The Donkey Sanctuary is an international animal welfare organisation, offering care and protection to donkeys worldwide. Our vision is a world where every donkey has a good quality of life, and our mission is to improve the lives of donkeys every day. We will achieve this by transforming the lives of donkeys in need worldwide by fostering greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships. 

These are exciting times for the Charity, and we have an excellent opportunity for an empathetic and professional individual with outstanding interpersonal and diplomatic skills, to join our dedicated Wellbeing Team. As Emotional & Mental Wellbeing (EMW) Practitioner, you will offer specialist interventions to staff and volunteers seeking emotional and mental health support, and will provide advice to a team of volunteer Mental Health First Aiders. Specialist support provided will include a wide range of approaches, including assessment, information, applied psychosocial interventions, health promotion, and illness prevention services. Liaison with external agencies will also be required to ensure excellent support for staff and volunteers with acute emotional and mental wellbeing needs. We will welcome applications on both a qualified and trainee practitioner basis.

About you:

• Recognised level 5, or equivalent, training or qualification in applied psychosocial interventions (e.g. coaching, counselling, psychotherapies, CBT, EFT, NLP).
• A minimum of 100 hours successful practice of applied psychosocial interventions.
• A Mental Health First Aid accreditation or equivalent.
• Experience of preparing and delivering staff development and training.
• Knowledge of current professional developments in emotional and mental wellbeing practice and/or applied psychosocial interventions.
• Ability to work as an independent professional practitioner and able to make independent decisions.
• A capacity to negotiate and manage ethical dilemmas, and to set and maintain appropriate boundaries.

About the role:

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include –

• Providing specialist support and psychosocial interventions to meet the emotional and mental wellbeing needs of The Donkey Sanctuary’s staff and volunteers in the UK, Europe and internationally.
• Providing a proactive response to urgent emotional and mental wellbeing needs, critical incidents and mental health crises.
• Assessing, managing and intervening therapeutically, including on-going episodes of crisis, operating with skilled, evidence-based interventions.
• Providing consultation, advice and guidance to staff who support staff and volunteers with mental health and/or wellbeing difficulties, ensuring that they are supported appropriately.
• Representing the Wellbeing Team in relevant networks and professional organisations and working with specialist agencies (e.g. Community Mental Health Team, drug and alcohol services, third sector service providers, bereavement support services).
• Developing and delivering emotional and mental wellbeing and mental health training sessions and information for staff and volunteers as required.
• Taking a lead role in the development and implementation of relevant wellbeing and mental health policy and procedure, collecting and using data to identify areas for improvement, and taking part in project work to develop best practice.

What we offer in return:

Based in Sidmouth, Devon – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this is a part-time, permanent contract starting as soon as possible, working 21 hours per week, undertaken flexibly, to meet the needs of clients, between the hours of 08:30 and 16:30, Monday to Friday. The working pattern will be agreed between the line manager and post-holder, but flexibility will be required for attendance at online meetings with the Wellbeing Team currently held on Wednesday afternoons.

The working pattern for this role will combine home and onsite working under our guiding principles for such roles, with onsite attendance currently anticipated to be approximately 1 day per quarter.

Benefits:  

Access to professional development opportunities in applied practice of psychosocial interventions. 

Professional supervision.

Professional indemnity insurance.

Competitive pension.

Life assurance.

31 days holiday (including bank holidays), rising to 34 with each full year of service, pro rata for part-time roles.

Wellbeing team.

Recorded Pilates and Yoga classes.

Long service awards.

Healthshield Plan –

• Reimbursement of some medical expenses up to the specified limits per membership.
• Offers, discounts and cashback on shopping, travel and entertainment from participating outlets.
• Access to a 24/7 GP and counselling service.

Free parking.

Subsidised restaurant and shop on main site.

Closing date for completed applications: Wednesday 28 May 2025.

Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams on Monday 9 June 2025.

The Donkey Sanctuary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults), and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

Please note: The Guaranteed interview scheme is only applicable to candidates who consider themselves to have a disability applying for roles based within the United Kingdom.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: We look forward to receiving your application, but we do ask you to complete this in your own words, and not to employ an Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tool or assistant. Applications that are considered not to be an applicant’s own work may not be shortlisted for interview.