Additional Information
Moving Mindsets, Mental Health Support Teams (MHST)
Morecambe Bay
25 hours (Monday to Friday 9.30 am-2.30 pm)
Barnardo's South Cumbria Mental Health Support Teams ( MHSTs) are looking for an Administrative Assistant to work within our administration team.
We seek an administrative assistant for a unique opportunity to support the smooth, efficient operation of our service. This role involves working with a team of mental health practitioners to provide a professional service in partnership with schools and colleges. You will need to be comfortable using a variety of IT systems, including Word and Excel and be able to learn new systems. Organisational skills are crucial for managing a diverse and interesting workload.
The service bases are situated in Cumbria in Barrow in Furness and Kendal. The office base for the post holder will primarily be Barrow.
The successful candidate will provide administration support to the Mental Health Support Teams.
Each MHST team comprises of:
Children's Service Manager
1 x Team Manager and 1 x Clinical Lead
Senior Practitioners x 3
Education Mental Health Practitioners x 8
Service Administrator x 1
Administration Assistant x 1
Role Summary
We are looking for an Administration Assistant to work alongside the Service Administrator, Children's Service Manager, Team Manager, and Clinical Lead, providing administrative support to the Moving Mindsets MHST team.
Please find attached a Barnardo's Job Description and Person/Role Specification. Barnardo's use generic Job Descriptions and Person Specifications: when completing the application form please provide evidence to demonstrate how your skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the Person Specification and in addition, the following skills and experience:-
Essential
- Experience of using Microsoft packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- 2 years of experience of providing administration support.
- Demonstrate ability to work on their own initiative.
- Be able to be flexible and work across the SouthCumbria locality as required.
Desirable
- Experience of providing administration support in Health/ Education/Care/ Charity organisations.
- Experience of maintaining social media.
Role Summary
You will be employed by Barnardo's as a Reception/ Administrative Assistant post.
The Administrative Assistant is often the first point of contact for referrers, and you need to be confident with good communication skills.
You will be exceptionally organised, ensuring that reporting systems are in place, data is collected and inputted.
You must demonstrate good organisational skills, attention to detail, numeracy and literacy skills and an ability to work with Microsoft office programs such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Key responsibilities include:
- Supporting with the preparation of statistical reports
- Inputting information such as absences and timesheets
- Processing referrals received by the service
- Administrative support to managers and project staff
- Ensuring confidentiality requirements are manged appropriately
- Provide cover for other mental health services when required.
- Order resources for office locations.
- Coordinate meetings and training sessions, communicating with the venue as necessary.
- Accurately document meeting proceedings through minute-taking.
The work is rewarding and interesting, and it supports the service's positive relationships with the education settings that the children and young people attend. The role is varied and comes with numerous responsibilities, providing ample opportunities to gain experience and learn in many different areas, making each day different and exciting.
You will work within a large charitable organisation and receive support in developing additional knowledge, skills, and abilities. You will receive line management from the Service Administrator and will have links to peers working in other services.
Service Information
The Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissioned Barnardo's in 2020 to provide the MHST's and additional funding extended the provision in September 2022 and January 2025. The service is made up of two teams, one located in South Cumbria and one in North Lancashire.
Service Remit
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a national program jointly delivered by the Department for Education (DfE), NHS England (NHSE), and NHS Workforce and Training (WTE). The program has three core functions:
- Delivering evidence-based interventions for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs.
- Supporting the senior mental health lead in each education setting to introduce or develop their whole school/college approach.
- Give timely advice to school and college staff and liaise with external specialist services to help children and young people get the right support and stay in education.
MHSTs support the promotion of well-being and good mental health, focusing on early intervention. They collaborate with existing social, emotional, mental health, and well-being support within education settings. This involves building relationships with each education setting, children, young people, parent-carers, and local partners to co-design and evaluate the necessary support.
The MHS teams provide direct therapeutic care to children and young people who show signs of mild to moderate mental health difficulties, alongside supporting education settings with their whole school approach.
Working for Barnardo's
Barnardo's has provided services to some of the most vulnerable children across the UK for over 150 years. We work in partnership with children's social care and health partners to deliver integrated health and social care services across several areas. We acknowledge that to truly transform children's life chances, sustained interventions that meet the diversity of their needs are necessary, and participation and co-production must be critical components of any service. If you enjoy pushing the boundaries of what works, working closely with other agencies to innovate and create, have the expertise to support this project, and want to work with children, young people, and their families to deliver services that genuinely meet their needs, then we would like to hear from you.
Flexibility
Barnardo's believes in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance. Therefore, we are open to offering flexible working arrangements.
Barnardo's Basis and Values
Barnardo's is dedicated to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively welcome applications from individuals with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, and minority ethnic backgrounds, as they are currently underrepresented within Barnardo's.
Completing your application
Please see the attached Barnardo's Job Description and Person/Role Specification. When filling out the application form, please provide evidence showing how your skills, experience, and qualifications align with the requirements of the Person Specification and the information in this Additional Information document.
If you would like an informal conversation about the role and our service, please contact:
Amy Armstrong, Children's Service Manager
amy.armstrong@barnardos.org.uk
Mobile - 07874 795 425
Or
Joanna Ashton, Service Administrator
joanna.ashton@barnardos.org.uk
Mobile - 07513 704143
Interviews are to be held on 30 th June 2026 The interview will be face to face and held at the Barrow office.
values
People & Culture
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
- The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
- Service related sick pay from day 1
- Cycle2work scheme
- Interest free season ticket loans
- 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
- Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
- Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
- Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer
*T&C's apply based on contract
- Reference number:23062
- Job Title:Admin Assistant
- Location:Barrow
- Locality:Cumbria
- Contract type:Permanent
- Hours:25
- Salary:£25,391 - £26,164 FTE (£17,511 - £18,044 pro rata)
- Closing Date:14 June 2026
- Interview Date:30/06/2026