The Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) is a new professional role and an exciting opportunity to deliver evidence-based early interventions for children and young people and parents/carers in educational settings. It is a full time, year-long employment training programme on completion of which, trainees will qualify as an EMHP, one of the key roles in Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs).
This programme is part of the national Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) transformation programme, a shared initiative between the Department for Education and Health Education England that supports the government’s priority to increase access of mental health and well-being support for children and young people.
Course Information
This programme is accessed through employment within an existing NHS, Local Authority or Voluntary Sector mental health service working within CAMHS. The course will follow a blended learning approach with some teaching online and some face-to-face in small groups, including workshops and seminars.
The training will be delivered as part of lectures, seminars, and skills sessions; allowing EMHPs to put the skills they have learnt into practice as part of role plays and group discussions. Over the course of the year the training will focus on:
- Fundamental Skills: CYP Mental Health Settings: Context and Values
- Fundamental Skills: Assessment and Engagement
- Evidence Based Interventions: Theory and Skills
- Working, engaging, and assessing in educational settings
- Common problems and processes in educational settings
- Interventions for emerging mental health difficulties in educational settings
Careers
On successful completion of their training, EMHPs will develop the necessary knowledge and skills to offer low intensity evidence-based interventions for mild to moderate mental health difficulties in educational settings. EMHPs will work in the new MHSTs who will provide emotional wellbeing support directly to schools.
EMHP trainees’ salaries are funded at NHS Band 4 level and will involve direct practice, working across a range of educational settings as well as the university-based teaching days. Upon completion of the training, trainees will remain employed within their service and proceed to the NHS Band 5 pay scale.
The course fee is covered by HEE funding pending a successful application process. As this is a government funded course with employment placements, prospective candidates must be able to access home fees.
Who can apply?
UCL and KCL request the following in relation to the EMHP training programme:
- A minimum of a second-class bachelor’s degree (2:1 or 2:2) from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard is required (in any academic subject).
- Evidence of prior experience working with children and young people is preferred.
- If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency. The English language requirement for this programme is: Good.
- The course requires students with Home Fee status.
Although not essential, it would also be preferable if applicants could demonstrate a broad understanding of mental health and emotional wellbeing issues combined with an ability to form a good helping relationship with children and young people facing such problems.
When can I apply?
The next intake for UCL will start in autumn 2022.
How do I apply?
Any students applying for this programme need to also secure a relevant EMHP trainee post with a MHST site that is linked to either UCL or KCL. See how this works here.
You will apply for the training post with a MHST site just as you would with any other job application. Additionally, you will be expected to make a separate application to the university to secure your place.
When you apply for a trainee post, there will be guidance embedded into the advert about applying for the university course – you will need to apply to both the job and the university to be shortlisted for the role.
Candidates interested in the EMHP programme are advised to regularly monitor the CYP MH Workforce Development web page and NHS jobs for further information.
EMHP job adverts are expected to go live on sites such as NHSJobs, healthjobsuk.com, trac.jobs and organisation websites via the different NHS CYP services and directly by Local Authority or Third Sector services.
We recommend setting up automatic job searches/notifications with the following terms:
- ‘Mental health’
- ‘Education practitioner’
- ‘EMHP’
- ‘Children and young people’
The UCL portal is now taking applications for the autumn 2022 intake
To apply for this course, please visit UCL's EMHP course webpage.
A step-by-step guide on how to apply can be found here.
Where will I be based?
Sites for the UCL autumn 2022 intake include:
Mid Essex, Thurrock, Camden, Haringey, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Hillingdon, Central Westminster, Watford/Hertfordshire, Barnet, Redbridge, Ealing.
Delivery of the UCL programme will be provided through a combination of taught days at the Anna Freud Centre, independent self-directed study days, as well as through working directly with children, young people, parents/carers, and educational settings.
FAQ
For more information about the EMHP programme please view our FAQ.
Contact
For all enquiries related to the course, please contact emhp@annafreud.org.
If you like, you can sign up to our mailing list to be informed of developments and receive notification of advertised roles.
For further information about the programme, including content and structure, or to make an application, please visit the UCL website or the KCL website.