Job summary
This an exciting opportunity for a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist to join the NSPCC National Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (NCATS).
This role would suit candidates who would like to further develop a clinical specialism in working directly with children following disclosures/allegations of harmful sexual behaviour, and their families; and who have well-developed core clinical skills in assessment, formulation, engagement, team-working, and report-writing.
The NCATS service provides assessment and intervention for children and young people aged 5-21, and their parent/carers, with an increasing focus on a whole family approach to sibling sexual abuse. The post offers additional opportunities for innovative practice developments and research/evaluation, alongside consultation and training for professionals.
The successful candidate will work as part of a small multi-disciplinary team, led by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Team Manager.
Main duties of the job
The Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist will join an innovative team at an exciting time in its development. From April 2024, NCATS will be offering an integrated and pioneering whole-family service to families affected by sibling sexual abuse. This will include direct work with families, consultation and the development and delivery of training to professional networks, and opportunities to be involved in evaluation and research.
The post-holder will be seconded from Oxleas to the NSPCC under a Service Level Agreement and receive day-to-day line management and clinical supervision within the NSPCC, from a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. The post-holder will have access to professional CPD via Oxleas, as well as access to wider peer support within Oxleas Psychological Therapies and Children and Young People's Directorates.
Within NCATS, the post-holder will be responsible for the supervision of Trainee Clinical Psychologists and will provide further clinical supervision as required by the wider multi-disciplinary team.
Clinical service delivery by NCATS will be undertaken in Camden.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
- Working within a highly specialist harmful sexual behaviour service, undertaking direct clinical work with children/young people and their parents and carers, to provide highly specialist psychological assessments, based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, self-report measures, clinical interviews, direct and indirect observations and engagement with young people, their families and wider networks.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with referred families when required, contributing to the services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
- To engage in the clinical formulation of children and families presenting concerns, drawing on relevant psychological models, in collaboration with families themselves and the wider professional network.
- To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of children and families mental health problems and harmful sexual behaviour, based on relevant conceptual frameworks and best practice guidance.
- To be responsible for delivering a range of highly specialist psychological interventions as part of the children and families care within the NCATS service, synthesising, adjusting and reformulating care; drawing on a range of evidence-based models and integration of psychological care within a wider MDT context.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence practice relevant to the client group, for example; AIM3, Restorative Approaches, Systemic Approaches, Narrative Approaches, and the Good Lives Model.
- To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, considering a specialist psychological knowledge and skill base, alongside highly complex factors impacting on children and young peoples mental health.
- To exercise full clinical responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of children and young people, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, and interventions, communicating effectively with referrers and others involved in their care, including acting as a professional witness in court and working in collaboration with multi-agency partners.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- To advise other members of the service and inter-agency partners on specialist psychological care of clients.
Research
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in clinical work and in working with other members of the service.
- To undertake research as appropriate within the service, or with regards to multi-centered projects across services.
- To supervise research, service evaluation and audit projects undertaken by Trainee Clinical Psychologists and others within the MDT.
- To initiate, implement and contribute to the evaluation, monitoring and development of the service, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service and wider partnerships, to help develop and improve service provision.
General
- To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s).
- To exercise the skills of a reflective and reflexive scientist-practitioner; including taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of Clinical Psychology and relevant areas of clinical practice.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to relevant areas of practice; including childrens mental health, safeguarding and professional practice within the judicial system.
- To develop and maintain key working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, by communicating effectively with service users, Psychology colleagues and others; within and beyond the NCATS service.
- To effectively and sensitively communicate highly complex and emotionally significant information, often in clinically and organisationally challenging contexts and within the judicial system.
- To adhere to and ensure the highest standards of record-keeping and report-writing, in accordance with professional codes of practice and local clinical practice standards for the NCATS service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
- Working within a highly specialist harmful sexual behaviour service, undertaking direct clinical work with children/young people and their parents and carers, to provide highly specialist psychological assessments, based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, self-report measures, clinical interviews, direct and indirect observations and engagement with young people, their families and wider networks.
- To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with referred families when required, contributing to the services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
- To engage in the clinical formulation of children and families presenting concerns, drawing on relevant psychological models, in collaboration with families themselves and the wider professional network.
- To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of children and families mental health problems and harmful sexual behaviour, based on relevant conceptual frameworks and best practice guidance.
