SEMH Support Assistant

Are you resilient, patient and passionate about supporting young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs? Protocol Education are looking for an SEMH Support Assistant to work within a specialist education setting in the Basildon area, supporting young people who require additional help to engage positively with education. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives on building strong relationships with young people and wants to make a genuine difference to pupils who may have found mainstream education challenging. The role As an SEMH Support Assistant, you will work closely with pupils who may present with SEMH needs, challenging behaviour, difficulties with emotional regulation or barriers to learning. You will: Provide consistent 1:1 and small-group support to pupils with SEMH needsBuild positive, trusting relationships with young peopleSupport pupils with emotional regulation, resilience and engagement with learningHelp pupils manage challenging situations and make positive choicesSupport teaching staff in maintaining a safe, structured and nurturing learning environmentUse positive behaviour and de-escalation strategies where appropriateEncourage pupils to develop their confidence, independence and social skillsWork collaboratively with teachers, support staff and other professionals to help pupils achieve positive outcomes Who are we looking for? We would love to hear from candidates who are calm, resilient, approachable and confident working with young people who can sometimes display challenging behaviour. Previous experience within a school is beneficial but isn't always essential. We are also interested in people with transferable experience from backgrounds such as: Youth work or mentoringResidential or children's careMental health supportSports coachingBehaviour supportAlternative provision or PRUsSEND supportPolice, prison, military or emergency services backgrounds Most importantly, you will need the ability to remain calm under pressure, establish clear boundaries and build meaningful relationships with young people. Why work with Protocol Education? You'll have the support of a specialist SEND recruitment consultant who works closely with SEMH and specialist education settings across Essex. We can offer: Long-term and ongoing opportunitiesCompetitive weekly payOpportunities within specialist SEMH and SEND settingsContinued support throughout your placementAccess to relevant training and professional developmentOpportunities that can lead to permanent employment Location: Basildon and surrounding areas Role: SEMH Support Assistant Hours: Full-time, Monday-Friday, school hours Start: ASAP / September 2026 If you have the resilience, personality and enthusiasm to support young people with SEMH needs, apply today and we will be in touch to discuss suitable opportunities. All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details. All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date. Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants. We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service. Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.