Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualifications that demonstrate a capacity to complete academic work at postgraduate diploma level.
• Minimum second-class Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent standard in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology, social work etc); OR ? Applicants who do not fulfil the academic criteria but have relevant professional experience are still encouraged to apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• A training in a mental-health related profession (e.g. psychology, nursing, health visiting; social-work, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, special needs teaching, psychiatry, other psychotherapy, counselling).

Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrates an appreciation of the importance of a child’s first five years of life on their development and mental well-being.
• Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safeguarding children

Desirable

• Demonstrates an appreciation of the range of factors that can impact on an infant/young child’s developmental and emotional well-being.
• Demonstrates an understanding of under 5s services (such as, health visiting, family support, early help) and the need for a holistic approach
• Demonstrates knowledge of theory in relation to early child-development

Skills / Competencies

Essential

• Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with young children and their carers
• Ability to adapt communication style according to the varying needs of families
• Ability to personally manage sensitive and potentially emotionally distressing caseload material
• Ability to reflect on own practice (in clinical supervision and practice tutor groups with course peers)
• Ability to complete academic work at postgraduate level and balance the academic demands of the course with clinical placement demands
• IT/Computer literate
• Good time management and organisational abilities
• Ability to maintain accurate records
• Ability to follow policy and clinical governance procedures and make proposals for change

Experience

Essential

• Substantial professional experience working with the development and wellbeing of children and young people or their families
• Experience of working with safeguarding issues
• Experience of multi-agency working and liaising across internal & external agencies.
• Experience of children aged 0-5 and their development in a personal, voluntary or observational capacity.

Desirable

• Experience of working with children age 0-5 and their families (such as, a family support team, preschool, nursery, under 5s CAMHS).
• Experience of working within a professional setting concerned with the mental health, development and wellbeing of infants age 0-5

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 12 November 2025

How to Apply;

Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online for this job