Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 395-PP077-24-I
- Employer
- NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Grove
- Town
- Chadwell Heath
- Salary
- £53,755 - £60,504 per annum pro rata (plus HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/05/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Senior Psychologist 0-19 Learning Disabilities - Special Schools
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We are seeking a Band 8a Clinical/ Counselling Psychologist to join our busy and dynamic outpatient EWMHS (previously CAMHS) team in Redbridge on a permanent contract. This role provides provision to local Special Schools as well as working as part of the core EWMHS team. We have a growing and supportive therapy team and we are looking for a psychologist who is passionate about young people’s mental health and well being to join us in the delivery of high quality and effective EWMHS interventions.
This role requires a post-graduate qualification in clinical/counselling psychology and you must be registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC, AFT , UKCP) and have and have 2 years plus experience in delivering Psychological Therapies in a CAMHS setting/experience in delivering Psychological Therapies CYP with learning disabilities with co-morbid MH presentations/behaviours of concern.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will;
- be an effective team member, using their own initiative, supporting their peers and team lead.
- have a commitment to actively support, liaise with other professionals & agencies as we embed a trauma and culturally informed model of practice within the service.
- will provide clinical supervision and consultation to junior psychology/therapy colleagues, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists
- assess and treat children and young people who present with moderate to severe mental health difficulties
- will provide regular consultation and specialist psychological assessment for Children and Young people attending Special Schools within Redbridge where concerns are identified
- will provide evidenced based psychological interventions adapted to meet the needs of the child where indicated and possible. This will be based on a clear formulation of the problem which will be shared with the staff and parents where appropriate.
- will provide regular consultation and advice sessions with partners within Special School settings to ensure the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of the children who attend these schools are prioritised and understood.
- will provide expert advice on the management of behaviours of concern, where it impacts on the young person’s safety or potential safety of others or has a significant impact on the wellbeing and capacity of the young person to meaningfully engage in their school environment and curriculum.
Working for our organisation
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Welcome Payment
This post is eligible for the Trust 'Welcome to NELFT' payment, a lump sum of 10% of agreed basic salary excluding HCAS and is open to all new applicants who are successful. Payment of the incentive is 50% of the lump sum at the end of the probationary period (typically six months) and then 50% at the end of year two. This welcome package is applicable to external candidates only.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High-Cost Area Supplement
This post also attracts payment for High-Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,313 and a maximum payment of £5,436 per annum pro rata).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- To have completed a doctorate in psychology or equivalent experience in field specified in JD
- Successful completion of a post-graduate training in psychological practice (e.g. psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist)
Desirable criteria
- Experience of EWMHS
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive experience of working with children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions
- Extensive experience of working with children and adolescents with co-morbid difficulties and special needs. (i.e. combination of organic and emotional deficits, such as autistic spectrum disorders and trauma).
- Experience of providing specialist neurodevelopmental assessments (ie ADOS, 3Di, cognitive assessments)
Desirable criteria
- Experience of teaching or training teams and junior members of staff
Skills
Essential criteria
- Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
- Specialist skill in the ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside EWMHS
- Ability to use multiple systems (Rio, Systemone, JADE)
Experience
Desirable criteria
- Experience of providing specialist neurodevelopmental assessments (ie ADOS, 3Di, cognitive assessments)
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Laura Addis
- Job title
- Deputy Director of PP Redbridge & Havering
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07928659055
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