- To be responsible for delivering a range of highly specialist psychological interventions as part of the children and families care within the NCATS service, synthesising, adjusting and reformulating care; drawing on a range of evidence-based models and integration of psychological care within a wider MDT context.
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence practice relevant to the client group, for example; AIM3, Restorative Approaches, Systemic Approaches, Narrative Approaches, and the Good Lives Model.
- To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, considering a specialist psychological knowledge and skill base, alongside highly complex factors impacting on children and young peoples mental health.
- To exercise full clinical responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of children and young people, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, and interventions, communicating effectively with referrers and others involved in their care, including acting as a professional witness in court and working in collaboration with multi-agency partners.
- To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
- To advise other members of the service and inter-agency partners on specialist psychological care of clients.
Research
- To utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in clinical work and in working with other members of the service.
- To undertake research as appropriate within the service, or with regards to multi-centered projects across services.
- To supervise research, service evaluation and audit projects undertaken by Trainee Clinical Psychologists and others within the MDT.
- To initiate, implement and contribute to the evaluation, monitoring and development of the service, including complex audit and service evaluation, with colleagues within and across the service and wider partnerships, to help develop and improve service provision.
General
- To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service manager(s).
- To exercise the skills of a reflective and reflexive scientist-practitioner; including taking part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of Clinical Psychology and relevant areas of clinical practice.
- To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to relevant areas of practice; including childrens mental health, safeguarding and professional practice within the judicial system.
- To develop and maintain key working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, by communicating effectively with service users, Psychology colleagues and others; within and beyond the NCATS service.
- To effectively and sensitively communicate highly complex and emotionally significant information, often in clinically and organisationally challenging contexts and within the judicial system.
- To adhere to and ensure the highest standards of record-keeping and report-writing, in accordance with professional codes of practice and local clinical practice standards for the NCATS service.
Person Specification
Education/qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology, or equivalent, holding a current professional registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Completion of training in clinical supervision
- Completion of further post-doctoral training and CPD in a specialist area of clinical work relevant to the NCATS service
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist mental health assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Relevant post-qualification experience in children's mental health services, sufficient to develop and practice competencies in provision of highly specialist psychological assessments and intervention
- Experience of applying specialist psychological approaches to working clinically with forensic populations
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application and adaptation of psychological therapies in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of working in a service working with children/young people and their families.
- Experience of working in the family and/or criminal courts
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues.
- Highly developed report-writing skills.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Ability and skills to work effectively within an MDT, contributing to effective team functioning.
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care, including health inequalities affecting children and their families
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific groups relevant to the post.
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi- disciplinary and multi-agency context.
- Ability to work in Camden.
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods.
- Ability to manage and respond effectively to unexpected interruptions or changes to routine, clinical risk situations, and contexts of uncertainty and change.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, and/or with people who engage in highly distressed or aggressive behaviour.
Desirable
- Ability to clearly and professionally present verbal evidence within a family or criminal court setting, including under cross-examination.
Person Specification
Education/qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology, or equivalent, holding a current professional registration with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist
- Completion of training in clinical supervision
- Completion of further post-doctoral training and CPD in a specialist area of clinical work relevant to the NCATS service
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist mental health assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, primary care and in patient settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
- Relevant post-qualification experience in children's mental health services, sufficient to develop and practice competencies in provision of highly specialist psychological assessments and intervention
- Experience of applying specialist psychological approaches to working clinically with forensic populations
Desirable
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision.
- Experience of the application and adaptation of psychological therapies in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of working in a service working with children/young people and their families.
- Experience of working in the family and/or criminal courts
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues.
- Highly developed report-writing skills.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
- Ability and skills to work effectively within an MDT, contributing to effective team functioning.
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care, including health inequalities affecting children and their families
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific groups relevant to the post.
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Ability to work effectively within a multi- disciplinary and multi-agency context.
- Ability to work in Camden.
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods.
- Ability to manage and respond effectively to unexpected interruptions or changes to routine, clinical risk situations, and contexts of uncertainty and change.
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, and/or with people who engage in highly distressed or aggressive behaviour.
Desirable
- Ability to clearly and professionally present verbal evidence within a family or criminal court setting, including under cross-examination.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
