CYP Clinical Psychologist

Job summary

The post-holder will be a qualified fully registered HCPC Clinical or Counselling Psychologist with a passion for working in this area. As part of the QNIC recommended structure for inpatient CYP units, we are recruiting for these psychology posts into our Kent & Medway Adolescent Hospital MDT. The post holder will work very closely with Children and Young People's Mental Health Services across inpatient and community in Kent NELFT, the Kent and Sussex provider collaborative and other stakeholders. The post holder will work very closely with the Kent NELFT Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Service who offer specialist DBT assessments and interventions to YP and their families who are referred.

The post holder will be part of the ward MDT as well as linking with the Intensive Home Treatment team to ensure a smooth pathway for CYP between inpatient and community flow. The post holder will facilitate the therapeutic component of the ward programme with the MDT to ensure the clinical model is delivered with senior members of the Psychological Professions team.

The postholder will join a thriving psychological professions team across comprehensive CAMHS (inpatient and community). We have strong links with our local psychology training institute and on-going NHSE training for workforce expansion and upskilling.

Main duties of the job

o To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist psychological service for children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents, and families.

o Where appropriate to supervise assistant psychologists and trainees across the services.

o To contribute to multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and mental health problems, their carers/parents, and families.

o To undertake a range of clinical work, assessment work and parenting support.

o To contribute to audit and research.

o To actively engage in treatment and outcome monitoring, including the use of normed measures associated with CYP-IAPT.

o To work in clinical practice, making use of supervision, within the overall framework CYPMHS and the Trust's policies and procedures.

About us

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us tostrive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

NELFT place great importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Details

Date posted

02 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum (plus HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

395-PP148-25

Job locations

Kent and Medway Adolescent Hospital

Iden Manor, Cranbrook Road

Tonbridge

TN12 0ER

Job description

Job responsibilities

To act as an autonomous professional fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC).

To use appropriate clinical understanding in assessing, jointly with colleagues in the multidisciplinary team, children, adolescents, and their families to formulate their strengths and difficulties and to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.

To work alongside other colleagues in CYPMHS and in the care pathway to provide an indepth comprehensive assessment of the childs, young persons, and familys functioning where there is a constellation of high dysfunction and entrenched difficulties in the family.

To provide therapeutic interventions with due regard to issues of cultural, racial and religious difference and sexual orientation.

To provide clinical assessment of children and young people with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems.

To undertake observations of children in school settings as part of wider assessments.

To provide therapeutic interventions (including parent/child work, group work, parent support input, psycho-education and brief individual work with children and young people.

To facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict

To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols, and guidelines.

To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To act as an autonomous professional fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC).

To use appropriate clinical understanding in assessing, jointly with colleagues in the multidisciplinary team, children, adolescents, and their families to formulate their strengths and difficulties and to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.

To work alongside other colleagues in CYPMHS and in the care pathway to provide an indepth comprehensive assessment of the childs, young persons, and familys functioning where there is a constellation of high dysfunction and entrenched difficulties in the family.

To provide therapeutic interventions with due regard to issues of cultural, racial and religious difference and sexual orientation.

To provide clinical assessment of children and young people with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems.

To undertake observations of children in school settings as part of wider assessments.

To provide therapeutic interventions (including parent/child work, group work, parent support input, psycho-education and brief individual work with children and young people.

To facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict

To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the Trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols, and guidelines.

To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Successful completion of a post-graduate training (e.g. clinical psychology, family therapy, child, and adolescent psychotherapy, CBT therapist)

Knowledge

Essential

• An awareness of NHS Priorities and Issues
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of short term and long term in clinical interventions in CAMHS
• Excellent knowledge of emotional, developmental, mental health problems and life span issues.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies.
• Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education structures, national policies and frameworks, evidence based practice

Skills

Essential

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively highly complex and sensitive matters
• Ability to integrate complex clinical information into a coherent formulation
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information
• Ability to tolerate anxiety without recourse to premature action whilst appreciating the role of the supervisor
• Capacity to write clear records and observe policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Ability to work on their own , using own initiative with their professional remit and seeking further support as needed

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience of working with children and adolescents with co-morbid difficulties and special needs
• Extensive experience of working with challenging children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions.
• Extensive experience of working therapeutically with parents/carers/families of children and young people with complex mental health problems
• Experience of carrying out generic assessment with other colleagues in the multi -disciplinary team
• Experience of initiating, organising and planning inter -agency meetings

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Successful completion of a post-graduate training (e.g. clinical psychology, family therapy, child, and adolescent psychotherapy, CBT therapist)

Knowledge

Essential

• An awareness of NHS Priorities and Issues
• High level knowledge of the theory and practice of short term and long term in clinical interventions in CAMHS
• Excellent knowledge of emotional, developmental, mental health problems and life span issues.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to children and adolescents and safeguarding procedures and policies.
• Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education structures, national policies and frameworks, evidence based practice

Skills

Essential

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively highly complex and sensitive matters
• Ability to integrate complex clinical information into a coherent formulation
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information
• Ability to tolerate anxiety without recourse to premature action whilst appreciating the role of the supervisor
• Capacity to write clear records and observe policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Ability to work on their own , using own initiative with their professional remit and seeking further support as needed

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience of working with children and adolescents with co-morbid difficulties and special needs
• Extensive experience of working with challenging children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions.
• Extensive experience of working therapeutically with parents/carers/families of children and young people with complex mental health problems
• Experience of carrying out generic assessment with other colleagues in the multi -disciplinary team
• Experience of initiating, organising and planning inter -agency meetings

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

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address

Kent and Medway Adolescent Hospital

Iden Manor, Cranbrook Road

Tonbridge

TN12 0ER

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address

Kent and Medway Adolescent Hospital

Iden Manor, Cranbrook Road

Tonbridge

TN12 0ER

Employer's website

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