Job summary
We are looking to recruit an Assistant Psychologist to be part of the psychology service to the Croft Regional Multi-Disciplinary Mental Health team working with children and their families.
The Croft is a tier 4 children's unit offering day and inpatient mental health care to children aged 0 - 12 and their families. The unit works intensively with children and their families offering short (usually 6 - 8 week) admissions to assess children's strengths and difficulties and identify effective approaches to interventions.The unit admits children with highly complex and challenging mental health difficulties, including autism spectrum conditions, complex developmental trauma, eating disorders, conduct difficulties and attachment disorders. We also provide a service for assessing parenting capacity where parents have significant mental health difficulties.Our client group includes children who express their distress through physical and verbal aggression, and parents often have their own experiences of high levels of mental distress as well. It is a key role of all staff at the unit to contain and work with these difficulties.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of the post are to collect, collate and analyse outcome data under direct supervision of the team's Clinical Psychologist, working independently according to a plan agreed with the qualified psychologist and within the overall framework of the teamspolicies and procedures.Additionally, this role will also involve assistance in clinically related administration, assessment, conduct of audits, collection of statistics and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
About us
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share out vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disable people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
- To complete protocol-based data collection procedures with patients/referrers, to administer/collect self-report measures, rating scales, psychometric assessments, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the patients care. To then support the analysis and reporting of this information.
- To work with other staff to assess inpatients, day patients or residents and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
- To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
- To complete protocol-based data collection procedures with patients/referrers, to administer/collect self-report measures, rating scales, psychometric assessments, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the patients care. To then support the analysis and reporting of this information.
- To work with other staff to assess inpatients, day patients or residents and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings where care takes place.
- To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
Desirable
- Further post-graduate training or degree in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with families and/or children who have mental health difficulties or neurodevelopmental conditions.
- Experience of working with families experience psychological distress.
Desirable
- Experience of working in an NHS mental health setting.
- Experience of assisting in the production of audits or service evaluation projects.
- Experience of completing risk assessments.
- Experience of report writing.
- Experience of supporting the collation of data as part of routine service delivery.
- Previous experience of working as an assistant psychologist or equivalent.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health challenges
- The ability to apply existing psychological knowledge, underpinned by theory to a mental health context
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- The ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues.
- An awareness of relevant, evidence-based practice as detailed in NICE guidance.
- The ability to prepare for and use supervision appropriately and effectively
Desirable
- Knowledge of child protection issues and other relevant legislation/ professional guidelines which inform these.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of the issues surrounding children, young people and their families and how these may impact on mental health difficulties.
- Demonstrate an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies.
- Awareness of the British Psychological Society code of conduct and how it relates to this role.
- Experience of using psychometric assessment.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- An ability to self-reflect to improve own personal development and practice
- The ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
- The ability to interact positively with staff from all disciplines.
Other
Essential
- The ability to travel independently across Cambridgeshire county
Desirable
- Authored/co-authored an article in a peer-reviewed journal.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential
- An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology.
Desirable
- Further post-graduate training or degree in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with families and/or children who have mental health difficulties or neurodevelopmental conditions.
- Experience of working with families experience psychological distress.
Desirable
- Experience of working in an NHS mental health setting.
- Experience of assisting in the production of audits or service evaluation projects.
- Experience of completing risk assessments.
- Experience of report writing.
- Experience of supporting the collation of data as part of routine service delivery.
- Previous experience of working as an assistant psychologist or equivalent.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health challenges
- The ability to apply existing psychological knowledge, underpinned by theory to a mental health context
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- The ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues.
- An awareness of relevant, evidence-based practice as detailed in NICE guidance.
- The ability to prepare for and use supervision appropriately and effectively
Desirable
- Knowledge of child protection issues and other relevant legislation/ professional guidelines which inform these.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of the issues surrounding children, young people and their families and how these may impact on mental health difficulties.
- Demonstrate an understanding for the need to use evidence based psychological therapies.
- Awareness of the British Psychological Society code of conduct and how it relates to this role.
- Experience of using psychometric assessment.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- An ability to self-reflect to improve own personal development and practice
- The ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals.
- The ability to interact positively with staff from all disciplines.
Other
Essential
- The ability to travel independently across Cambridgeshire county
Desirable
- Authored/co-authored an article in a peer-reviewed journal.
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).
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Address
The Croft Child and Family Unit
Ida Darwin
Fulbourn, Cambridge
CB21 5EE
Employer's website
https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
