Band 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist - Ardenleigh

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit an 8b Principal Practitioner Psychologist, to provide leadership and specialist clinical input to the Secure CAMHS service. This post offers the opportunity to continue to develop the psychological provision offered to the young people in our care. The Secure CAMHS (SCAMHS) service sits within the Ardenleigh site and offers treatment for up to 11 young people. It has received accreditations from QNIC and the National Autistic Society and a quality review in June 2024 highlighted strengths in a positive team culture, great relationships between young people and staff and comprehensive therapeutic provision.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide clinical leadership to the SCAMHS psychology team and represent psychology within the senior leadership team. A keen interest in and passion for working with young people is essential, as well as experience of leadership, service development, and managing/supervising a range of psychological professionals. The successful candidate will support the governance and effective development and delivery of evidence based, needs led interventions within the service, and offer specialist clinical work, supervision, training, and consultation. They will also contribute to service and delivery of the divisional psychology therapies strategy.

The service has a strong multi-disciplinary team ethos, in which psychology is well established and respected. It is committed to providing the best care for young people, and as such service user involvement and co-production are central to what we do.

We are committed to supporting our staff to have a positive experience of their time at work. We acknowledge that working within the Ardenleigh site can be challenging, so you will have access to a range of wellbeing support. You will be joining a large and diverse psychological therapies team within the division, and we are committed to investing in staff and you will have opportunities for training, mentoring, supervision and career development.

About us

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Details

Date posted

20 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£64,455 to £74,896 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

436-7495567

Job locations

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

Please click on the link for a little insight into our services and our people

https://vimeo.com/benthompsonfilms/psychologyrecruitment?share=copy

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

Please click on the link for a little insight into our services and our people

https://vimeo.com/benthompsonfilms/psychologyrecruitment?share=copy

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical psychology (the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), the completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists
• Additional training in DBT, at a minimum to have completed the 5-day intensive training.

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice / therapy

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/forensic psychologist for a minimum of 4 years post qualification, with a minimum of at least 2 years at the Senior (highly specialist) level.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity

Desirable

• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' and or 'hard to reach' groups and clients in community settings
• Experience of safeguarding and risk management across several agencies, including appropriately escalating concerns

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience during a minimum of 4 years as a qualified psychologist
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
• Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.

Desirable

• In depth knowledge of information governance legislation and information sharing practices across agencies

Personal

Essential

• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• Capacity for tolerating frustration, change and high levels of demand with an ability to work effectively under pressure.

Desirable

• Willing and eligible to apply for higher level security clearance

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical psychology (the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), the completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists
• Additional training in DBT, at a minimum to have completed the 5-day intensive training.

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice / therapy

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical/forensic psychologist for a minimum of 4 years post qualification, with a minimum of at least 2 years at the Senior (highly specialist) level.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity

Desirable

• Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' and or 'hard to reach' groups and clients in community settings
• Experience of safeguarding and risk management across several agencies, including appropriately escalating concerns

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience during a minimum of 4 years as a qualified psychologist
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
• Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.

Desirable

• In depth knowledge of information governance legislation and information sharing practices across agencies

Personal

Essential

• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
• Capacity for tolerating frustration, change and high levels of demand with an ability to work effectively under pressure.

Desirable

• Willing and eligible to apply for higher level security clearance

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).

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.

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA

Employer's website

https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA

Employer's website

https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)