Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a Consultant Psychologist to join the NSPCC London Infant Family Team (LIFT).
The role would suit a candidate with a clinical specialism in working with children aged 0-5 who have experienced maltreatment, and their families; and who has well-developed leadership and collaborative working skills and experience.
The LIFT service provides intensive assessment and treatment, based on the New Orleans intervention model, which has been successfully developed and evaluated in the UK by the NSPCC over the last decade.
The successful candidate will play a key role in taking the service into its next phase of operation, and will provide clinical leadership, partnership working and undertake specialist clinical work directly with children and their families.
Main duties of the job
Job Overview
The Consultant Psychologist at the London Infant Family Team (LIFT) provides clinical and professional leadership; works directly with families as a senior clinical specialist; and is part of the wider management and leadership team for LIFT services within the NSPCC.
The post-holder is seconded from Oxleas to the NSPCC. They will be provided with professional clinical supervision and CPD via Oxleas.
Within LIFT, the Consultant Psychologist is responsible for the management and supervision of other Clinical Psychologists, and clinical supervision as required by the wider MDT.
The post-holder will contribute to the wider development of NSPCC Infant Family Services; working with stakeholders and linking with NSPCC colleagues delivering a similar service in Glasgow; developing the London service to support Children in Need in Bromley, and working towards creating a family problem-solving court model.
Clinical service delivery by LIFT will be undertaken both in Camden and within Bromley Children's Services. The service may expand into other London boroughs in the future.
About the NSPCC London Infant and Family Team The NSPCC London Infant and Family team (LIFT) is a multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists undertaking assessments, providing treatment, and making recommendations to the courts about the best permanent care arrangements such as reunification with parents or adoption; based on the Tulane New Orleans model.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our 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 the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. 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
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Task and Responsibilities
Clinical
- Working within a highly specialist Infant and Family Service, undertaking direct clinical work with children under 5 year old and their parents and carers, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments, base on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, self-report measures, clinical interviews, direct and indirect observations and engagement with young people, their families and wider networks.
- To engage in the clinical formulation of children and families presenting concerns, drawing on relevant psychological models, in collaboration with families themselves and the wider professional network.
- To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of children and families mental health problems, attachment issues and parenting issues, based on relevant conceptual frameworks and best practice guidance.
- To be responsible for consulting on, supervising and directly implementing a range of highly specialist psychological interventions as part of families care within the IFT service, synthesising, adjusting and reformulating care; drawing on a range of evidence-based models and integration of psychological care within a wider MDT context.
- To clinically lead and manage the IFT team effectively within frequently emotionally demanding contexts of childrens experiences of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.
- To draw upon clinical expertise and experience specifically in the field of parent-infant mental health; issues of assessment and intervention relating to parenting capacity in relation to babies and younger children; clinical work with where there are/have been significant safeguarding concerns; with reference to psychological models of care relevant to this client group; including the application of evidence-based approaches, for example; The New Orleans Intervention Model; Circle of Security; Video Interaction Guidance (VIG); Mentalisation-based approaches and/or Attachment-based parent-infant and parent-child therapeutic approaches.
- To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, considering a specialist psychological knowledge and skill base, alongside highly complex factors impacting on children and families mental health, requiring frequent and intense levels of mental effort in order to understand, analyse and synthesise complex clinical information and factors impacting on childrens outcomes.
- To exercise full clinical responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of children and young people, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, and interventions, communicating effectively with referrers and others involved in their care, including acting as a professional witness in court and working in collaboration with multi-agency partners.
Management
- The postholder is expected to act as an authorised signatory with delegated responsibility for payments for equipment, travel and CPD funding
- The postholder will ensure that workforce developments are aligned with the service budget and meet service needs
- The postholder will be required to monitor and report on LIFT clinicians service activity, productivity and outcomes, ensuring optimal use of resources within day-to-day operation of the overall LIFT pathway, taking into account demand and capacity and ensuring effective job planning.
Research
- To actively seek out and engage in research opportunities relevant to the development and delivery of evidence-based practice within the IFT service, through the deployment of professional skills in research, evaluation and audit; contributing to the evidence-based or understanding and provision of high quality psychological care.
- To utilise psychological theory and research to inform the delivery of evidence-based practice in clinical work; service and pathway developments, team-working and the development of the IFT service workforce
- Alongside other senior clinicians and managers, to oversee the implementation, and interpretation of clinical outcomes monitoring, analysis and reporting, in line with service goals.
- To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice and supervision to other staff (including trainees) within the IFT service.
- To initiate and implement projects informed by research methods; including complex audits and service evaluations; working with others to help develop and improve services.
Communication
- To develop and maintain key working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, by communicating effectively with service users, Psychology colleagues and others; within and beyond the IFT service.
- To frequently, effectively and sensitively communicate highly complex and emotionally significant information, often in clinically and organisationally challenging contexts and within the judicial system.
- To develop, maintain and uphold professional standards via making an active contribution to Continuing Professional Development, training and service development programmes
- To ensure that all clinical staff within the IFT service maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation, national and local policies, and that qualified Psychology staff maintain HCPC registration, via effective dissemination of information and guidance.
