Senior Practitioner Clinical Psychologist

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South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you'll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced Clinical Psychologist to join Southwark CAMHS Child and Family (under 12) team for a fixed term maternity cover role. The Child and Family Team is a well-established, dynamic and multidisciplinary team including psychiatry, clinical psychology, family therapy, nursing and a range of creative therapies. We provide assessments, evidence-based treatment and care coordination to children and young people referred to the service for complex mental health and behaviour difficulties. The post will provide a senior role providing strong clinical and therapeutic expertise, supporting colleagues and offering support and advise parents and carers through parenting interventions and psychoeducation, as well as offer consultation and advice to their professional networks. The post holder will have strong formulation skills and offer consultation to the MDT and supervision to junior colleagues.

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for children with complex mental health difficulties including at least two evidence-based interventions for this client group.

To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.

To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.

To act as care co-ordinator, taking responsibility for initiating, planning and reviewing care plans.

To contribute to the effective working of the Child and Family Team and Southwark CAMHS and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.

To supervise other junior psychologists and trainee psychologists within own area of specialism after completion of the relevant supervision training.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. It's important to us that you are valued and appreciated and that is why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave. We offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work life balance. We support a range of flexible working options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
• Career development. There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
• Car lease. Our staff benefit from competitive deals to lease cars.
• Our staff benefit fromkeyworker housing, which is available on selected sites.
• NHS discounts. With discounts of up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands through the Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

KR 1 Clinical and Client Care
• To provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for children with complex mental health difficulties including at least two evidence-based interventions for this client group.
• To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
• To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
• To act as care co-ordinator, taking responsibility for initiating, planning and reviewing care plans.

KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
• To contribute to the effective working of the Child and Family Team and Southwark CAMHS and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.
• To contribute to the team or service's delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
• To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
• To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

KR 3 Policy and service development
• To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.
• To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.
• To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

KR 4 Care or management of resources
• To take care of, and use carefully, the Trust's equipment and physical resources.
• To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

KR 5 Management and supervision
• To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists with support from a more senior psychologist.
• To supervise trainee psychologists within own area of specialism after completion of the relevant supervision training.
• To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
• To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.
• To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.

KR 6 Teaching and Training
• To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.
• To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within Southwark CAMHS by maintaining an active awareness of current developments in care and treatment of children with complex mental health difficulties and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.
• To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance
• To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8 Research and development
• To undertake regular complex service evaluation, audits or research relevant to service needs.
• To initiate and carry out appropriate research
• To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to Southwark CAMHS.
• To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development
• To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior clinician according to professional and Trust guidelines.
• To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC 'Standards for Continuing Professional Development'.
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.
• To comply with the HCPC 'Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics' and 'Standards of Proficiency', and ensure professional development in line with these.
• To adhere to the BPS's Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

KR10 General
• To travel to home and school visits, community placements, psychology meetings as appropriate and across the Trust when required.
• To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.
• To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations such as challenging behaviour, abuse and to support others involved in such situations.
• To work flexibly which may include offering some regular commitment to late clinics or Saturday working, within the overall Job Plan.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (professional Doctorate, or combination of MSc plus PG Diploma level additional training) that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration.
• Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice (evidence-based therapeutic approach with children and families) through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice-based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
• Completed training course in clinical supervision.
• Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist with children and their families under supervision.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in children under 12 years.
• Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists and having completed the relevant training.
• Experience of providing teaching and training to professional groups.
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of diversity within local communities.

Desirable criteria

• The Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for children and their families including two or more evidence-based therapies with relevance for this client group
• Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatments with evidence for children and families.
• Advanced knowledge of mental health/psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics for children and young people.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.

Skills

Essential criteria

• To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Senior Practitioner Psychologist (PDF, 560.5KB)
• SLaM Staff Benefits (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working (PDF, 680.1KB)