Mental Health Locality Officer

About the role:

Within this role you will work as part of Porchlights Live Well Kent & Medway (LWKM) service strengthening the links between local communities voluntary and statutory partners and the wider mental health and social care system.

As a Mental Health Locality Officer you will work closely with local health alliances district councils voluntary and community sector organisations and people with lived experience helping to ensure community voices influence local wellbeing planning and decision making.

The role will involve promoting LWKM gathering insight from communities to inform strategic commissioning. and supporting the promotion of key public health priority areas such as stigma reduction supporting carers gambling harms and lived experience engagement.

This is a placebased role working across all districts in East Kent and the Dartford Gravesham and Swanley area with a strong emphasis on partnership working community engagement and coproduction.

The role requires:

• Excellent communication engagement and relationshipbuilding skills
• Experience of supporting people with mental health needs in the community including helping them access services and local resources
• Experience of working collaboratively with people with lived experience and supporting coproduction approaches
• An understanding of mental health inequalities stigma and the wider social determinants of mental health
• The ability to work confidently with a range of partners across health social care and the voluntary and community sector
• Knowledge of local mental health support services and community organisations (desirable)
• A commitment to community engagement prevention and early intervention
• Good IT literacy and numeracy skills with the ability to use data and insight to inform and promote services
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly across Kent

Lived experience of mental health is welcomed and valued.

Hours:22per week

Working pattern: Part-time9am to 5pm on set days between Monday and Friday with some flexibility required (working pattern to be agreed upon appointment)

Contract type: Fixed Term until 31st March 2028

Interview date: 7th May 2026

Please note salaries are prorata for parttime positions.

The contract for this role runs until 31st March 2028. We hope to extend the contract if new funding is obtained but this isnt guaranteed at the time of writing this job advert.

Our application form and interview process have been designed to assess your transferable skills rather than direct experience. This helps remove barriers for people who may have the right values abilities and potential but may not have formal experience in the role theyre applying for. We actively encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. Please have a look atthe application guidanceandjob descriptionat the bottom of the pageto give you the best chance of being shortlisted.

For further information about the role or to have an informal chat with the recruiting manager please contact Pam Burniston on or email

For any further information regarding the application process please contact .

Porchlight is a charity supporting people who are homeless vulnerable and isolated. At Porchlight we are passionate about helping vulnerable people to reach their full potential. We strive for a fairer society where vulnerable people find stability the most excluded are included and where homelessness and poverty are things of the past.

Porchlight is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Porchlight is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children young people and adults at risk.