SEMH Youth Worker - Brent

SEMH Youth Worker – Alternative Provision
 

Harlesden, North West London  •  £450–£550/week PAYE  •  Full-Time, Term-Time Only

Some young people have been let down so many times that they’ve stopped believing school is for them. This role is about changing that.

A specialist SEN school in Harlesden is looking for an SEMH Youth Worker, someone who understands that for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, the relationship comes before the learning. Many of the young people here have experienced trauma, exclusion or years of feeling like they don’t belong in a classroom. Your job is to help them find their way back.

This is a structured, supportive environment with experienced leadership, clear systems, and a staff team that genuinely cares. You won’t be doing this alone.

The Role

You’ll work 1:1 and in small groups with pupils who need a consistent, calm adult in their corner. Day to day, that looks like:

• Building trusted relationships with pupils over time — being the person they know won’t give up on them
• Supporting students through lessons, transitions and the unstructured moments where things can unravel
• Using trauma-informed, regulation-first approaches to de-escalate and re-engage
• Collaborating with teachers, therapists and pastoral leads to deliver joined-up support
• Contributing meaningfully to behaviour plans and EHCP targets

Who This Role Is For

You don’t need a specific qualification, but you do need experience working with young people who present with complex emotional or behavioural needs. Backgrounds that translate well include:

• Youth work or mentoring
• Alternative provision, PRUs or SEN schools
• Residential care or children’s homes
• Prison or young offender institutions — rehabilitation and behaviour change experience is highly valued here
• Pastoral, inclusion or behaviour support roles in secondary schools

More than your CV, we’re looking for someone who is patient without being passive, consistent without being rigid, and genuinely invested in the kind of slow, quiet progress that doesn’t always make it into reports but changes a young person’s life.

Why This Role Matters

For a lot of pupils at this school, education has meant exclusion, failure or being written off. With one steady adult who shows up every day, holds boundaries with warmth, and refuses to give up — that story can change.

Progress here is measured in moments: a student who walks into a lesson they used to refuse. A conversation that didn’t end in a meltdown. A young person who, for the first time in a while, feels like someone in school is on their side.

If that’s the kind of work you’re looking for — structured, purposeful and built on relationships — we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation about the role.

SEMH Youth Worker • Stanmore • SEN School • Behaviour Mentor • SEMH Support Jobs London • PRU • Alternative Provision • Trauma-Informed Practice • EHCP • 1:1 Support • Term-Time Only