- To articulate and promote best practice within Psychology and via evidence-based psychological practice across the IFT service.
- To exercise the skills of a reflective and reflexive scientist-practitioner; including taking part in professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of Clinical Psychology and relevant areas of clinical practice
- To adhere to and ensure the highest standards of record-keeping and report-writing, in accordance with professional codes of practice and local clinical and organisational practice standards for the IFT service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Task and Responsibilities
Clinical
- Working within a highly specialist Infant and Family Service, undertaking direct clinical work with children under 5 year old and their parents and carers, to provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments, base on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, self-report measures, clinical interviews, direct and indirect observations and engagement with young people, their families and wider networks.
- To engage in the clinical formulation of children and families presenting concerns, drawing on relevant psychological models, in collaboration with families themselves and the wider professional network.
- To formulate plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of children and families mental health problems, attachment issues and parenting issues, based on relevant conceptual frameworks and best practice guidance.
- To be responsible for consulting on, supervising and directly implementing a range of highly specialist psychological interventions as part of families care within the IFT service, synthesising, adjusting and reformulating care; drawing on a range of evidence-based models and integration of psychological care within a wider MDT context.
- To clinically lead and manage the IFT team effectively within frequently emotionally demanding contexts of childrens experiences of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.
- To draw upon clinical expertise and experience specifically in the field of parent-infant mental health; issues of assessment and intervention relating to parenting capacity in relation to babies and younger children; clinical work with where there are/have been significant safeguarding concerns; with reference to psychological models of care relevant to this client group; including the application of evidence-based approaches, for example; The New Orleans Intervention Model; Circle of Security; Video Interaction Guidance (VIG); Mentalisation-based approaches and/or Attachment-based parent-infant and parent-child therapeutic approaches.
- To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options, considering a specialist psychological knowledge and skill base, alongside highly complex factors impacting on children and families mental health, requiring frequent and intense levels of mental effort in order to understand, analyse and synthesise complex clinical information and factors impacting on childrens outcomes.
- To exercise full clinical responsibility and autonomy for the treatment of children and young people, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, and interventions, communicating effectively with referrers and others involved in their care, including acting as a professional witness in court and working in collaboration with multi-agency partners.
Management
- The postholder is expected to act as an authorised signatory with delegated responsibility for payments for equipment, travel and CPD funding
- The postholder will ensure that workforce developments are aligned with the service budget and meet service needs
- The postholder will be required to monitor and report on LIFT clinicians service activity, productivity and outcomes, ensuring optimal use of resources within day-to-day operation of the overall LIFT pathway, taking into account demand and capacity and ensuring effective job planning.
Research
- To actively seek out and engage in research opportunities relevant to the development and delivery of evidence-based practice within the IFT service, through the deployment of professional skills in research, evaluation and audit; contributing to the evidence-based or understanding and provision of high quality psychological care.
- To utilise psychological theory and research to inform the delivery of evidence-based practice in clinical work; service and pathway developments, team-working and the development of the IFT service workforce
- Alongside other senior clinicians and managers, to oversee the implementation, and interpretation of clinical outcomes monitoring, analysis and reporting, in line with service goals.
- To undertake appropriate research and provide research advice and supervision to other staff (including trainees) within the IFT service.
- To initiate and implement projects informed by research methods; including complex audits and service evaluations; working with others to help develop and improve services.
Communication
- To develop and maintain key working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, by communicating effectively with service users, Psychology colleagues and others; within and beyond the IFT service.
- To frequently, effectively and sensitively communicate highly complex and emotionally significant information, often in clinically and organisationally challenging contexts and within the judicial system.
- To develop, maintain and uphold professional standards via making an active contribution to Continuing Professional Development, training and service development programmes
- To ensure that all clinical staff within the IFT service maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation, national and local policies, and that qualified Psychology staff maintain HCPC registration, via effective dissemination of information and guidance.
- To articulate and promote best practice within Psychology and via evidence-based psychological practice across the IFT service.
- To exercise the skills of a reflective and reflexive scientist-practitioner; including taking part in professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the fields of Clinical Psychology and relevant areas of clinical practice
- To adhere to and ensure the highest standards of record-keeping and report-writing, in accordance with professional codes of practice and local clinical and organisational practice standards for the IFT service.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate Doctoral level training and qualification in Clinical Psychology (or Counselling or Forensic Psychology), as accredited by the BPS and recognised by HCPC.
- Professional registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- Further training in at least one specialised area of psychological practice relevant to infant/young children's mental health and parenting, through formal qualification (post-graduate diploma or equivalent) OR a combination of specialist short courses/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice in specialism.
- Completed training in clinical supervision
- Completed training/CPD in clinical leadership
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by professional bodies for Clinical Psychology, relevant to the post
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health services or equivalent, including working with infants, young children and their parents/carers requiring specialist mental health support.
