Mental Health Support Worker in Bedford, Bedfordshire

Are you an experienced Mental Health Support Worker looking for a rewarding opportunity to support children with complex emotional, social and developmental needs?

Do you have the patience, resilience and experience to support children experiencing trauma, attachment difficulties, emotional dysregulation and challenging behaviours?

Tradewind Recruitment are working with a welcoming primary school in Bedford who are looking for an experienced and dedicated Mental Health Support Worker to join their established intervention and specialist provision team.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work as part of a small, supportive team, supporting children predominantly working at Early Years developmental levels (birth to five years), with a range of complex SEND, communication, social, emotional and mental health needs.

The Role:

• Working as part of a small, established intervention and provision team.
• Supporting children with complex emotional, social and mental health needs.
• Supporting both verbal and non-verbal pupils.
• Building positive, trusting relationships with children experiencing trauma and attachment difficulties.
• Supporting emotional regulation and helping children manage frustration and distress.
• Using trauma-informed approaches to de-escalate situations calmly and effectively.
• Encouraging communication, social interaction, independence and positive relationships.
• Adapting your approach to meet individual children's needs and developmental stages.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to provide consistent, nurturing support.

Please note, this is not a traditional 1:1 support role. Children access the provision in different ways, including full-time, part-time and flexible arrangements. The successful candidate will therefore need to be adaptable and comfortable supporting a range of pupils throughout the day.

What We're Looking For:

• Significant experience supporting children or young people with SEND, SEMH or complex mental health needs.
• A strong understanding of trauma-informed practice and attachment difficulties.
• Experience supporting emotional dysregulation and challenging behaviours.
• Early Years experience or a good understanding of early childhood development.
• Confidence supporting children who may display physical behaviours when distressed.
• Experience supporting both verbal and non-verbal children.
• A calm, resilient and empathetic approach.
• Excellent de-escalation and relationship-building skills.
• Someone proactive who can use their own initiative while working effectively as part of a team.
• A flexible attitude and genuine passion for supporting vulnerable children.

What's on Offer?

• The opportunity to work within a supportive primary school environment.
• Join an established and experienced intervention team.
• A rewarding role supporting children with significant emotional and developmental needs.
• Weekly pay through Tradewind Recruitment.
• Ongoing support from your dedicated consultant.
• Potential for a longer-term opportunity for the right candidate.

This role would be particularly suited to candidates with backgrounds in mental health support, children's residential care, specialist SEND provisions, SEMH settings, Early Years or trauma-informed environments.

If you're passionate about supporting children's emotional wellbeing and have the experience and resilience to make a genuine difference, we'd love to hear from you!

Apply today or contact Tradewind Recruitment to find out more about this Mental Health Support Worker opportunity in Bedford.

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