Senior Assistant Psychologist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Carry out assessment and interventions.
• Deliver structured and unstructured play sessions.
• Be involved in the delivery of training to parents and other staff, both internal and external.
• Undertake projects relating to service development and evaluation.
• Support the team with the production of resources and materials that support the programme.
• Assist with the holistic assessment of children and families, using a knowledge of psychological theory, verbal and non-verbal methods of communication, technology, analytical skills and clinical formulation skills.
• Attend and contribute to meetings and forums (including MDT meetings) relating to an individuals and families, as appropriate.
• Support the delivery of psychological evidenced based interventions.
• Decide on appropriate activities to meet the aims of individual or group interventions, modifying and using supports as necessary for the child or group.
• Implement individual and group interventions within the program, making modifications using own initiative as necessary to suit the childs needs and environment.
• Adapt practice to meet individual child and setting circumstances, including due regard for cultural and linguistic differences and mode of communication including signs and symbols.
• Demonstrate empathy with children, families and carers.
• Develop skills in motivating children, and families and/or carers to engage in the therapeutic and developmental processes.
• Demonstrate an understanding of child development and apply to daily care of children.
• Demonstrate/develop knowledge of specific therapeutic techniques and develop skills to assist/carry out these techniques.
• Maintain sensitivity at all times to the emotional needs of the child, the families and their carers, in particular when discussing distressing information regarding the nature of the childs difficulties and implications of assessment results.
• Develop the ability to manage children with challenging behaviour including the application of appropriate management strategies.
• Liaise with other professionals as well as voluntary groups and to participate in the MDT.
• Carry out therapeutic activities and liaise with parents/guardians as needed.
• Assist with ad hoc administrative tasks, e.g., answering telephone, email and on-line enquiries, scanning, record keeping, stock control, data spreadsheets, etc.
• Make resources to support interventions for individual children and the settings they attend.
• Design and make equipment for groups and for personal use with children.
• Prepare rooms in readiness for sessional work in line with relevant programmes.
• Report any on-site incidents affecting staff, users or visitors in accordance with the Charitys policy.
• Design and implement agreed elements of audit and research projects.
• Undertake data collection and analysis, produce reports and summaries, using IT and statistical programmes.
• Undertake searches of evidence-based literature and research in order to promote evidence based clinical practice.
• Support the Assistant Psychologist team with managing workloads, allocations of administrative tasks, and work-related challenges.
• Liaise with line managers, supervisors and Qualified Psychologists to support the Assistant Psychologist team as needed.

Customer Care/Quality Assurance:

• Support service teams to ensure, where possible and appropriate, children and families are involved in future programme planning and delivery.
• Communicate with children, families and all stakeholders in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
• Uphold the principles and practice of customer care and continuous improvement.
• At all times to afford service users, colleagues and stakeholders the dignity and respect to which they are entitled with full regard to the organisations Equality and Diversity Policy.
• Ensure that customers/stakeholders are enabled to comment and complain about any of the services they receive, ensuring all comments and complaints are dealt with promptly and in accordance with organisational policy and procedures.
• Confidentiality and data protection regarding all personal information and Caudwell Children activities must be maintained at all times (both in and out of working hours) in accordance with professional codes of conduct and relevant legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
• Contribute and co-operate fully with any regulatory or organisational inspections/audits.

Health & Safety:

In addition to the organisations overall responsibility for your health and safety, you have a personal responsibility for your own health and safety. As such you are required to:

• Have an awareness of relevant health and safety regulations and legislation.
• Be responsible for your own health and safety and that of anyone else whom your acts and omissions may affect and maintain a professional and hygienic personal appearance at all times.
• Inform your line manager and facilities of any safety issues you identify that could affect you or others in the workplace.
• Co-operate fully with management and colleagues at all times in achieving safer working practices.
• Have knowledge of a range of safer handling and mobility skills relevant to the management of children, young people and families in your care, including safe use of transfer equipment.
• Use equipment when necessary and as instructed (as appropriate to your role), which will include checking the equipment is safe to use, prior to its use, reporting any defects immediately to your line manager/facilities.
• Be responsible for the implementation and adherence to organisational health and safety policies and procedures for areas within your remit.
• Ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are completed for all areas within your remit. The controls identified must be evaluated and implemented where necessary.
• Ensure your work adheres to Health and Social Care Act 2008, Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance as applicable to your role.
• Report any concerns of potential abuse of a service user in line with the organisations Safeguarding Policy and procedures.

