MHST Senior Clinician and Supervisor

Go back NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

The closing date is 21 January 2026

Join the Leading Provider of MHSTs in England

At NELFT
, we’re proud to be the largest provider of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in England. Our services across Southend, Essex, and Thurrock currently support 144 schools
, covering 48% of all primary and secondary schools in the region.

Our MHSTs deliver evidence‑based individual and group interventions within educational settings, supporting children and young people aged 4 to 18 who are experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties
. We also champion whole‑school approaches to promote positive mental health across entire school communities.

We’re looking for a dedicated and experienced Mental Health Practitioner with current UK professional registration to join our expanding Mental Health Support Team (MHST).

This is a fantastic opportunity to take on a senior clinical role
, supporting children and young people across educational settings while helping shape the future of mental health care in schools.

As a Senior Mental Health Practitioner, you will:

• Hold a caseload of children and young people (CYP) with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, completing assessments, risk assessments and creating collaboration care plans.
• Work in partnership with schools, families, and partner agencies to co‑produce training materials and deliver whole‑school interventions
• Be enrolled on the EMHP Supervisors Course (if not already completed) – fully funded as part of the MHST programme
• Support the Locality Clinical Lead with formulation, treatment planning, and management strategies
• Provide caseload management and clinical supervision to junior and trainee staff
• Work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team within your locality and across other MHSTs in Essex
• Demonstrate the ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively within a team

This is a rewarding role where you’ll be part of a passionate, multidisciplinary team committed to early intervention and prevention in children’s mental health. You’ll have the opportunity to lead, mentor, and innovate
, while making a meaningful impact in the lives of young people.

Starting with NELFT

NELFT places a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop‑in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system.

The Senior Clinician and Supervisor would work closely with the MHST Clinical Lead, the MHST Operational Manager, and other clinical colleagues/partner agencies.

The role is predominantly supervisory, however, the post holder will deliver clinical interventions, both targeted and under the Whole School Approach, to maintain professional registrations and continue to develop. The post holder will need to remain current in evidence‑based interventions and have a good working knowledge of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Supervisors are also key to service development in progressing and adapting interventions to ensure we are an inclusive service and contributing to research and development of the MHSTs nationally.

Please see person specification and job description for full details and responsibilities required for this role.

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