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🌟 Join Barnardo's as a Mental Health & Wellbeing (MHWB) Support Worker 🌟

Make a real difference to children and young people experiencing mental health crises.

Barnardo's is delivering an innovative service across four Black Country Emergency Departments, providing holistic, non-clinical support to children, young people, and their families during some of the most challenging times in their lives.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a pioneering team that bridges the gap between health, social care, and community support, helping children and young people access the right support at the right time.

About the Service (Fixed Term post is until March 2027 with a view to secure further funding)

The Mental Health & Wellbeing (MHWB) Support Worker team will be embedded within Emergency Departments and work closely alongside NHS services, including CAMHS Crisis Teams, to support children and young people presenting with mental health needs, including self-harm.

The service will operate across:

📍 Russell's Hall Hospital, Dudley
📍 Sandwell General Hospital
📍 Walsall Manor Hospital
📍 Wolverhampton New Cross Hospital

Working Pattern

Hours will be worked across a five-day week 9-5pm (pro rota)

Please note: this is not a 24-hour service.

Hours and working patterns can be discussed at interview – looking for either full time or part-time post - 37hrs pro rota (either 1 full-time post or 2 part-time posts)

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The Opportunity

As an MHWB Support Worker, you will provide non-clinical, social care-focused mental health and wellbeing support to children, young people, and families.

You will play a vital role in ensuring the voices of children and young people are heard, advocating for them and working alongside professionals including:

NHS practitioners
CAMHS teams
Schools and colleges
Social workers
Early Help services
Voluntary and community organisations

This role is focused on preventing escalation, building resilience, strengthening family support networks, and improving outcomes for children and young people.

What You'll Do

Direct Support

Work with children, young people, and families on a one-to-one and group basis.
Complete assessments, action plans, safety plans, and risk assessments.
Deliver short and medium-term interventions that promote resilience and emotional wellbeing.
Support children and families to access appropriate community services.
Advocate for children and young people to ensure their views and needs are represented.

Partnership Working

Work collaboratively with Emergency Departments, CAMHS Crisis Teams, health professionals, schools, and community organisations.
Develop robust referral pathways and discharge packages.
Support smoother transitions from hospital to community-based services.

Safeguarding

Apply safeguarding and child protection procedures.
Identify and escalate concerns appropriately.
Ensure children and young people remain safe and supported.

Service Development

Contribute to the development and growth of this exciting new Barnardo's service.
Maintain accurate case records, reports, and performance monitoring data.
Work towards service KPIs and outcome measures.

Our Aims

This innovative service has been designed to:

✔ Reduce pressure on Emergency Departments and Paediatric Wards.

✔ Reduce repeat attendances to Emergency Departments for mental health presentations, including self-harm.

✔ Support shorter hospital stays for children and young people admitted with mental health needs.

✔ Increase capacity within local CAMHS Crisis Teams.

✔ Improve access to community support and family services.

✔ Build long-term resilience for children, young people, and families.

About You

We're looking for someone who is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people and who can build trusting, supportive relationships.

Essential Knowledge & Qualifications

Relevant qualification for practice (NVQ Level 4/5 or equivalent desirable).
Understanding of issues affecting vulnerable children, young people, and families.
Knowledge of child and adolescent development.
Understanding of safeguarding, child protection, and relevant legislation.
Awareness of factors such as poverty, disability, disadvantage, and social exclusion.

Experience

Experience of direct work with children, young people, and families.
Experience of applying safeguarding and child protection procedures.
Experience supporting individuals with complex needs and challenging circumstances.

Skills & Abilities

Excellent communication and listening skills.
Ability to engage effectively with children and young people.
Strong report writing and case recording skills.
Good IT and administrative skills.
Ability to analyse situations and resolve problems.
Excellent partnership-working and team-working skills.
Ability to supervise or support colleagues where required.

Why Join Barnardo's?

🌈 Be part of an innovative and pioneering service.

🤝 Work alongside NHS and CAMHS professionals.

📈 Receive management support and clinical supervision.

💙 Help transform the experiences of children and young people in crisis.

🏥 Improve outcomes across Black Country hospital settings and local communities.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
Service related sick pay from day 1
Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
Cycle2work scheme
Interest free season ticket loans
Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
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

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values