Specialist Mental Health Trainer – Children’s Residential Services

Specialist Mental Health Trainer – Children's Residential Services

Children's Mental Health / Residential Care / Learning & Development

No Training Experience Required – Therapy / Nursing qualification is essential

£55,000 per annum DOE

Newmarket

Full-time, Permanent | 40 hours

**To be considered for this role, candidates must hold a full UK driving licence, have access to their own vehicle, and have experience working with children and young people with complex mental health needs. **

Compass Associates are delighted to be working with a leading specialist children's care provider to recruit a Specialist Mental Health Trainer. This is a newly prioritised appointment supporting residential children's services for young people with profound and complex mental health needs.

Based around Newmarket, the role will primarily cover Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, with very occasional travel to East Yorkshire sites in line with service needs. This role has been created following organisational changes and forms a key part of the provider's commitment to improving training standards across the region. Working closely with operational teams, you will deliver engaging, clinically informed training that equips staff with the knowledge and confidence to support children with highly complex presentations.

This is predominantly a training delivery role, with the majority of time spent facilitating classroom-based learning. You will play a central role in delivering a newly developed, mental health-specific induction programme, which has been expanded to provide a comprehensive onboarding experience for new starters.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver engaging mental health training to colleagues working within children's residential services
• Facilitate the organisation's newly developed specialist induction programme, including classroom-based learning and supporting periods of service shadowing
• Deliver training on a range of topics relating to children's mental health, trauma, therapeutic approaches, safeguarding, and best practice within residential care
• Adapt your delivery style to engage learners with varying levels of knowledge and experience
• Promote confidence and competence within frontline teams through high-quality, interactive training sessions
• Work collaboratively with operational managers and clinical colleagues to ensure training reflects current practice and organisational standards
• Support the continuous development and improvement of training programmes in line with legislation, regulation, and evidence-based practice
• Maintain strong occupational knowledge to ensure training remains clinically relevant and practical

Skills & Experience

• A recognised professional qualification within a relevant clinical discipline, such as Mental Health Nursing, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Arts Therapy, or another relevant mental health profession
• Experience working with children and young people experiencing complex mental health needs within residential, CAMHS, specialist education, or similar services
• Strong understanding of children's mental health, trauma-informed practice, safeguarding, and therapeutic support
• Confident presenting information to groups and facilitating engaging learning environments
• Previous training experience is desirable but not essential; applicants with strong clinical experience and an interest in developing as a trainer are encouraged to apply
• Excellent communication, presentation, and classroom management skills
• Good understanding of relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, and best practice within children's services
• Full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle

Benefits

• Salary of up to £55,000 per annum
• Opportunity to join a growing organisation investing heavily in the development of its children's services
• Deliver a newly redesigned specialist mental health induction programme
• Extensive support to develop your skills as a specialist trainer if transitioning from a clinical role
• Opportunity to make a significant impact on the quality of care delivered to children with complex mental health needs

Interview Process:

• Stage 1: A 30-minute micro-teach on a mental health topic using provided training materials, allowing you to showcase your presentation and facilitation skills.
• Stage 2: A competency-based interview exploring your training experience, mental health knowledge, and suitability for the role.

Contact Details

If you are interested, please contact Harriet Bradbury on 0161 527 9634 or email your CV to [email protected].

Compass Associates Ltd is acting as a Recruitment Consultancy for this permanent vacancy. We offer £500 vouchers of your choice or a charity donation for successful referrals following completion of probation.