This is an exciting opportunity to work at the Cheyne Child Development Service (CCDS). We are looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate clinical psychologist to join the team for a Fixed-term period to cover maternity leave.

This post will be based mainly at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, working in a well established team of clinical psychologists within the wider multidisciplinary child development team.

The work is varied and stimulating, covering both assessment and intervention, as part of a multidisciplinary team (paediatricians, speech and language therapists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, and music therapists). The post-holder will have the opportunity to contribute to service development initiatives. The post provides an opportunity to develop skills in neurodevelopmental assessments, and to take advantage of the excellent CPD offer within CNWL. The post holder will be line managed and clinically supervised by the lead consultant clinical psychologist for the CCDS.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high quality clinical psychology service for children with complex neurodevelopmental difficulties and their families. This includes both assessment and intervention work (individual and group). To offer advice and consultation to non-psychology colleagues, to ensure that issues relating to psychological care of the child and their family are addressed. To work in conjunction with parents, carers, statutory and non-statutory agencies to ensure a holistic approach to assessment and intervention. To offer clinical supervision to trainees on placement within the service and to contribute to service development and research initiatives.

The post would suit both those already in an 8a post, but also those looking to progress in their career. We are happy to consider applications from newly/recently qualified clinical psychologists with a particular interest in this area, who would be employed at band 7.

The successful applicant will have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

About us

The CCDS is based across two sites: Doughty House, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and Parkview Centre for Health & Wellbeing (near Shepherds Bush), providing multidisciplinary child development assessment & interventions to the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea & South Westminster

The areas we cover have varying socio-economic need as well as diverse cultural populations. The post is within a multi-disciplinary team which operates within a wider multi-agency context, that includes CAMHS, Social Services, Education, other Local Authority services and voluntary agencies. Assessment and therapeutic input will be provided within clinics, community resources such as nurseries & schools and within clients' homes depending on the nature of the work being undertaken. The populations served are ethnically diverse, where consideration of cultural difference and influences is crucial in the assessment of children's disabilities.

The Central and North West London NHS Trust (CNWL) is responsible for the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental health Services (CAMHS) to the populations of Brent, Hillingdon, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, as well as providing a range of highly specialist services to other Trusts and Agencies, and to a wider regional catchment area. These services include Paediatric, Child Development and Looked After Children Services.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. To provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to children & adolescents who present with complex neurodevelopmental conditions.

2, To contribute to multidisciplinary neurodevelopmental assessments, following best-practice guidance and gathering information from external agencies where necessary, to provide a clear and thorough formulation of the clients strengths and needs, communicating the findings effectively and sensitively, providing appropriate information and recommendations and development of appropriate action plans to support the child/young person and their family/carers

3. To deliver post-diagnostic support, adapted to the child/family needs including individual follow-up sessions and/or post-diagnostic parent groups, contributing to the ongoing development of these groups, through feedback/evaluation from service users.

4. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a clients neurodevelopmental difficulties and associated mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.

5. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical psychology, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology, as accredited by the BPS.
• Registration with the HCPC as a practitioner psychologist-domain of clinical psychology

Desirable

• Pre or post-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, developmental psychology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.

Experience

Essential

• Post qualification experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a child development , (LD), service.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working within a multi-cultural context.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Experience in the use of the ADOS assessment tool.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Competent neuro-psychological and psychometric assessment skills.
• Competent informal [play based] assessment skills.
• Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology.
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.

Desirable

• Knowledge about the application and adaptation of psychological approaches when working with children & adolescents with complex neuro-developmental difficulties.
• Trained in the use of the ADOS assessment tool.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health.

Other

Essential

• Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
• Ability to use supervision and access appropriate levels of clinical support.
• Ability to relate well to children with complex difficulties and their families.

Desirable

• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

CCDS, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital

369 Fulham Rd

London

SW10 9NH

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-G-CA-1499