CAMHS Principal Clinical Psychologist (N&S Orchids)

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 28 April 2025

Job summary

The new Orchids Team, working in collaboration with the Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Intensive Intervention Team (AID-IIT) are seeking a Principal Clinical Psychologist. The Orchids Team is a new and innovative multi-disciplinary team covering the whole of London and working in partnership with the AID-IIT. The team offer specialist multi-disciplinary outpatient support to children and young people up to the age of 13 years old with neurodevelopmental disorders or intellectual disabilities who are at high risk of inpatient admission or already admitted to one of the CAMHS under 13s inpatient units. The Orchids Team co-work with inpatient and local CAMHS teams across London to improve care and support for young people with a diagnosis of autism or intellectual disability and high-risk presentations. Staff working in the Orchids Team benefit from excellent team support and development opportunities. The Orchids Team work in close partnership with the AID-IIT and have links with the rest of the Service for Complex Autism and Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders (SCAAND) and with other N&S CAMHS teams. As a new N&S CAMHS team we are at the forefront of the development of support, practice and interventions for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders or intellectual disabilities with high-risk presentations.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work as a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the Orchids Team to provide clinical psychology input into MDT assessments, psychological interventions to young people and parents/carers and consultation, training and support to multi-agency local networks including staff from local and inpatient CAMHS settings, and supervision, line management and support to other junior staff within the Orchids Team. The role includes work across a range of settings - offering work in community settings, inpatient settings, working from home, and working from our clinic base, depending on the needs of the young person, family and network. The role will also involve contributing to service developments within the Orchids Team and across wider AID-IIT and SCAAND where appropriate. As Orchids is a new team funded by NHSE, the postholder will work closely with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and the Consultant Psychiatrist from AID-IIT to develop the new Orchids Team. This will include developing and evaluating the model of the Orchids Team and presenting and disseminating this information to key stakeholders.

About us

The Michael Rutter Centre is located on the Maudsley hospital sit and is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2).

Flexible working:

As one of the few Trusts in London 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 workMonday to Friday in the time frames from 9am to 5pm, giving you the very best of good work life balance. (This may include working early mornings, later evenings or Saturdays as part of the core working hours/working pattern for this post)

Date posted

15 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£70,387 to £80,465 a year per annum incl. of Inner HCAs pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

334-CLI-7051073

Job locations

Michael Rutter Centre

De Crespigny Park

London

SE5 8AZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

The postholder will work within the Orchids Team and in close partnership with AID-IIT to provide highly specialist clinical psychology assessments, interventions and support within the multi-disciplinary team including:

To work closely with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist in AID-IIT to develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a psychology service to the Orchids Team and personally provide highly specialist clinical psychology input.

Offering assessment (including where needed cognitive/psychometric and neurodevelopmental assessments) and intervention to young people with highly complex presentations, their families/carers and wider networks.

To provide clinical supervision, consultation and training.

To contribute to care planning of young people by attending CETRs, CPAs and other professional/network meetings.

To use routine outcome measures and to contribute to service evaluation, audit and research.

To oversee good clinical governance.

To contribute to the leadership of the team including service development/planning, and the supervision and recruitment of more junior staff within the Orchids Team.

To work as an autonomous professional within professional guidelines and codes of conduct and guided by the policies and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions with support of clinical supervisor.

To work flexibly as needed across settings offering outreach work when needed for example seeing young people in inpatient settings, family homes, community settings across London as required.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To provide clinical supervision, consultation and training.

To contribute to care planning of young people by attending CETRs, CPAs and other professional/network meetings.

To use routine outcome measures and to contribute to service evaluation, audit and research.

To oversee good clinical governance.

To contribute to the leadership of the team including service development/planning, and the supervision and recruitment of more junior staff within the Orchids Team.

To work flexibly as needed across settings offering outreach work when needed for example seeing young people in inpatient settings, family homes, community settings across London as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Qualification as a Clinical psychologist: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. (A/I)
Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice
Completed training course in clinical supervision. (A/I/R)
Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. (A/I)

Desirable

To have completed training in autism specific assessments (e.g. ADOS-2, ADI-R. (A/I)

Experience

Essential

Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in CAMHS with children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities. (A/I)
Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders or intellectual disabilities (A/I)

Desirable

Significant experience of completing social communication assessments with children and young people as part of a multi-disciplinary team using standardised assessment tools such as the ADOS-2 and ADI-R. (A/I)

Understanding and Knowledge

Essential

Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health disorders.
Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health disorders
Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health disorders

Skills

Essential

To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups (A/I/R).

Desirable

Experience in providing consultation to other professionals regarding children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities. (A/I)

Abilities

Essential

Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I/R)
Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate. (A/I/R)

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Qualification as a Clinical psychologist: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent; that has been accepted by the HCPC for purposes of professional registration. (A/I)
Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice
Completed training course in clinical supervision. (A/I/R)
Registered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, and evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. (A/I)

Desirable

To have completed training in autism specific assessments (e.g. ADOS-2, ADI-R. (A/I)

Experience

Essential

Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in CAMHS with children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities. (A/I)
Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders or intellectual disabilities (A/I)

Desirable

Significant experience of completing social communication assessments with children and young people as part of a multi-disciplinary team using standardised assessment tools such as the ADOS-2 and ADI-R. (A/I)

Understanding and Knowledge

Essential

Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health disorders.
Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health disorders
Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health disorders

Skills

Essential

To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups (A/I/R).

Desirable

Experience in providing consultation to other professionals regarding children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disabilities. (A/I)

Abilities

Essential

Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles. (A/I/R)
Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate. (A/I/R)

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).