Job summary
Do you want to join a dynamic and supportive Child Psychology team?
We are looking for an enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist to support the psychological practice within the children's Autism assessment service, and also the Community Paediatric Disability Psychology team. These services support children and families in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. There may also be opportunities to work with the Lifetime Psychology team, who support children and young people with life limiting/threatening conditions.
This post is available for 30 hours per week, The main base will be Osprey Court, South Bristol (BS14 0BB), but travel will also be required to other locations across the region. There will be the option of some flexibility in working pattern.
This is a great opportunity to learn lots about child development, neurodevelopmental assessment, and psychological support for children with complex disabilities. This includes family, systemic and cognitive-behavioural approaches.
The Heads of Psychology are committed to a compassionate, inclusive, nurturing and psychologically safe working environment. We value our team members, their development and their wellbeing.
Main duties of the job
This Assistant Psychologist post primarily supports the Psychologists providing complex children's Autism assessments, and also the small Psychology team working in the Community Paediatric Disability service.
You will play a key role in supporting the co-ordination and clinical administration of Psychology-led assessments in the Autism Hub, as well as completing pre-assessment work, and supporting triage and allocation. Other responsibilities include case file reviews, liaison with other services, and cognitive assessment. You will have opportunities for school observations and joint clinical work. You may be involved in developing some post-diagnostic support in the future.
The Community Paediatric Disability Psychology team provides assessment, formulation and intervention to children with complex disabilities. You will contribute to the clinical work by supporting groups (often with the Lifetime team), working with individual children, and also supporting family sessions.
There will be opportunities for skills training; literature reviews, service evaluation/research; and other related tasks. Duties will be within the scope appropriate to level of training and competence, and you will receive regular supervision by a qualified Clinical Psychologist. You will collaborate with the other Assistant Psychologist in our service, and can join the local Assistant Psychologist peer support group, led by CAMHS.
About us
Ever dreamt about a career that sparks excitement and fosters your professional growth? Picture yourself waking up eager to make a real difference in our community, surrounded by teams who value your unique ideas.
We are Sirona care & health - England's largest provider of Adult's and Children's Community Services and we'd love for you to join us in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire.
Agenda for Change Salary, full NHS benefits, 27+ days' annual leave, and participation in the NHS Pension Scheme - just a glimpse of the benefits you'll receive.
We welcome and encourage all applicants. We are committed to having a workforce that reflects the communities we support and are proactively seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce. We know diversity fosters creativity and innovation.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We aim to draw upon the widest possible range of views and experiences to meet the changing needs of our colleagues, partners and communities we serve.
Whether you're starting your journey in healthcare, looking for a fresh challenge within the NHS, or contemplating a career change, don't be daunted by the prospect of something different - we create development opportunities for all our colleagues and apprentices.
Interested? View our benefits leaflet which you can find attached to this vacancy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description and Person Specification attached.
Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss, by contacting Dr Sam Waldron, Joint Head of Child Psychology, on sam.waldron@nhs.net or 07464 521147. We would love to hear from you!
This advert may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Clinical
To support qualified clinical psychologists (and other allied health professions) in the provision of the psychology services within the community
To develop and manage systems for efficient administration and co-ordination of clinical care within the Autism and the Community Paediatric Disability services
To assist in psychological assessments of clients through the gathering of data and analysis of psychological measures
To assist in the provision of psychological assessment, formulation and therapy for children, young people and families with complex disabilities, under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist
To assist in neuropsychological assessment of children and young people
To assist in the co-ordination and running of therapeutic groups
Research, Audit and Service Evaluation
To assist in the design and implementation of audit, service evaluation and research projects
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programes
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified psychologists in evidence-based practice
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description and Person Specification attached.
Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss, by contacting Dr Sam Waldron, Joint Head of Child Psychology, on sam.waldron@nhs.net or 07464 521147. We would love to hear from you!
This advert may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Clinical
To support qualified clinical psychologists (and other allied health professions) in the provision of the psychology services within the community
To develop and manage systems for efficient administration and co-ordination of clinical care within the Autism and the Community Paediatric Disability services
To assist in psychological assessments of clients through the gathering of data and analysis of psychological measures
To assist in the provision of psychological assessment, formulation and therapy for children, young people and families with complex disabilities, under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist
To assist in neuropsychological assessment of children and young people
To assist in the co-ordination and running of therapeutic groups
Research, Audit and Service Evaluation
To assist in the design and implementation of audit, service evaluation and research projects
To undertake data collection, analysis, the production of reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programes
To undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research to assist qualified psychologists in evidence-based practice
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Honours degree at 2:2 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS
Desirable
- oFurther post graduate training in relevant area of professional psychology, health and/or social care practice, and / or research design and analysis
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as part of a team
Desirable
- Experience of working with children within physical or mental health settings and/or working with children with complex needs
- Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact
- Experience of teaching other health professionals
Skills
Essential
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a child health context
- Ability to interact with people with mental health and/or related problems
- Ability to communicate effectively under pressure and maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times
- Ability to provide and receive complex sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive atmosphere
- Well-developed IT skills, including ability to use Microsoft Office
- Ability to be flexible and cope with multiple demands
- Capable of using initiative and organising work to meet agreed goals
- Ability to work independently and know when to ask for and use supervision, identifying when there is need for advice and using supervision at agreed intervals
Knowledge
Essential
- Good theoretical knowledge of psychological theories and concepts and their relevance to people with mental health problems and/or physical health problems/disabilities
- Graduate level knowledge of databases, research skills and methodology
- Awareness of racial and diversity issues
Desirable
- Knowledge of psychological assessment, psychometrics, child development and neuropsychological assessment
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Honours degree at 2:2 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS
Desirable
- oFurther post graduate training in relevant area of professional psychology, health and/or social care practice, and / or research design and analysis
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working as part of a team
Desirable
- Experience of working with children within physical or mental health settings and/or working with children with complex needs
- Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact
- Experience of teaching other health professionals
Skills
Essential
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a child health context
- Ability to interact with people with mental health and/or related problems
- Ability to communicate effectively under pressure and maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times
- Ability to provide and receive complex sensitive or contentious information in a highly emotive atmosphere
- Well-developed IT skills, including ability to use Microsoft Office
- Ability to be flexible and cope with multiple demands
- Capable of using initiative and organising work to meet agreed goals
- Ability to work independently and know when to ask for and use supervision, identifying when there is need for advice and using supervision at agreed intervals
Knowledge
Essential
- Good theoretical knowledge of psychological theories and concepts and their relevance to people with mental health problems and/or physical health problems/disabilities
- Graduate level knowledge of databases, research skills and methodology
- Awareness of racial and diversity issues
Desirable
- Knowledge of psychological assessment, psychometrics, child development and neuropsychological assessment
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
