Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist totake up the role of Co-Lead Child Psychotherapist for Bromley CAMHS, and Co-PrincipalChild Psychotherapist for the Generic Team, in partnership with an experienced colleaguealready in role. You will jointly lead the provision of an efficient, effective and comprehensivespecialist child and adolescent psychotherapy service for children and adolescents withsevere, highly complex and persistent mental health problems and their carers within theGeneric multidisciplinary team, carrying your own caseload and supporting colleaguesworking across the service in our Adolescent, LAAC and Neurodevelopmental teams. Youwill provide supervision, consultation, teaching and training to psychotherapists and multi-disciplinary colleagues, jointly provide clinical leadership within the Generic Team, and leadon key service initiatives within the service, the discipline, and at Trust level.There is a strong psychotherapy group in Bromley CAMHS, from trainee level through toband 8s, who are valued highly by their multidisciplinary colleagues, and who run a weeklypsychotherapy workshop for colleagues as well as peer supervision spaces. You will alsobe part of a vibrant Oxleas Trust-wide child psychotherapy group who meet regularly forCPD activities and organise an annual public conference.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the role are

• To lead and support the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy discipline within Bromley CAMHS;
• To contribute to leadership within the Generic Team, alongside the Team Manager and Senior Clinical Psychologist, for instance by facilitating team reflective practice, Initial Assessment "Hubs" and some additional team meetings;
• To contribute to the leadership of the service through participation in Management meetings and other senior functions such as clinical triage and the "duty senior" role;
• To support more junior psychotherapists, for instance through supervision, and facilitation of peer supervision and workshop spaces;
• To supervise a child psychotherapist in doctoral training;
• To carry a small caseload of direct psychotherapy cases, whether short-, medium- or longer-term, and parent work cases;
• To contribute to service-development initiatives at the CAMHS and Trust level.

You will be an experienced Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with a high level of clinical and interpersonal skill, with experience of supervision of more junior colleagues and/or trainees, or the aptitude and interest to develop such skills further. You will be able to think calmly and creatively under pressure, containing the anxieties of multi-disciplinary colleagues and more junior colleagues, in clinical situations presenting interpersonal and emotional pressure, complexity, safeguarding difficulty or risk.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We're Kind
• We're Fair
• We Listen
• We Care

Details

Date posted

05 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£70,396 to £80,837 a year pro rata pa inc.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

277-7709972-CYP

Job locations

Bromley CAMHS, Stepping Stones House

38 Masons Hill

Bromley

BR2 9JG

Job description

Job responsibilities

To be responsible for working within the appropriate Safe Guarding, Deliberate Self Harm, Substance Misuse guidelines, for own cases and the provision of appropriate advice in supervision and consultation. This includes reporting to and liaising with multi-disciplinary service and external agency staff (e.g. Social Services staff, CAMHS colleagues, adult mental health staff, primary health and hospital staff, education staff, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, named Safe Guarding worker, Substance Misuse Worker). To be responsible for continually monitoring and evaluating risk to/ from children and young people in own caseload and during supervision/consultation discussions. This may be due to Safe Guarding concerns, Deliberate Self Harm or other risky behaviour (e.g. running away, substance misuse, causing harm to others).

To provide highly specialist psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment for children/adolescents with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems and make decisions about treatment options taking into account relevant evidence based research, theory, practice and highly complex factors concerning historical and development processes which have shaped the child/adolescent, their parents/carers and family. To provide highly specialist long term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children/adolescents with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problem. To provide highly specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment for carers. Where required, to provide highly specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment for families who may be highly dysfunctional with complex and persistent problems. To provide highly specialist assessment and short term psycho- therapeutic treatment for children, adolescents, their carers and families). To provide highly specialist assessment reports for social services, courts and solicitors as required. To participate and collaborate with other team members to provide specialist clinical services. To participate in regular review and ongoing discussion of cases in treatment with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and where appropriate, co-ordinate and organise network meetings with professional members of other agencies. To be responsible for the application of a range of theoretical and practical knowledge acquired over a significant period of time (e.g. developments in psychoanalysis, child and adolescent development, attachment theory, neuro-biology, systems theory, social learning theory, adult psycho-pathology, group work). To exercise autonomous professional responsibility based on the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to professional colleagues (within the specialist CAMHS and related external agencies) who work with children/ adolescents with severe and complex mental health problems (e.g. joint consultation to Social workers, link workers, health visitors/community psychiatric nurses and nursery nurses running groups). To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to Parents/ carers involved with children/adolescents who are referred to the service. To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to education staff (e.g. teachers, Educational Psychologists, Special Education Needs Coordinators). To liaise with and provide highly specialist advice and guidance to staff of the Youth Offending Team, police, courts and solicitors as required. To contribute directly and indirectly to a specialist psychoanalytically informed understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group, and their carers.

