Job summary
To contribute to the Development & Behaviour Pathway neurodevelopmental assessment service to children/young people and their families/carers referred to Community Paediatrics.
Clinical Psychologist (Neurodevelopmental Pathway) Band 8A (0.5 WTE) Poole Hospital
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated Clinical Psychologist to work with the Community Paediatrics Service at Poole Hospital as part of University Hospital Dorset.
This is an exciting time to join the team as weseekto expand our Multi-Disciplinary Team. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to become involvedin servicedevelopment both within University Hospitals Dorset and Countywide. They will work alongside other members of the MDT, delivering specialist psychological care and assessment to children and young people who are on the Neurodevelopmental Pathway and provide consultation to their parents/carers and the MDT.
The post holder will be supported and supervised by the Lead Clinical Psychologist as well as Psychologists working in Acute Care. Experience of working in Paediatrics and/or with neurodevelopmental presentations is highly desirable but applications are welcomed from those with wider experience with children and families.
This role required HCPC Registration.
Base location - Poole with some cross site working expected later in 2026/27
Interview date - Tuesday, 21st April 2026
Main duties of the job
To work as an independent psychology practitionerprovidingspecialist psychological assessments, specifically ASD, and cognitive assessment, of children/young people referred to the team based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with children andadolescents, family members and others involved in theyoung person'scare.
About us
UHD are investing,developingand transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.
If a role or servicerelocatesas part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.
UHD has active networks including Women's, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.
AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details which demonstrates the main duties and responsibilities specific to this post.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details which demonstrates the main duties and responsibilities specific to this post.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- HCPC registered practitioner psychologist
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in neuropsychology or other related area
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment.
Desirable
- Post-qualification experience of working in child and adolescent mental health services or paediatrics
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision, teaching and training.
Technical Skills Competencies
Essential
- Ability to undertake initial assessments from a biopsychosocial perspective pulling together information from a range of sources and including psychometrics where appropriate
- Ability to undertake psychometric assessments and to score and interpret findings including consideration of the reliability and validity of the assessment findings. Frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Experience of adapting assessments to the needs of a culturally, linguistically and neurodiverse population.
Knowledge
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical / counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
Desirable
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical or counselling psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- HCPC registered practitioner psychologist
Desirable
- Post-doctoral training in neuropsychology or other related area
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across a full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems and verbal and physical abuse.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment.
Desirable
- Post-qualification experience of working in child and adolescent mental health services or paediatrics
- Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
- Experience of providing clinical supervision, teaching and training.
Technical Skills Competencies
Essential
- Ability to undertake initial assessments from a biopsychosocial perspective pulling together information from a range of sources and including psychometrics where appropriate
- Ability to undertake psychometric assessments and to score and interpret findings including consideration of the reliability and validity of the assessment findings. Frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Experience of adapting assessments to the needs of a culturally, linguistically and neurodiverse population.
Knowledge
Essential
- Doctoral level knowledge of clinical / counselling psychology including highly developed knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
Desirable
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
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.
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.
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).
