Teaching Assistant in Huyton, Knowsley

Trauma-Informed 1:1 Specialist Mentor

Location: Huyton, Liverpool (Outstanding SEND Secondary School)

Contract: Full-Time, Long-Term

Hours: 08:45 – 15:45 (Monday to Friday)

Are you an experienced, highly resilient practitioner with a deep understanding of complex trauma and safeguarding? Can you maintain unwavering professional boundaries in the face of challenging behaviors and complex family dynamics?

An outstanding SEND Secondary School in Huyton is seeking a dedicated, long-term 1:1 Specialist Support Worker to walk alongside a vulnerable secondary student navigating a heavy trauma background.

The Role & Key Objectives

This is a profound and vital role focused on stability, safety, and community reintegration. Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Offsite Confidence Building: Safely and gradually transitioning the student to engage with the world outside the school gates, building the confidence required for offsite learning and activities.

• Safeguarding & Advocacy: Managing a highly sensitive situation involving frequent disclosures and allegations relating to the home environment. You will work closely with the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

• End-of-Day Transitions: Safely and compassionately managing complex emotional distress at the end of the school day, as the student frequently exhibits a strong refusal to return home.

Who We Need

This role requires a practitioner with an exceptional level of professional maturity and a deeply grounded presence. We are looking for:

• Unshakeable Professional Boundaries: The student faces different challenges in different environments and can express challenging views. You must possess an incredibly thick skin, handling these moments with neutral, therapeutic professionalism without taking them personally.

• Endless Patience & Parental Management: You will need a highly diplomatic, calm, and resilient approach when communicating or interacting with parents.

• A Trauma-Informed Background: Proven experience supporting young people dealing with severe trauma, complex mental health struggles, or self-harming behaviors.

• Fluency in English: Essential for navigating nuanced therapeutic conversations, de-escalation strategies, and accurate safeguarding documentation.

What the School Offers

• An Outstanding Support System: You will not be doing this alone. You will be backed by an exceptional leadership team, robust safeguarding protocols, and a school renowned for its SEND provision.

• Consistent, Long-Term Hours: A stable Monday to Friday routine (08:45 – 15:45) allowing you to fully focus on the student during the day.

• A Life-Changing Impact: The opportunity to be the safe, consistent anchor this student desperately needs to build a future.