To contribute towards the bidding of DoH funded Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training for their four year clinical training programme within the service. To take part in the recruitment and induction of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training. When required, to liaise and attend meetings with the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Trainings relevant Training Schools and relevant members of the North Central London Strategic Health Authority (NCL SHA, the funding body). When required, to provide regular reports about the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training for the relevant Training Schools and NCL SHA. To provide highly specialist clinical and service supervision for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training. To provide highly specialist clinical supervision for junior Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists. To provide highly specialist clinical supervision for professional trainees of related professions (e.g. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in training). To provide highly specialist clinical supervision for professionally trained members of the service as requested (e.g. junior Specialist Nurses). To provide highly specialist teaching and training for other professions working with the client group within the service and within related agencies (health, education, social services, voluntary sector, youth criminal justice system). To be responsible for contributing to the academic and clinical teaching programmes within the service and the Directorates Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service.

To receive regular clinical and service related supervision from a more senior child and adolescent psychotherapist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues, in accordance with good practice guidelines. To gain additional highly specialist experience and training relevant to child and adolescent psychotherapy and/or the service ( e.g. Narrative Story Stem Assessment for Attachment Disorders or difficulties, psycho-educational group work skills based on social learning theory). To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service managers. To take part in the Directorates annual Appraisal and Performance Programme.

To undertake audit as appropriate within Specialist CAMHS and the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service. To undertake research as appropriate within the service, Directorate or multi-centred research across Trusts. To utilise theory, literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other members of the service, Directorate and the Trust.

To be responsible for contributing to the evaluation, monitoring and development of the multi-disciplinary specialist CAMHS. To be responsible for contributing to the development, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service in relation to the Directorates operational policies.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the Association of Child Psychotherapy and Trust policies and procedures.

To attend and participate in weekly team meetings (administrative, clinical, audit). To attend and participate in regular Bromley CAMHS management meetings. To addend regular service academic meetings and Away Days, Trust CAMHS Conferences, Child and Adolescent psychotherapy monthly professional meetings and CPD events.

To comply with the Trusts policies, procedures and guidelines, including those related to Equal Opportunities, Health & Safety, Confidentiality of Information, Safe Guarding, Record Keeping, Restriction of Liberty (Control & Restraint) and Diversity.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To be responsible for working within the appropriate Safe Guarding, Deliberate Self Harm, Substance Misuse guidelines, for own cases and the provision of appropriate advice in supervision and consultation. This includes reporting to and liaising with multi-disciplinary service and external agency staff (e.g. Social Services staff, CAMHS colleagues, adult mental health staff, primary health and hospital staff, education staff, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, named Safe Guarding worker, Substance Misuse Worker). To be responsible for continually monitoring and evaluating risk to/ from children and young people in own caseload and during supervision/consultation discussions. This may be due to Safe Guarding concerns, Deliberate Self Harm or other risky behaviour (e.g. running away, substance misuse, causing harm to others).

To provide highly specialist psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment for children/adolescents with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problems and make decisions about treatment options taking into account relevant evidence based research, theory, practice and highly complex factors concerning historical and development processes which have shaped the child/adolescent, their parents/carers and family. To provide highly specialist long term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children/adolescents with severe, highly complex and persistent mental health problem. To provide highly specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment for carers. Where required, to provide highly specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment for families who may be highly dysfunctional with complex and persistent problems. To provide highly specialist assessment and short term psycho- therapeutic treatment for children, adolescents, their carers and families). To provide highly specialist assessment reports for social services, courts and solicitors as required. To participate and collaborate with other team members to provide specialist clinical services. To participate in regular review and ongoing discussion of cases in treatment with other members of the multi-disciplinary team and where appropriate, co-ordinate and organise network meetings with professional members of other agencies. To be responsible for the application of a range of theoretical and practical knowledge acquired over a significant period of time (e.g. developments in psychoanalysis, child and adolescent development, attachment theory, neuro-biology, systems theory, social learning theory, adult psycho-pathology, group work). To exercise autonomous professional responsibility based on the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics of the Association of Child Psychotherapists.

