental health nursing/ CYP-IAPT)
Desirable
Teaching qualification Youth Mental Health First Aid trained Accredited training in SEN support
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 (e.g. 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 supporting Children and Young People with SEND 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 emotional wellbeing interventions with children Ability to carry out 1:1 therapeutic emotional wellbeing advice and support with 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 Unit 15 Churchfield Court
Churchfield
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2JT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.compass-uk.org/ (Opens in a new tab)