Specialist Clinical Psychologist

We are delighted to be advertising a highly specialist clinical psychology post which is part of new funding we have received to progress and develop the psychology offer across all WCDS diagnostic and intervention pathways. We are therefore looking for a dynamic applicant who has neurodiversity experience and is motivated to work collaboratively within our multidisciplinary team and with wider local agencies. The team operate in north KCW, which is a culturally and socio-economically diverse part of London. The post holder will work as part of a small and progressive psychology team who operate within a larger multidisciplinary Child Development Service. The service provides assessment and intervention for children with neurodevelopmental differences. A primary focus for Clinical Psychology has been to develop the social pathway. This post, therefore, offers excellent opportunities to gain further experience in neurodiversity assessment, running co-produced intervention groups, offering individual /family therapy work, as well as consultancy work to other professionals within the system. In addition to this the psychology service aims to extend the reach of its offer to all CYP / families that access WCDS. The successful candidate, therefore, should have solid experience of working with CYP who have neurodevelopmental differences and beware of up-to-date legislation and research in relation to assessment and intervention.

To ensure a highly qualified clinical psychology service to children who are referred to the Child Development Centre for assessment and intervention, across all sectors of care. To develop the role of clinical psychology in order to deliver a direct and indirect clinical assessment and therapy service for children with complex neuro-development difficulties and their families.

To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities across a range of settings and agencies, where appropriate.

To work in conjunction with parent, carers, statutory and non-statutory agencies to ensure a holistic approach to assessment and intervention. To assess and treat a specialist caseload and maintain client records. To supervise and support the psychological assessment and therapy provided by trainee and assistant psychologists and other clinical members of the team who provide psychologically based care and treatment to children who are referred to the Child Development Centre.To work autonomously adhering to professional guidelines, government policies / initiatives and the overall framework / pathways developed by the Child Development Service.To utilise research skills for audit, policy & service development and research within the area of developmental disorders and developmental delay.

Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) is one of the largest community healthcare organisations in London and Hertfordshire, providing our services to diverse communities/boroughs in 11 London Boroughs - Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth, Westminster - and Hertfordshire.
1. To ensure a systemic provision of highly specialist psychological assessments for clients referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care
2. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.
3. To be responsible for developing, implementing and managing a range of highly specialists psychological interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, their carers, families and groups, within and across teams; ensuring that adjustment and refinement of psychological formulations occurs by drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses
4. To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group
5. To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of children with neurodevelopmental disorders whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans
6. To provide specialist psychological advice guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to a child’s formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
7. To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all children within the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group
8. To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual children and families and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management
9. To coordinator provision of specialist service (i.e feeding clinic) and take responsibility for initiating, planning and reviewing of psychological care plans within this provision; ensuring good communication links with child, carers, referring agents and others involved in the network of care
10. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multi-disciplinary care
11. To exercise competence in the daily use of electronic forms of communication such as e-mail and the regular use of computer software to create resources to assist in the management of children (e.g. Boardmaker for visual timetables), reports, spreadsheets and databases for clinical work and data collection.
12. To manage restricted/constrained positions for long periods either whilst engaging in computer work of clinical work.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for full list of responsibilities