Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical Services
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- 12 months (This post is fixed term for 12 months though there may be the possibility of an extension.)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-6849379
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Croydon CAMHS, Christopher Wren House
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £34,521 - £41,956 per annum Incl. of outer HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 25/01/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist (Higher Level)
Band 5
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 a Senior Assistant Psychologist to support the Croydon CAMHS service, with a particular focus on supporting neurodevelopmental assessments and taking a role in coordinating post diagnostic groups. The role will include gathering of questionnaire and clinically relevant information from parents/carers and supporting structured observations either in the clinic or in schools as part of diagnostic assessments. The post holder will be involved in supporting preparation of clinical assessment reports and will also help coordinate one or more of the post diagnosis groups run in the service. The post holder will also support the development of more junior assistant psychologists and honorary psychologists through training and mentoring.
The successful applicant will join a friendly and supportive service that offers excellent opportunities for continuing professional development. We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. Specialist psychology clinical and professional supervision will be provided from within the service.
Main duties of the job
We are looking to build capacity to conduct diagnostic assessments efficiently and seeking to recruit someone who already has experience and training in a standardised diagnostic assessment tool e.g. ADOS, ADI. The post holder will also take on a role in coordinating post diagnostic groups. and in supporting clinical governance programmes within the service.
The post holder will be asked to assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
Specialist supervision will be provided and you will join a very friendly and supportive service with all the majority of CAMHS teams co located at Christopher Wren house an so providing opportunities for involvement in range of CAMHS work
Working for our organisation
The Croydon Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is based at Christopher Wren House. Croydon CAMHS provides a multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment, treatment, advisory and consultative service for children and adolescents with persistent problems, suggestive of moderate to severe psychiatric disorder and for children with suspected or confirmed neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD and ASD. It provides a friendly and supportive environment with training places for psychiatrists, nurses, and psychologists. The service is committed to evidence-based practice and holds regular clinical governance meetings. Team members use a variety of assessment and intervention models such as CBT, systemic therapy, IPT and medication.
Croydon CAMHS is on the High Street, Croydon , close to the vibrant high-street that offers fantastic shopping opportunities and a wide range of restaurants. It is within walking distance to East Croydon overland station with quick links to central London, Gatwick, Brighton and Hove and has excellent bus and tram transport links.
We are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 09:00 to 17:00, giving you the very best of good work life balance.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the full job description for further information.
This post is open to applicants with a first-class or upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society. Experience in working in a CAMHS setting and or involvement in neurodevelopmental assessments is essential for this post.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • A First-class or Upper-second-class Bachelors degree with Honours in Psychology that is accredited by the British Psychological Society and confers the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Graduate level knowledge of psychological research methodology and statistical analysis.
- Good theoretical knowledge of neurodevelopmental conditions in children and adolescents.
- Awareness of racial and diversity issues through attendance of relevant training
Desirable criteria
- Interest in and/or knowledge of Neurodevelopmental conditions
- Interest in and/or knowledge of ASD an ADHD post diagnostic interventions
Experience
Essential criteria
- Sufficient post-graduate experience of psychological assessment and treatment in children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions to be able to work clinically without direct supervision.
- Post-graduate experience of conducting research projects or audits.
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience.
Desirable criteria
- Lived experience of mental health challenges.
- Experience of working in CAMHS
Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills in relevant psychological assessment and interventions including ability to administer a standardised diagnostic assessment tool such as the ADOS.
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups
- Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups.
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to identify and follow relevant clinical governance procedures
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with children and carers who have experienced domestic abuse or trauma, or with young people who engage in self-harming or aggressive behaviour
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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
- Sue Goode
- Job title
- Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0203 228 0000
- Additional information
Marion Drennan ( [email protected] also on 02032280000)
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