Job summary
FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF OPENING AND DEVELOPING AN ASPIRE MODEL TRUAMA HUB SERVICE IN THE NEWCASTLE AREA
Are you a clinical or counselling psychologist with an interest or experience working within a developmental trauma framework and attachment focused models?
Do you have a background or interest in working with children in care and adoptive families, with a particular awareness and interest in the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?
Do you want to be able to offer long-term, person-centred therapeutic support drawing on a range of models in a timely and responsive way?
If so, we would love to hear from you!
We have a warm and welcoming team and staff well-being is key to our ethos.
We provide specialist psychological assessments, formulations and therapeutic interventions (therapy and consultation) to post-Adoption Support agencies, local authorities and independent residential homes and fostering agencies across the region. We deliver attachment and trauma training to a range of settings from residential homes, to fostering agencies and education provisions.
We are fortunate to be able to integrate ourselves and work alongside some fantastic residential homes, fostering agencies and adoption agencies across the North East, allowing amazing opportunity to focus on building supportive relationships with the teams.
Main duties of the job
Clinical Duties:
- Specialist psychological assessment of young people.
Written reports (assessment reports/risk management plans/intervention plans) to provide further insight into complex young people.
Highly specialist psychological therapy, adapting and developing where necessary for young people with cognitive and social difficulties.
Collaborative working with residential staff, foster carers, education staff and parents alongside other health and social care professionals from statutory, third sector and/or independent organisations.
Close consultation with residential home staff, foster carers, education establishments, social workers and parents.
Training:
- Specialist training to residential homes, fostering agencies, adoption services, schools and other professionals.
Service Development
- Developing and evaluating our trauma centred service and model (in the therapy and residential homes settings)
- Developing the trauma hub in the north
Supervision of others in the team (including trainees)
About us
Aspire’s ethos is to provide responsive, sensitive, timely,
family/person centred care and support to all our service users and team members and to be
flexible, creative and adaptive to their needs at all times.
We also promote a
systemic model and approach underpinned by the Neuro-sequential Model, to all our work and place emphasis on the
importance of working with all those members of the system whilst keeping the
family and child at the centre of everything we do.
We are a small, supportive team with clinicians from different backgrounds and professions.
There is regular opportunity for peer support and supervision, team meetings/reflective discussions/social events and we work hard to provide a contained, non-judgemental and safe place to work where the team feel valued and integral to the service.
Everyone in the team is supported and encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills with regular CPD being provided and funded by Aspire.
No two days are
the same and we require someone with a creative, flexible approach who is
willing to go above and beyond for our families, homes and young people. We
work hard to provide a service which is sensitive, responsive and consistent
and therefore seek individuals to join our team who are able to offer this and
who are willing and able to invest in the service and being part of our team.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The post involves the provision of a specialist psychological therapy service to residential homes, fostering agencies, and children in the care system.
Working in partnership with the Director, the Aspire team and our stakeholders, you will achieve the following objective:-
- Provide high quality psychological services to residential homes, fostering agencies, individuals and adoptive families and schools.
- Aspire’s ethos is to provide responsive, sensitive, timely, family/person centred care and support to all our ‘customers’ and to be flexible, creative and adaptive to their needs at all times. We also promote a systemic model and approach to all our work and place emphasis on the importance of working with all those members of the system whilst keeping the family and child at the centre of everything we do.
- The post holders base will be at Aspire’s office in Darlington: Suite 2, Aspen House, Chesnut Street, Darlington, DL1 1QL
- The post holder can work from home with agreement with the director.
- The post holder will provide a psychological service to residential homes and fostering agencies, looked after and adoptive families and schools therefore regular travel will be required between these services.
- There are upcoming opportunities for working from a base in the Newcastle/Gateshead area
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities
- To provide a therapeutic service and dedicated psychological service across a range of settings and establishments including residential, fostering, adoption and children’s services. You will be providing a range of services for young people who may have learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions, mental health problems, attachment and trauma related difficulties, emotional difficulties and who may display behaviours which challenge.