Resource Management:

• Ensure maintenance and security of physical, financial and information resources, where applicable.
• Effectively maximise all resources available in the course of your duties, minimising waste and working within budgets.
• Ensure that all resources and utilities are used prudently and that any waste is minimised. Manage, monitor and maintain budgets agreed by management.
• Ensure stock levels of equipment are maintained and checked regularly, as appropriate to your role.
• Where appropriate, participate in the recruitment, induction and retention of team members as appropriate to your role.

General:

• If applicable, ensure compliance with professional standards in relation to your relevant professional governing body (RCOT, RCSLT, NMC, BPS, CIPD, CIMA, ACCA, AAT, CIM, etc.).
• Adhere to your professional bodys regulations, ensuring registration is maintained at all times, where applicable.
• Demonstrate commitment to ongoing personal and professional development, maintaining professional portfolios and training profiles.
• Keep up to date and integrate any relevant new initiatives, regulations and legislation as appropriate to your role.
• Where appropriate, develop and maintain links with other professionals in the same specialist field of work.
• Keep comprehensive and accurate records in relation to your role and in accordance with organisational policies and procedures as well as local, professional and national guidelines.
• Attend training as appropriate to the role, applying knowledge gained to the workplace.
• Engage in Support and Supervision sessions, where appropriate, to reflect on practice enhancing communication and quality of service.
• To work effectively and collaboratively as a member of the team, building and maintaining good working relationships with all colleagues, stakeholders and professionals from external agencies.
• Collation and analysis of complex information derived from multiple sources to create robust service monitoring and achievable action plans that deliver results.
• Creation of comprehensive and robust information monitoring that is shared at all levels of the Charity and allows clarity and understanding of performance. Understanding what information is important to all other functions, including the CEO, and leading on how this is best delivered. Understanding how performance might affect delivery in other parts of the Charity and working closely to provide it.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and non-statutory bodies, including CQC, ISO 9001 and the Health & Safety Executive.
• Adhere to all Caudwell Children policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate commitment to Caudwell Childrens mission, vision and values.
• On occasion and when necessary work flexible hours to meet the needs of the business.
• Willingness to travel in order to meet the needs of the post.

This Job Description indicates only the main duties and responsibilities of the post and is not intended as an exhaustive list.

The post holder may be asked to carry out other duties from time to time. The Charity reserves the right to amend this Job Description from time to time, according to business needs.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Essential Criteria
• Honours degree 2:2 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for graduate basis for chartership with the BPS.
• Experience of working with children.
• Relevant clinical and research skills.
• Knowledge of childhood development milestones.
• Excellent team-working and communication skills.
• Excellent leadership skills.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Information technology skills, Excel, Word, Outlook etc.
• An openness and willingness to learn new skills and to put these into practice.
• A personal commitment to the organisations values and principles.
• A commitment to the principles and practice of continual improvement and the provision of personalised services.
• A commitment to uphold the rights of children; vulnerable and disabled people.
• A commitment and the organisations approaches to equality and diversity.
• A positive can-do attitude.
• Ability to demonstrate a flexible approach to work.
• Able to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for illness or disability.
• Undertake personal and professional development in order to meet the changing demands of the role.
• Able to travel to meet the needs of the role.

Desirable

• Desirable Criteria
• Further post qualification in a relevant area.
• Experience in the use of psychometric assessments.
• Experience of working in an MDT.
• Experience of therapeutic contact.
• Experience of training others.
• Experience working with children with autism.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding principles and their application when working with children and families.
• Knowledge of neurodevelopmental disorders e.g. ADHD.
• Knowledge of Health, Education and Social Care.
• Experience working with volunteers and students.
• Experience of working in the Charity/Third Sector.
• Experience of working in ISO regulated organisations.
• Experience of working in CQC regulated organisations.

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Caudwell Children

Address

Caudwell International Children's

Centre, Innovation Way

Keele

Staffordshire

ST5 5NT

Employer's website

https://www.caudwellchildren.com/ (Opens in a new tab)