- Experience of undertaking leadership roles
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of children and young people with a wide range of psychological needs, across the range of severity
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to qualified and non-qualified Psychologists, and clinicians from other disciplines
- Experience that supports working within diverse local communities
- Experience of carrying out post-qualification research, quality improvement and/or audit and service evaluation projects
- Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects that impact beyond own service area
- Experience of participation in workforce development and recruitment
- Experience of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, including provision of professional consultation
- Experience of providing teaching and training to psychological professionals and others
Desirable
- Experience of providing reports and evidence to the family courts
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of clinical leadership
- Advanced theoretical knowledge of infant/young children's mental health and wellbeing and the evidence base for relevant interventions. Advanced knowledge of the theory of relevant psychological practice/processes and their therapeutic application to working with infants/young children and their parents/carers
- Knowledge of relevant assessment procedures and clinical psychometrics, including advanced knowledge and experience in the administration of assessments with children and families
- Knowledge of a range of therapeutic ideas/approaches/models in assessment and treatment relevant to working within a specialist infant and family service
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child safeguarding and adult protection, and equalities
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care, including health inequalities affecting children and their families
- Knowledge of psychological research methodology quality improvement and audit/service evaluation methodologies
- Skills to deliver psychological care across cultural and other differences
- Skills to select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation, and comparison, drawn from several sources, to inform psychological care of children and families, on which expert opinion may differ
- Well-developed IT skills. Well-developed presentation skills.
- Well-developed report-writing skills, including provision of court reports. Well-developed ability and skills to communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
- Ability and skills to work effectively within an MDT, contributing to effective team functioning
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups, and sensitively managing several people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation
- Knowledge, ability and skills to identify and deploy effective clinical supervision and governance arrangements
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods
- Frequently responding to unexpected interruptions or changes to routine, clinical crisis situations, and intense mental demands in contexts of uncertainty and change
- Frequently managing intense emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, including children who have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect and/or with people who engage in severe self-harming, risk-taking or aggressive behaviour
- Drawing upon self-care and reflective practice skills to support own health and wellbeing at work, seeking support from others as needed, whilst being frequently exposed to emotionally stressful situations
- Managing frequently highly complex and intense situations involving multiple difficulties and competing/conflicting views about those difficulties; and to help create contexts that develop collaboration, engagement and harness the strengths and abilities of those involved to work towards solutions
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Post-graduate Doctoral level training and qualification in Clinical Psychology (or Counselling or Forensic Psychology), as accredited by the BPS and recognised by HCPC.
- Professional registration with HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- Further training in at least one specialised area of psychological practice relevant to infant/young children's mental health and parenting, through formal qualification (post-graduate diploma or equivalent) OR a combination of specialist short courses/an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice in specialism.
- Completed training in clinical supervision
- Completed training/CPD in clinical leadership
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by professional bodies for Clinical Psychology, relevant to the post
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health services or equivalent, including working with infants, young children and their parents/carers requiring specialist mental health support.
- Experience of undertaking leadership roles
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment of children and young people with a wide range of psychological needs, across the range of severity
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to qualified and non-qualified Psychologists, and clinicians from other disciplines
- Experience that supports working within diverse local communities
- Experience of carrying out post-qualification research, quality improvement and/or audit and service evaluation projects
- Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects that impact beyond own service area
- Experience of participation in workforce development and recruitment
- Experience of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, including provision of professional consultation
- Experience of providing teaching and training to psychological professionals and others
Desirable
- Experience of providing reports and evidence to the family courts
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of clinical leadership
- Advanced theoretical knowledge of infant/young children's mental health and wellbeing and the evidence base for relevant interventions. Advanced knowledge of the theory of relevant psychological practice/processes and their therapeutic application to working with infants/young children and their parents/carers
- Knowledge of relevant assessment procedures and clinical psychometrics, including advanced knowledge and experience in the administration of assessments with children and families
- Knowledge of a range of therapeutic ideas/approaches/models in assessment and treatment relevant to working within a specialist infant and family service
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child safeguarding and adult protection, and equalities
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care, including health inequalities affecting children and their families
- Knowledge of psychological research methodology quality improvement and audit/service evaluation methodologies
- Skills to deliver psychological care across cultural and other differences
- Skills to select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation, and comparison, drawn from several sources, to inform psychological care of children and families, on which expert opinion may differ
- Well-developed IT skills. Well-developed presentation skills.
- Well-developed report-writing skills, including provision of court reports. Well-developed ability and skills to communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
- Ability and skills to work effectively within an MDT, contributing to effective team functioning
- Consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups, and sensitively managing several people's needs simultaneously within the context of therapeutic work/consultation
- Knowledge, ability and skills to identify and deploy effective clinical supervision and governance arrangements
Effort and Environment
Essential
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods
- Frequently responding to unexpected interruptions or changes to routine, clinical crisis situations, and intense mental demands in contexts of uncertainty and change
- Frequently managing intense emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, including children who have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect and/or with people who engage in severe self-harming, risk-taking or aggressive behaviour
- Drawing upon self-care and reflective practice skills to support own health and wellbeing at work, seeking support from others as needed, whilst being frequently exposed to emotionally stressful situations
- Managing frequently highly complex and intense situations involving multiple difficulties and competing/conflicting views about those difficulties; and to help create contexts that develop collaboration, engagement and harness the strengths and abilities of those involved to work towards solutions
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).
