Lead Emotional Health and Wellbeing Practitioner
Lead Emotional Health and Wellbeing Practitioner (6091)
- Annual:£30,600-£32,839.52
- Location:Newcastle, Amber Court
- Group:
- Vacancy type:permanent with funding
- Closing date:15 May 2026
Permanent with funding until March 2027
35 hours per week
Salary: £30,600-£32,839.52
Location: Gateshead
Benefits include but not limited to:
- 28 days holiday, increasing with length of service
- Enhanced maternity/paternity leave
- We match up to 8% pension
- Free counselling service
- Opportunities to develop and widen your skills
- 2 days of paid volunteering time per annum to support another part of the organisation
About us:
The Children’s Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We deliver essential local services that provide safe, trusted support to children and young people during times of significant need.
Our Youth Impact domain creates impact for children and young people. With highly skilled and experienced staff working across England and Wales, we provide direct support to children, young people, parents and carers, as well as conduct research and influence Government to make changes. We also provide training for professionals. Our value driven team change the lives of children in this country for the better - and with your help and expertise, tomorrow we can support even more.
About the role:
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Lead Practitioner to support Children, Young People and Young Adults within our Emotional Health & Wellbeing (EHWB) services.
The post holder will deliver low‑intensity, brief interventions, holding a small caseload of 1:1 and group work, while also providing clinical and operational leadership across the service. You will play a vital role in risk identification, safeguarding oversight, triage and decision‑making, ensuring safe, high‑quality and consistent practice.
You will line manage and support practitioners and volunteers, offering supervision, mentoring, coaching and performance management, alongside leading on quality assurance, outcome monitoring and continuous improvement. Acting as shift lead when required, you will oversee day‑to‑day service delivery and deputise for the Service Manager where appropriate.
The role requires strong skills in relationship‑building, creative engagement, inclusive practice and partnership working, alongside a sound understanding of low‑level mental health needs and interventions. A commitment to reflective practice, professional development, innovation and empowering young people’s voices is essential.
This is an excellent opportunity for a skilled practitioner ready to combine direct work, leadership and service development within a dynamic, multi‑disciplinary wellbeing service.
Skills & abilities:
You will bring experience of managing and supervising staff and volunteers, supporting safe and effective practice through training, supervision and risk management. Strong communication and IT skills are essential, alongside the ability to build positive, relationships in a non‑judgemental and anti‑discriminatory way. You should be confident in undertaking risk assessments, evaluating the impact of training, managing service risk, and using data to inform, challenge and improve practice. Experience with digital platforms, audit or research work, and holding a relevant qualification (health, social care, youth work, counselling or equivalent) is desirable.
Knowledge:
You will have a solid understanding of anxiety and depression presentations in primary care and evidence‑based interventions, as well as the impact of socio‑economic factors on mental health. Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation, policy and procedures for children and young people aged 11–25 is essential, alongside an understanding of the barriers they face when accessing mental health services. Desirable knowledge includes therapeutic approaches such as CBT and solution‑focused work, NICE guidance, and youth work principles.
Experience:
You must have experience working with young people aged 11–25 experiencing emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties, delivering 1:1 and group interventions using a person‑centred approach. Experience of assessments, outcomes measurement, and working with external stakeholders to improve outcomes is essential. Experience of drop‑in models and developing partnerships across statutory, voluntary and community settings is an advantage.
Closing date: Midnight on 15th MayInterviews: Week commencing June 1st
The Children’s Society is committed to safeguarding and protection of the children and young people we work with. As such, our safer recruitment process includes a Basic or Enhanced DBS check, 5 years of references, and additional vetting checks relevant to the role. We have a comprehensive range of policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices across all areas of our organisation.In support of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, shortlisting is carried out on an anonymised basis. Personal details are hidden from the shortlisting panel, and candidates are referenced by a candidate number only. As part of this process, we ask that your CV is anonymised before submission - this means removing personal information such as your name, contact details, age, and any other identifying details.
AI tools can support your application but only when used appropriately. You’re welcome to use them to improve clarity, structure, and research. However, overuse or misuse (e.g. inventing experience or using AI during assessments) may lead to rejection at any stage. We want to hear the real you - authenticity matters.
IN1
- Annual:£30,600-£32,839.52
- Location:Newcastle, Amber Court
- Group:
- Vacancy type:permanent with funding
- Closing date:15 May 2026