Educational and Vocational Advisor

Job summary

We are recruiting a Band 4 Educational and Vocational Advisor to join our service split between two teams within the service- the Allington Centre team based in Dartford and the Forensic Outreach Liaison Service (FOLS) team based in Maidstone.

You will work with individuals who are inpatients including those on a discharge pathway as well as individuals who are in the community to develop their educational and vocational skills.

You will be able to recognise that this client population faces a number of barriers to educational and vocational pursuits and will work flexibly and adaptably to help them develop in these areas.

The role will focus on setting up opportunities for formal qualifications, job taster/work experience programmes and pre-vocational skills development and work with the individual to identify their personal goals in collaboration with the multidisciplinary clinical teams to identify the best way to reach those goals.

You will work with the individual on those goals, keeping in mind any restrictions or risk-based issues that may be relevant, work to enhance the relationships in place between the Unit and community educational or vocational support organisations and evidence their outcomes and practice and share learning with colleagues in the service and beyond.

Please note that we are not currently offering sponsorship for this vacancy.

Main duties of the job

• Implement and drive the offer of City and Guilds qualifications.
• Provision of individual and small group work relating to education and vocational skills.
• Development of vocational roles / vocational skill development opportunities available to patients within the service.
• Building relationships with vocational and educational support organisations in the community.
• Building relationships with the local Recovery College and developing the role for forensic inpatients within this.
• Create skill development opportunities for patients who are going to be participating in engagement work e.g. interviewing skills, how to chair a meeting, completing applications and carrying out audits.
• Set up a Job Taster Programme for service users within the Allington Unit.
• Evaluate the outcomes of education and vocational input for the service users at the Allington Unit.

About us

We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway.

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)

What is High Cost Area Allowance?

The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.

As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.

5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,346 per year and a maximum payment of £2,270 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly) (2026/27 figures).

Person specification

Training and Qualification

Essential

• NVQ 3 Level Qualification or equivalent

Desirable

• Further training relevant to the role

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with people with mental health conditions
• Knowledge and understanding of the impact that mental ill health can have on functioning

Desirable

• Experience of working in Vocational Rehabilitation
• Experience of supporting individuals to develop their education and vocational skills
• Experience of working in forensic services

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Understanding of the Equality Act (2010) and its correlation with supporting people with mental and/or physical health problems to remain in or return to work
• Ability to form rapport with individuals and groups
• Awareness of issues around disability discrimination and social inclusion

Desirable

• Training and presentation/facilitation skills
• Some knowledge of other relevant employment legislation and types of discrimination in the work place
• Aware of supporting agencies in connection with employment legislation and advice
• Ability to apply and promote equal opportunities particularly the core belief in each individual's employability

Other

Essential

• Good knowledge and practice of IT skills

Desirable

• Experience in collecting outcome measures or data related to a service
• Experience putting together reports to evidence service or intervention outcome