Job Summary
Child and Young People’s Mental Health Practitioner Therapy Trainee- Infant and Early Years Practitioner Parent-Infant (IEYP – PI).
This is a 1-year fixed term contract.The successful candidate must be able to start the post on 12th January 2026.
Step2 is an Early Intervention Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service working towards improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people in Hertfordshire.
We have an exciting opportunity for a CYP Psychological Trainings: Therapy Trainee (IEYP) to join our team as part of the NHS England (NHSE) funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes. This government-funded initiative promotes the growth and skill of the child mental health workforce to meet much needed demand. NHSE covers salary and training costs for a 1-year position, allowing services to employ trainees to support specialist pathways to bridge the gaps in CYP mental health support. This is a unique opportunity to apply your learning from weekly teaching into practical clinical interventions working with clients in the service making a direct impact in the lives of children, young people and their families.
Main duties of the job
Training Information
Course start date: 19th January 2026.
The post holder will be expected to have 2.5 days a week for academic work (teaching and personal study) and 2.5 days based at the service seeing clients (children, young people, and carers) related to training assignments.
Trainees will be both an employee of the service and an enrolled student with UCL/Anna Freud. Upon completion, qualified trainees will receive a UCL Postgraduate Diploma.
Please note: The position will be based at Starfish House, 3 North Road, Stevenage, SG1 4AT/Step2 Early Intervention CAMHS, with travel across the county of Hertfordshire. Successful candidates will also be expected to travel to Anna Freud in Central London (Rodney St, N1 9JH) for teaching during the training year.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum second-class Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent standard in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology, social work etc.) 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.
- Qualification in a relevant field such as early years child development; parenting; play therapy.
Desirable
- Previous 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, psychotherapy, counselling)
- Ability to study and complete academic work at postgraduate study level. Proven record of previous academic attainment.
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the importance of the 0-5 years on development and mental wellbeing and understanding of the range of factors that can impact 0-5 developmental and emotional wellbeing.
- Knowledge of 0-5s services (e.g. health visiting, early help and the need for holistic approaches).
- Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to the safeguarding of very young children.
Desirable
- Knowledge and understanding of theory in relation to early child development.
Experience
Essential
- Two or more years of experience working with the development and wellbeing of children and young children aged 0-5 and their families.
- Experience of multi-agency working and liaising across internal & external agencies.
- Experience of working within a professional setting concerned with the mental health, development and wellbeing of infants aged 0-5.
Desirable
- Experience of working with safeguarding issues.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Ability to adopt an observational stance, particularly relating to babies and very young children.
- Ability to reflect on the connection of own experiences of parenting/being parented.
- Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with young children and their carers
- 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);
- Proficient IT skills and the ability to learn the electronic patient record system to maintain accurate records.
- Ability to complete academic work at postgraduate level and balance the academic demands of the course with clinical placement demands
- Demonstrates adaptability and able to work with diverse communities
- Able to meet travel demands associated with the role. Ability to be flexible and respond to rapid changes.
Desirable
- Understanding of evidence-based practice and the ability to demonstrate how this influences clinical practice with children aged 0-5.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Strong desire to work with children aged 0-5.
- Strong interest in developing knowledge of assessment and intervention of the emotional wellbeing of children in their first 60 months of life.
- Motivated to learn and be challenged. Capacity to work well in teams.
- Application to UCL for this course has been submitted.
- Act appropriately within general health, organisational and other occupational policies. Willingness to uphold the Trust’s values.
- Eligible to live and work in the UK.
- Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
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.
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: 02 October 2025
