Social, Emotional and Mental Health Advisor

Full Job Description

Grade 6- £36,567-££39,951pro rata   ( Term Time working plus 9 Corporate Days - pro rata )

Havering SEND Service is a multi-disciplinary team of Educational Psychologists, Advisory Teachers, Preschool specialists, SEND case officers and a range of other specialist staff. The dedicated team work collaboratively to support children and young people with SEND, including the schools and educational settings they attend.

There is an exciting opportunity to apply for the position of SEMH Advisor within the Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Support Team. This is a new position supporting schools and educational settings within the London Borough of Havering.

The SEMH Advisor will play a key role within the restructured SEND Education Support Service, leading to increased capacity and expertise within the SEMH Support Team to achieve positive outcomes for children, families and schools. 

The SEMH Support Team includes Advisory Teachers, Advisors, School Support Family Practitioners and a Counsellor. The function of the team is to provide advice, support, training and modelling of interventions and strategies. Our vision is to enhance school practitioners understanding, confidence and expertise to meet the needs of children and young people with SEMH needs.

The SEMH Advisor will  

• support schools, colleges and settings via SEMH caseload administration
• work closely with a team of specialist staff, including Advisory Teachers and Educational Psychologists
• work collaboratively and under direction of the SEMH Advisory Teacher
• provide direct work and advice, including observations, modelling interventions and strategies to small groups and individual members of staff in schools and educational settings
• provide training, resources and written support plans
• contribute to indirect, consultancy based multi-agency working with schools and parents to achieve goals set out in the SEMH/behaviour support plan
• offer a solution focused, collaborative approach
• to ensure school, colleges and settings have the practitioner skills to effectively support children and young people in their educational setting, with engagement and access to learning.  

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• proven experience of working with children and young people with SEMH needs whether as a teaching assistant, youth worker, or in mental health services
• is able to demonstrate a commitment to understanding and working with children and young people with SEMH to manage and overcome potential barriers in an educational setting 
• experience of delivering a range of SEMH interventions, programmes, strategies and developing resources 
• an understanding of SEMH provision, target setting and skill development to support functional, social and academic learning
• motivation to achieve a high level of service delivery, in collaboration with other professionals, to enable children and young people to make progress through mainstream and special school education
• a commitment to developing confidence and capacity to lead training
• a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD)
• the ability to work independently, manage their diary and liaise with colleagues and schools / settings to create positive working relationships
• the ability to be flexible, reflective and positive in a range of contexts
• high level communication skills and experience of engaging and communicating, verbally and in writing, with a diverse range of people and contexts
• knowledge and experience of the SEND Code of Practice (2015) 
• good listening skills and thrives on relationship building
• strong IT skills

Our offer to you includes:

• an excellent induction package
• dedicated business support
• protected CPD time
• an opportunity to be part of a supportive team of professionals dedicated to achieving positive outcomes for children and young people with SEND
• an excellent balance between remote, office and school based working 
• regular in-person opportunities to meet colleagues to develop team cohesion and peer support
• easily accessible workspaces
• high quality IT equipment and responsive IT support

Please view Job Profile  here

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact 

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 25th February 2024 , however interest in this job may be high and we therefore reserve the right to close the vacancy early.

You will be notified if your application has been successful.  Interview date to be confirmed.

Should you require any help or advice with your online application, please contact the Recruitment Helpdesk on 01708 432770.  

Additional Information

Choose Havering .

The London Borough of Havering has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

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