- The clinical responsibilities include direct work with children and young people.
- To be responsible for providing a specialist psychological perspective in the assessment of young people and their system.
- To provide reports (assessment reports/risk management plans/care plans) to provide further insight into complex young people and recommendations of how best to support the young people.
- To formulate and implement plans for psychological intervention and management of the presenting difficulties, based on an appropriate conceptual framework and using current evidence based best practice advice and integrate this formulation within the social care support plans.
- To select and undertake a range of highly specialist psychological interventions, adapting and developing where necessary for young people with cognitive and social difficulties. Interventions will often include collaborative working with residential staff, foster carers, education staff and parents and may involve collaborative working with other health and social care professionals from statutory, third sector and/or independent organisations.
- To monitor and evaluate progress during the course of a young person’s journey with Aspire and throughout any psychological or psycho-social interventions, re-assessing and re-formulating as necessary and sharing information as appropriate.
- To consult and work closely with residential home staff, foster carers, education establishments, social workers and parents providing special psychological guidance around all aspects of a young person’s care and support needs.
- To be effective in communicating psychological principles to staff groups, foster carers, adoptive parents, teaching staff and professionals and young people in a manner which facilitates growth and development.
- To consult with and provide psychological advice to the young person’s family, school and other relevant professionals as and when necessary.
- To communicate verbally, using augmented communication methods and, in writing, highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including people with impaired communication capabilities.
- To be able to contain and work with organisational stress and hold the stress of others (staff and service users).
- To manage exposure to emotive disclosures and to stressful conflict situations presented by young people.
Training and Development Responsibilities/Teaching, Supervision
- To provide training to residential homes, fostering agencies, adoption services, schools and other professionals on a range of psychological issues focusing on attachment and trauma and supporting children and the wider system with these difficulties.
- To work closely with residential home staff, fostering agencies, adoption services, schools and professionals to facilitate understanding of psychological issues.
- To liaise with the director around attendance at regular relevant training as part of CPD
- To provide clinical supervision to the Aspire team
Service Development Role
- To work closely with the Director and team in developing the service and our Trauma Centres in the North East.
Research and Audit Responsibilities
- To use research skills for complex audit and evaluation of the service.
Professional Standards and Personal Development
- To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional guidelines of the BPS and HCPC and other relevant governing bodies.
- To work within the framework of Aspire’s policies and procedures.
- To remain up to date with professional issues in Clinical Psychology (or other relevant professions), legislation, national and local policy and guidance, and ensure these are reflected in the clinical service provided by Aspire.
- To participate in regular clinical supervision and negotiate with the Director around any further development and training needed to fulfil the CPD requirements of the HCPC.
- All post holders are expected to adhere to the operational procedures of Aspire particularly around caseload management, time keeping and recording of clinical work. This is to ensure we provide a highly effective and responsive service and to support the emotional well-being of our employees.
This is not an exhaustive list, the post holder will need to adapt to new responsibilities in consultation with the Director.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose
The post involves the provision of a specialist psychological therapy service to residential homes, fostering agencies, and children in the care system.
Working in partnership with the Director, the Aspire team and our stakeholders, you will achieve the following objective:-
- Provide high quality psychological services to residential homes, fostering agencies, individuals and adoptive families and schools.
- Aspire’s ethos is to provide responsive, sensitive, timely, family/person centred care and support to all our ‘customers’ and to be flexible, creative and adaptive to their needs at all times. We also promote a systemic model and approach to all our work and place emphasis on the importance of working with all those members of the system whilst keeping the family and child at the centre of everything we do.
- The post holders base will be at Aspire’s office in Darlington: Suite 2, Aspen House, Chesnut Street, Darlington, DL1 1QL
- The post holder can work from home with agreement with the director.
