Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioner - Oxford

Cowley

Full Time

£28,392 - £31,157 per annum

Expires: 04/06/2026

Band 4

Permanent

About the Role

Job overview

Are you seeking a progressive career in mental health and looking to develop further?

Do you have experience working with children?

In line with the government's priority to increase access and availability of mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people, the Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) role is an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people, working across both educational settings and healthcare sectors in England. Successful candidates would join an established MHST service as we expand.

In this role, you'll be employed on a full-time basis by Oxford Health and based within the city, north or south of Oxfordshire. Your preference can be expressed at interview regarding which team base you would like to be in.

There will be a requirement to travel to the University of Reading for teaching.

You will be offered a full-time educational programme specifically for the role in partnership with Reading University. This post will be funded at NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) Band 4 level, gaining credits towards either an undergraduate or postgraduate level qualification.

On successful completion of training, candidates will be offered a permanent EMHP position with a starting salary projected to be based on the NHS AfC Band 5 scale.

Applicants must have a full valid driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work. Adjustments can be considered in line with the Equality Act 2010 where required

Main duties of the job

The postholder will be trained to work as an autonomous responsible practitioner as their training affords and within the scope of their local job description, to engage in:

Delivering evidence-based cognitive behaviour therapy interventions for children and young people in education settings with mild to moderate mental health problems
Helping children and young people within these settings who present with more severe problems to rapidly access more specialist services.
Supporting/facilitating staff in education settings to identify and where appropriate manage issues related to mental health and wellbeing.
Working with and within education environments to afford better access to specialist mental health service

Information: Please note interviews will take place WC 6th July 2026. The course starts on 22nd September 2026 and enrolment deadline is 22nd August. Please see attached timetable and course summary.

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible

Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive:"Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

Excellent opportunities for career progression
Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
Competitive pension scheme
Lease car scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Employee Assistance Programme
Mental Health First Aiders
Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) are part of an exciting project funded by NHS England, Health Education England, with the aim of improving the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and families, and schools in the community. This opportunity allows you to join an innovative service during an exciting time whilst working alongside an enthusiastic, compassionate and inspiring team!

MHST CAMHS Teams work across Oxfordshire, working as part of the multi-agency early intervention support for the education setting. The role offers an exciting opportunity to continue to innovate and deliver high quality evidence-based care and whole system interventions, with great ongoing CPD opportunities.

All applicants must demonstrate in their application the ability to work at degree level or have an equivalent level of relevant experience.

Level 6 route:

We encourage people to apply if they do not meet requirements for the level 7 postgraduate route as this would typically those who have a degree and our key is to widen access into the workforce:

Will not hold an Honours degree or may hold a degree of Third Class Honours standard or below;

Evidence of ability to study at Level 6 (e.g. previous successful study at level 5, or successful part completion of an Honours degree – level 6, or a pre-entry essay for the University of Reading that achieves a passing standard). Please note, an academic reference may be sought

Please Note:

Candidates who hold an Honours degree of 2.2 or above should apply for the Postgraduate route;
Good solid basic literacy and numeracy qualifications at a minimum of level 2.
Experience of working with children and young people and an understanding of the educational system in England is highly desirable.
Students cannot be accepted onto any training programme if they are currently undertaking studies elsewhere.
We do not accept candidates who have previously studied for the same award at another institution.
We are currently not allowed to accept candidates who have completed the CWP or PWP programmes, or other similar Health Education England (HEE)-funded training programmes.

The training programme for this post starts in September '26, is 12 months in duration and will consist of academic and supervised practice learning across mental health services and educational settings. During training, the post-holder will work under supervision to enable them to gain the level of competence required to deliver high-quality, evidence-based early interventions for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Qualifications relevant to this role - Postgraduate route (Level 7) Education to Honours degree level to 2:2 or above Or Graduate route (Level 6) Applicants that may not hold an honours degree must have proven successful study at Level 5 or successful part completion of an Honours degree – Level 6.

Desirable criteria

Additional qualifications or training in relevant subjects related to child and family mental health

Experience

Essential criteria

Demonstratable experience of working with children and young people
Demonstratable experience working with vulnerable young people or children and their families (this could be in an education, mental health or social care, for example)