We are seeking to appoint a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist to join the B&D Children’s Neurodevelopmental team. The Psychologist should enjoy working with other professionals, have experience of active multidisciplinary participation and working to integrate psychological mindedness with assessment, formulation, and intervention as a core component of the post. This role will require knowledge, experience, and skills in triaging new patient referrals, neuropsychological assessment and diagnostics and clinical management of children presenting on the Neurodevelopmental pathway. The post holder should have experience and a good understanding of cognitive factors impacting on recovery and rehabilitation.

The post holder will undertake service evaluation, audit, research, and policy development if required. They will work as an autonomous professional within HCPC and BPS guidelines and codes of conduct. He/she will be guided by principles, systems, and procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies, within defined parameters in delivery of defined outcomes.

The post holder will have clinical expertise working psychologically within physical health care settings and/or neuropsychology settings. Experience is required in clinical assessment, interventions, and signposting. The postholder will manage one’s own caseload, undertake risk assessment/management and individual/group psychology programmes, within a timely and professional manner.

The post holder will provide clinical and operational leadership into the neurodevelopmental pathway in for children and young persons The post holder will be expected undertake highly specialist neurodevelopmental assessments in order to contribute to the diagnostic process and to formulate areas of strengths and needs based on good practice and evidence in neurodevelopmental assessment and intervention. Delivery of neuropsychological rehabilitation and psychological therapy may also be required.

The post holder will be expected to support their team, department and organisation to achieve the Trust’s Values in their day-to-day work. These are the 5P’s:

Putting people first

Prioritising quality

Being progressive, innovative and continually improve

Being professional and honest

Promoting what is possible – independence, opportunity and choice

The post holder will achieve this by carrying out professionally based duties and responsibilities in the following areas: clinical practice including highly specialist neurodevelopmental assessment, psychological intervention, service development, work with other agencies, applied research, service evaluation, teaching and training

Starting with NELFT

If you come and work as part of the B&D Neurodevelopmental team, your knowledge and skills will be valued. Come join NELFT named in 2021 as a ‘Working Families Top Ten Employer’ and Winner at the RIDI Awards for ‘Making a Difference – Public Sector’.

NELFT place a great deal of 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 will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. New starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend drop-in sessions focusing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes.

Benefits to the postholder joining include:
Structured annual education, training, and development

Latest research evidence learning opportunities through partnership with the University of Cambridge Autism Research Centre

Leadership, coaching and mentoring opportunities

Flexible and Agile working

Family friendly policies and procedures

Staff benefits

Resources and support to your own health, emotion and wellbeing

High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).

To provide an efficient, effective, comprehensive and specialist psychological service for children and young people referred for neurodevelopmental assessment and to provide this psychological service to their carers/parents and families.

To provide and/or support the provision of evidence based neurodevelopmental and psychological interventions for service users. This will include providing highly specialist assessment and contributing to multi-disciplinary assessment and management of children and young people referred to the Neurodevelopmental pathway supporting the CAMHS and Paediatric teams.

To undertake a range of highly specialist clinical work, urgent assessment work and parenting support.

To carry out professional duties and responsibilities in the following areas: clinical practice, service development, teaching and training, work with other agencies, consultancy and/or applied research and service evaluation.

To have organisational knowledge relating to Trust protocols and procedures and adhere to them.

To be responsible for providing accurate records of information required by the Trust for audit purposes.

To contribute to service development to ensure the best outcomes.

To be part of the Clinical Leadership Team contributing to care-pathway and service development to achieve the best outcomes whilst ensuring that all children and young people have an in-date care plans and risk assessment.

Support the development of psychological services through the supervision of other qualified psychologists, trainee psychologists, and assistant psychologists.

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for children and young people and to offer advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

Providing line Management, Clinical Supervision and appraisal of Band 7 Clinical Psychologists and/or Assistant Psychologists in the Neurodevelopmental Service.

To employ professional curiosity in your day-to-day role and act upon any findings appropriately.

To ensure effective risk management at team level by accident/incident reporting, assessing and controlling risk and ensuring residual risks are added to the Trust register.

To ensure a safe case load on the neurodevelopmental pathway and that all children and young people on the neurodevelopmental pathway have an allocated clinician to deliver the identified intervention.

To be involved in regular caseload reviews to prevent caseload drift and ensuring a smooth flow in and out of the pathways such as smooth transition where adult mental health input is needed or safe discharge back to primary care upon completion of treatment.

To provide senior support in the absence of other leads or service manager.