Children, Young People and Families Waiting Well Engagement Coordinator – Supporting Smiles

Are you an experienced mental health professional with current professional registration and/or accreditation and a passion for improving access to services and supporting children and young people before therapy begins? Do you enjoy leading people, driving service improvement, and developing innovative ways to improve outcomes?

Supporting Smiles is excited to recruit a Children, Young People and Families Waiting Well Engagement Coordinator to lead our newly established Waiting Well Programme.

This is a unique opportunity to shape an innovative model designed to improve the experience of children, young people, and families whilst they are waiting to access therapeutic intervention. The programme focuses on ensuring children and families receive meaningful, proactive support that promotes wellbeing, builds resilience, improves readiness for therapy and reduces the risks associated with extended waiting times.

As the Waiting Well Engagement Coordinator, you will oversee the day-to-day delivery of the programme, lead two dedicated Mental Health Workers, while working closely with clinical and operational colleagues to ensure children and young people remain engaged, safe and supported throughout their journey. You will champion a strengths-based, child-centred approach, embedding Single Session Intervention (SSI) principles to maximise the value of every contact and improve outcomes for families.

Given the clinical responsibilities and decisions required, current professional registration and/or accreditation with a relevant professional body is essential. You will use clinical judgement to review needs and risk, agree appropriate support and identify when escalation or further clinical review is needed, working within your competence and the service’s clinical governance arrangements.

Alongside leading the team, you will play a key role in monitoring waiting list activity, identifying trends, analysing performance information and driving service improvements that enhance pathway flow, reduce non-attendance and protect valuable therapeutic capacity. Working collaboratively with colleagues across Supporting Smiles and partner organisations, you will help shape a responsive service that continuously evolves to meet the needs of children, young people and families.

Supporting Smiles provides evidence-based mental health support to children and young people across Norfolk and Waveney through both our Therapeutic Pathway for 4–13-year-olds and our Children's Wellbeing Practitioner service for 5–18-year-olds. Our multidisciplinary team is committed to delivering compassionate, accessible and high-quality mental health support that puts children, young people and families at the centre of everything we do.

As part of Norfolk & Waveney's Children and Young People's Mental Health Alliance, we work alongside partners including The Benjamin Foundation, Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Norfolk County Council and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to deliver integrated, THRIVE-informed support across the Getting Advice, Getting Help, Getting More Help and Risk Support pathways.

We're looking for someone who:

• Has experience leading or coordinating services within children's mental health, health, social care or the voluntary sector.
• Holds a relevant professional qualification and current professional registration and/or accreditation appropriate to the clinical responsibilities of this role, with evidence of current status required before appointment.
• Is committed to maintaining their registration and/or accreditation, professional standards, clinical supervision, and continuing professional development throughout employment.
• Has experience managing waiting lists, operational processes, or access pathways.
• Is passionate about improving the experience of children, young people, and families.
• Can confidently lead, motivate, and develop a small team.
• Has excellent organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills, using data to drive service improvement.
• Understands safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and person-centred approaches.
• Builds strong relationships with colleagues, partners and stakeholders across health, education and the voluntary sector.
• Is enthusiastic about innovation and embedding new ways of working to improve access, engagement and outcomes.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Supporting Smiles at a significant point in our development. You will play a central role in establishing a brand-new programme that has the potential to transform how children, young people and families are supported whilst waiting for mental health intervention.

If you are looking for a role that combines leadership, innovation, operational management, and a genuine passion for improving children's mental health, we would love to hear from you.

Salary: £34,467 per annum, based on 37.5 hours per week.

Location: Norwich Hub with hybrid working available. The role will initially involve a higher level of office-based work, with flexibility to work from home thereafter, depending on individual needs and service requirements.

For further information and to apply, please visit our website.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Thursday 22nd October 2026

Safeguarding and DBS requirements

Ormiston Families is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and all relevant safer recruitment checks.

We are an equal opportunities employer and value diversity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.