- The post holder will provide a psychological service to residential homes and fostering agencies, looked after and adoptive families and schools therefore regular travel will be required between these services.
- There are upcoming opportunities for working from a base in the Newcastle/Gateshead area
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities
- To provide a therapeutic service and dedicated psychological service across a range of settings and establishments including residential, fostering, adoption and children’s services. You will be providing a range of services for young people who may have learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions, mental health problems, attachment and trauma related difficulties, emotional difficulties and who may display behaviours which challenge.
- The clinical responsibilities include direct work with children and young people.
- To be responsible for providing a specialist psychological perspective in the assessment of young people and their system.
- To provide reports (assessment reports/risk management plans/care plans) to provide further insight into complex young people and recommendations of how best to support the young people.
- To formulate and implement plans for psychological intervention and management of the presenting difficulties, based on an appropriate conceptual framework and using current evidence based best practice advice and integrate this formulation within the social care support plans.
- To select and undertake a range of highly specialist psychological interventions, adapting and developing where necessary for young people with cognitive and social difficulties. Interventions will often include collaborative working with residential staff, foster carers, education staff and parents and may involve collaborative working with other health and social care professionals from statutory, third sector and/or independent organisations.
- To monitor and evaluate progress during the course of a young person’s journey with Aspire and throughout any psychological or psycho-social interventions, re-assessing and re-formulating as necessary and sharing information as appropriate.
- To consult and work closely with residential home staff, foster carers, education establishments, social workers and parents providing special psychological guidance around all aspects of a young person’s care and support needs.
- To be effective in communicating psychological principles to staff groups, foster carers, adoptive parents, teaching staff and professionals and young people in a manner which facilitates growth and development.
- To consult with and provide psychological advice to the young person’s family, school and other relevant professionals as and when necessary.
- To communicate verbally, using augmented communication methods and, in writing, highly complex and sensitive information in a manner appropriate to a range of settings and audiences, including people with impaired communication capabilities.
- To be able to contain and work with organisational stress and hold the stress of others (staff and service users).
- To manage exposure to emotive disclosures and to stressful conflict situations presented by young people.
Training and Development Responsibilities/Teaching, Supervision
- To provide training to residential homes, fostering agencies, adoption services, schools and other professionals on a range of psychological issues focusing on attachment and trauma and supporting children and the wider system with these difficulties.
- To work closely with residential home staff, fostering agencies, adoption services, schools and professionals to facilitate understanding of psychological issues.
- To liaise with the director around attendance at regular relevant training as part of CPD
- To provide clinical supervision to the Aspire team
Service Development Role
- To work closely with the Director and team in developing the service and our Trauma Centres in the North East.
Research and Audit Responsibilities
- To use research skills for complex audit and evaluation of the service.
Professional Standards and Personal Development
- To work within the Code of Ethics and the relevant professional guidelines of the BPS and HCPC and other relevant governing bodies.
- To work within the framework of Aspire’s policies and procedures.
- To remain up to date with professional issues in Clinical Psychology (or other relevant professions), legislation, national and local policy and guidance, and ensure these are reflected in the clinical service provided by Aspire.
- To participate in regular clinical supervision and negotiate with the Director around any further development and training needed to fulfil the CPD requirements of the HCPC.
- All post holders are expected to adhere to the operational procedures of Aspire particularly around caseload management, time keeping and recording of clinical work. This is to ensure we provide a highly effective and responsive service and to support the emotional well-being of our employees.
This is not an exhaustive list, the post holder will need to adapt to new responsibilities in consultation with the Director.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology
- Experience of working with children and young people with mental health difficulties
Desirable
- Experience of working in residential settings or with looked after children
- Experience of working with the local authority/social services
- DDP training
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology
- Experience of working with children and young people with mental health difficulties
Desirable
- Experience of working in residential settings or with looked after children
- Experience of working with the local authority/social services
- DDP training
Additional information
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