To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to professional colleagues (within the specialist CAMHS and related external agencies) who work with children/ adolescents with severe and complex mental health problems (e.g. joint consultation to Social workers, link workers, health visitors/community psychiatric nurses and nursery nurses running groups). To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to Parents/ carers involved with children/adolescents who are referred to the service. To provide highly specialist advice, guidance and consultation to education staff (e.g. teachers, Educational Psychologists, Special Education Needs Coordinators). To liaise with and provide highly specialist advice and guidance to staff of the Youth Offending Team, police, courts and solicitors as required. To contribute directly and indirectly to a specialist psychoanalytically informed understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group, and their carers.

To contribute towards the bidding of DoH funded Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training for their four year clinical training programme within the service. To take part in the recruitment and induction of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training. When required, to liaise and attend meetings with the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Trainings relevant Training Schools and relevant members of the North Central London Strategic Health Authority (NCL SHA, the funding body). When required, to provide regular reports about the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training for the relevant Training Schools and NCL SHA. To provide highly specialist clinical and service supervision for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists in Training. To provide highly specialist clinical supervision for junior Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists. To provide highly specialist clinical supervision for professional trainees of related professions (e.g. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in training). To provide highly specialist clinical supervision for professionally trained members of the service as requested (e.g. junior Specialist Nurses). To provide highly specialist teaching and training for other professions working with the client group within the service and within related agencies (health, education, social services, voluntary sector, youth criminal justice system). To be responsible for contributing to the academic and clinical teaching programmes within the service and the Directorates Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service.

To receive regular clinical and service related supervision from a more senior child and adolescent psychotherapist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues, in accordance with good practice guidelines. To gain additional highly specialist experience and training relevant to child and adolescent psychotherapy and/or the service ( e.g. Narrative Story Stem Assessment for Attachment Disorders or difficulties, psycho-educational group work skills based on social learning theory). To maintain and develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision. To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders professional and service managers. To take part in the Directorates annual Appraisal and Performance Programme.

To undertake audit as appropriate within Specialist CAMHS and the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service. To undertake research as appropriate within the service, Directorate or multi-centred research across Trusts. To utilise theory, literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other members of the service, Directorate and the Trust.

To be responsible for contributing to the evaluation, monitoring and development of the multi-disciplinary specialist CAMHS. To be responsible for contributing to the development, implementation, evaluation and monitoring of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service in relation to the Directorates operational policies.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the Association of Child Psychotherapy and Trust policies and procedures.

To attend and participate in weekly team meetings (administrative, clinical, audit). To attend and participate in regular Bromley CAMHS management meetings. To addend regular service academic meetings and Away Days, Trust CAMHS Conferences, Child and Adolescent psychotherapy monthly professional meetings and CPD events.

To comply with the Trusts policies, procedures and guidelines, including those related to Equal Opportunities, Health & Safety, Confidentiality of Information, Safe Guarding, Record Keeping, Restriction of Liberty (Control & Restraint) and Diversity.

Person Specification

Qulifications

Essential

• Doctorate Level, 6 year, ACP accredited training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
• Full member of Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience of work in a child and adolescent mental health, multidisciplinary context
• Experience of relevant patient groups presenting high levels of complexity and difficulty
• Experience of supervising Child Psychotherapists
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, multicultural context.
• Evidence of Service Development and leadership

Desirable

• Substantial experience of professional teaching and training

Skills/Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist theoretical knowledge of at least one of the following client groups: adolescent, lac, adoption, neurodiverse, under 5s
• Good knowledge of relevant theories, practices and research in the field of child and adolescent development and psychotherapy, and ability to apply them to relevant work situations
• Evidence of continuous professional development as required by the ACP

Person Specification

Qulifications

Essential

• Doctorate Level, 6 year, ACP accredited training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
• Full member of Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience of work in a child and adolescent mental health, multidisciplinary context
• Experience of relevant patient groups presenting high levels of complexity and difficulty
• Experience of supervising Child Psychotherapists
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, multicultural context.
• Evidence of Service Development and leadership

Desirable

• Substantial experience of professional teaching and training

Skills/Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist theoretical knowledge of at least one of the following client groups: adolescent, lac, adoption, neurodiverse, under 5s
• Good knowledge of relevant theories, practices and research in the field of child and adolescent development and psychotherapy, and ability to apply them to relevant work situations
• Evidence of continuous professional development as required by the ACP

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

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bromley CAMHS, Stepping Stones House

38 Masons Hill

Bromley

BR2 9JG

Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bromley CAMHS, Stepping Stones House

38 Masons Hill

Bromley

BR2 9JG

Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)