The successful candidate will collaborate with other psychological professionals to ensure governance of psychological practice across teams, focusing on complex cases involving vulnerable children, especially those with social care histories. The role demands strong skills in addressing complex trauma and neurodivergence, as well as the capacity to travel across South Staffordshire for various community settings. Qualifications include postgraduate training in a relevant psychological field and experience in clinical consultation, supervision, and research activities.
South Staffordshire CAMHS are developing our psychological professions workforce.
A Principal Psychological Professional (A4C Band 8b) post is now available for which we would be happy to receive applications from suitably qualified and experienced Clinical / Counselling Psychologists or Family & Systemic Psychotherapists. Registration with a professional body is required (HCPC practitioner psychologist or appropriate section of the UKCP).
The post is part-time (30 hours). All staff can request flexible working opportunities through their Team Leader; please note that the current working hours for CAMHS clinics are Monday-Friday, 9am- 5pm.
Main duties:
Holding a clinical caseload
Supporting the psychological needs of vulnerable children and young people (CYP), including those on a Child Protection Plan or in the care of a Local Authority. This will require highly specialist skills relevant for working with parent/carer - child relationships and complex trauma / developmental trauma and the ability to support and/or supervise colleagues in relation to this work.
Providing highly specialist advice, clinical supervision and training to colleagues and trainees across designated localities and to other healthcare professionals as required.
Offering delegated clinical leadership in the continual development and provision of excellence across the service.
Utilising Research & QI skills for audit, policy and service development and research.
About us
Role requirements:
There are three key strands to this post:
An overarching leadership role in supporting psychological practice across CAMHS : The post-holder will work alongside a peer Principal Psychological Professional and the Consultant Psychological Professional for CAMHS to support the governance of psychological practice across our core CAMHS teams in South Staffordshire.
Profession-specific leadership and support : The post-holder will provide clinical and/or professional supervision to staff from within their own core profession. We currently have three qualified Family Therapists and a Trainee Family Therapist in post, and also staff with systemic trainings (NVR, SFP, and Intermediate Family Therapy). We have eight Clinical Psychologist posts within CAMHS where staff have a variety of special interests (CBT, NVR, DDP, Systemic Practice).
Highly specialist clinical work : The post-holder will be clinically based within the Cannock CAMHS team. They will provide direct and indirect clinical support in line with their core professional training and clinical expertise. The post-holder will hold a caseload of suitable complexity and will not be expected to provide initial assessments or core duty cover. Clinical expertise in supporting the needs of care experienced children and young people and/or families with complex social care histories will be an advantage. Additionally, the ability to adapt interventions to meet the mental health needs of neurodivergent children and young people is required. For Family Therapy applicants, there is the potential to develop a tertiary clinic with Family Therapy colleagues based in other teams.
Location:
The post-holder will be expected to mainly work from the Cannock CAMHS site (West Chadsmoor Clinic, WS11 4NJ) for clinical interventions and MDM meetings. The site is equipped with a Family Therapy room with recording equipment and observation room. Outside of this, CAMHS staff need to be able to work in a range of settings, most usually clinic settings but also other community sites as well as attending meetings at different bases. As such, the ability to travel across South Staffordshire is required. The impact of working in pandemic conditions has facilitated use of digital/remote working practices and this is likely to continue where it is of benefit. Our staff have primarily returned to working from base and the supportive team environment this provides.
Qualifications and training:
Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or equivalent prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
Or,
Post-graduate qualification via a relevant core CAMHS mental health/social welfare professional training as recognised by AFT followed by post-qualification CAMHS experience and completion of a Masters level qualification in Family and Systemic Psychotherapy as accredited by AFT.
And,
Trained in clinical supervision and the supervision of psychological professionals in training such as Doctorate-level Trainee Psychologists or MSc-level Family Therapy Trainees.
Knowledge, Experience and Skills:
Working as a registered Practitioner Psychologist or Family Therapist within specialist CAMHS with experience of the full range of clinical severity of mental health needs across a range of care settings.
Experience of providing clinical consultation services to other professional staff.
Teaching, training, and clinical supervision of pre-qualified and trainee psychologists or trainee Family Therapists including field supervision of research theses.
Experience of Research, Audit and Quality Improvement activities in psychological practice
Please see the attached documents for the full Job Description and Person Specification to ensure you have the relevant knowledge, skills and experience for this post.
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