Youth Mental Health Worker

Do you want to work directly with children who need additional support with their emotional wellbeing, mental health and personal development? Are you considering a future career in psychology, counselling, mental health, social care or children's services?

A specialist school in Chippenham, Wiltshire is looking for a compassionate and emotionally resilient Youth Mental Health Worker to join its support team. The role involves working with children aged 5-16 who may experience SEMH needs, Autism, anxiety, trauma, emotional regulation difficulties and additional learning needs.

As a Youth Mental Health Worker, you will provide consistent support to children who may find it difficult to communicate their emotions, manage stressful situations or build positive relationships. Your role will involve helping children understand their feelings, develop practical coping techniques and become more confident when dealing with everyday challenges.

The successful Youth Mental Health Worker will take a child-centred approach, recognising that emotional difficulties can present themselves in different ways. You will work alongside teachers, pastoral staff and specialist professionals to ensure children receive appropriate and consistent support throughout the school day.

As a Youth Mental Health Worker, your responsibilities will include:

• Providing 1:1 and small-group emotional wellbeing support to children.
• Building safe, trusting and professional relationships with children.
• Helping children identify and communicate their emotions.
• Supporting children to develop practical coping and self-regulation strategies.
• Providing reassurance to children experiencing anxiety, distress or emotional overwhelm.
• Encouraging children to develop greater self-confidence and resilience.
• Supporting positive social interaction and communication.
• Helping children manage challenging situations in a safe and constructive way.
• Encouraging positive engagement with learning and school activities.
• Supporting wellbeing activities and targeted emotional interventions.

A Youth Mental Health Worker needs to be able to recognise that children's emotional needs can influence their behaviour, relationships, communication and ability to engage with education.

The ideal Youth Mental Health Worker will be someone who is:

• Compassionate, patient and emotionally mature.
• Genuinely interested in children's mental health and wellbeing.
• Comfortable supporting children through periods of emotional difficulty.
• A confident communicator and active listener.
• Able to establish appropriate professional boundaries.
• Calm and consistent when faced with challenging situations.
• Observant and able to notice changes in children's mood or behaviour.

Previous experience in mental health, education, childcare, youth work, SEND, social care or support work would be advantageous, but it is not essential.

This Youth Mental Health Worker position could be particularly valuable for graduates and aspiring professionals interested in progressing into:

• Clinical Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Mental Health Support
• Social Work
• Occupational Therapy

This Youth Mental Health Worker role will allow you to develop practical skills in:

• Emotional regulation and wellbeing support.
• Communication and active listening.
• Building professional relationships with children.
• Recognising emotional and behavioural triggers.
• Positive behaviour approaches.
• Safeguarding and professional boundaries.

This Youth Mental Health Worker opportunity provides:

• £85-£110 per day, depending on experience.
• PAYE weekly pay.
• Full-time and part-time opportunities.
• September 2026 start.
• A specialist school environment in Chippenham, Wiltshire.
• Hands-on experience supporting children with SEMH, Autism, anxiety and additional needs.

As a Youth Mental Health Worker, you can become an important and trusted source of support in a child's school life. Whether you are helping a child work through anxiety, teaching them a new way to manage difficult emotions or simply providing a consistent person they can talk to, your contribution can have a lasting impact.

This is more than simply supporting children when they are struggling. The role is about helping children understand themselves, recognise their strengths and gradually develop the skills required to manage challenges more independently.

If you are looking for a Youth Mental Health Worker position in Chippenham where you can gain meaningful frontline experience while supporting children's emotional wellbeing, this could be an excellent opportunity. Apply today!

Salary will be determined by the successful candidate's qualifications and relevant experience, and will be in accordance with the client's pay policy.