Disabled Children's Outreach Service (DCOS)

Band 8b, Team Lead / Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist

Permanent, 5 days a week 1 WTE (flexible working possible / job share optional)

DCOS is a small community therapeutic team within Tower Hamlets children's services for families who have children and young people with disabilities. We work with children and young people up to 18yrs of age with behaviour that may be challenging to understand and manage often due to diagnosed developmental conditions. This might include conditions such as Autism Spectrum Condition, Learning Disability, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and various genetic and metabolic disorders often causing health and physical difficulties.

We are a creative and caring MDT who seek to promote relationships and environments that are enabling and empowering for neuro-diversity and physical differences in all its forms.

We are looking for an experienced community minded psychologist who is an advocate for children with disabilities and aligns with the social model of disability. This is an exciting role for someone who wants to continue to lead and develop community services for children with disabilities in partnership with them, their family's and the professionals involved. The role would suit someone who is enthusiastic, creative and committed with leadership and managerial skills.

Main duties of the job

• To provide clinical expertise and oversight to all clinical work carried out by the DCOS team as needed.
• To provide comprehensive specialist assessments, including risk assessment of children, young people and their parents/families/carers referred with neurodevelopmental difficulties and complex health needs. Based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuro-psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client's care.

• To exercise professional responsibility for the formulation and implementation of plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client's difficulties related to disability and based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems in the context of the family and wider system.
• To provide interventions using evidence based practice for children and families with disabilities (such as PBS framework, behavioral (ABA), attachment and relational (theraplay / VIG) and systemic approaches).
• To be flexible in applying and integrating these approaches in alignment with the child and families' ability, capacity and resources and the network around the child.

About us

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations

Job description Job responsibilities

• To provide specialist consultation and training to other professionals who come into contact with children, young people and their families/carers referred with a neurodevelopmental and/or complex health need diagnosis.
• To write and supervise DCOS interventions, confidential reports for court, case conferences, and education that may have wide ranging implications for children, young people and their families.
• Based on these specialist assessments and reports to convey sensitive, complex and sometimes unwelcome information to clients and other professionals and manage this as constructively as possible.
• To be a resource of specialist advice and consultation, specifically relating to the common developmental, emotional and behavioural problems and disorders of children and young people, to colleagues within LBTH, other professionals and other agencies/organisations working in the field of children with disabilities. Specifically with CWD team which includes reflective supervision and case consultation.
• To lead on Communities of Practice models of knowledge sharing to support others managing children with developmental difficulties and complex health needs.
• To offer and provide a liaison and consultation service to primary care clinicians and other key agencies working with children, young people and their families/carers referred with complex health problems and developmental needs.

Interview date: TBC

Person Specification Education/ Qualification/ Training Essential

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical

Experience Essential

• Substantial post qualification experience as clinical psychologist within CAMHS / children's disability services/ working with children with neurodevelopmental difficulties, particularly Autism and complex health needs.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, presenting with range of clinical severity across different care settings such as community, primary care, in-patient and home or residential care settings
• Experience of management and leadership responsibilities.
• Experience Service Development.
• Experience of liaison and joint work with other statutory, including Social Services and Education, and voluntary agencies.
• Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision.
• Experience of working in a multi-ethnic community and of working with interpreters. Able to provide a cultural competent service.

Knowledge, Skills and abilities Essential

• Knowledge of the social model of disability and community and partnership working approaches.
• Highly skilled in providing evidence based interventions to children with complex needs.
• Skilled in emergency and crisis assessments. Specialist clinical skills with specific therapeutic modalities, including behavioural, attachment, CBT and systemic approaches
• Assessment and formulation skills and able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations. Able to compare and select from a range of treatment options based on formulations.
• Assessment and formulation skills and able to draw upon a broad theoretical knowledge base in the analysis of highly complex facts or situations to arrive at appropriate formulations. Able to compare and select from a range of treatment options based on formulations.
• A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level, conveying complex and clinically sensitive information to children their families, carers and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.

Personal Essential

• Enthusiasm for working with children with disabilities, an interest in models of service delivery, and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health services.
• Able to manage effectively frequent exposure to highly distressing/highly emotional circumstances and exposure to traumatic circumstances.
• Ability to endure prolonged periods of concentration for extended client therapy sessions. Able to sit in constrained positions for a substantial period of working time Ability to deal sensitively with stressful situations including staff and /or organisational problems, child abuse, family breakdown, serious mental ill health, and to cope with verbal abuse, aggression from service users, families etc and and to recognise and diffuse potential physical abuse from clients.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

363-SS10643-E