Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

1. Clinical:

Provide specialist psychotherapeutic assessments for referred children and young people, integrating complex data from various sources.

Develop and implement treatment and case management plans based on appropriate psychoanalytical conceptual frameworks and evidence-based methods across different care settings.

Carry out assessments for children and young people referred to the Neuro Developmental team, provide specialist clinical formulations in discussion with the multidisciplinary team and implement care plans.

Implement a range of psychotherapeutic interventions for individuals, carers, families, and groups, grounded in psychoanalytic psychotherapy principles and techniques, including both short-term and long-term interventions as needed.

Evaluate and decide on treatment options, considering theoretical and therapeutic models as well as complex historical and developmental factors.

Exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, care planning, treatment, and discharge of children, young people, and their families.

Contribute to a framework of understanding and care for all service children and young people across all settings and agencies, including those with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.

Conduct risk assessments and manage risks for individual children and young people.

Act as care coordinator when appropriate, initiating, planning, and reviewing CAMHS care plans involving children, young people, their carers, referring agents, and others in the care network.

Communicate effectively and sensitively about assessment, formulation, and treatment plans, and monitor progress during both uni-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary care.

2. Education and Development:

Receive regular clinical professional supervision from the consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist.

Identify training and professional development needs in accordance with the ND team and service needs, through clinical and management supervision and the appraisal process.

3. Research and Audit:

Utilise theory, evidence-based literature, and research to support evidence-based practice in clinical work and team collaborations.

Participate in Quality Improvement (QI) projects and processes as appropriate.

Advise both service and professional management on aspects of the service where clinical and/or organisational matters need addressing.

Undertake project management, including complex audits and service evaluations, with colleagues within the service to help develop service provision.

Contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.

Contribute to the development and articulation of best practices in their professional discipline.

4. Administration and Clinical Recording:

Enter required data into the Trusts patient administration systems and use databases as directed by managers.

Use computer software to prepare reports, presentations, and documents relevant to clinical duties.

Perform administrative tasks in line with service requirements, effectively utilising available administrative support.

5. Standards:

Complete the CNWL mandatory training programme annually within directed timescales.

Prioritise attendance at multi-agency planning meetings such as Child in Need, Child Protection conferences, professionals meetings, and CPAs.

Adhere to CNWL policies and procedures, including confidentiality, data protection, information sharing, code of conduct, capability, equality and diversity, health and safety, infection prevention and control, finance, safeguarding children, sickness absence, annual leave, special leave, lone working policy, and use of information technology.

Fully participate in the Trusts Appraisal/Supervision Programme and work with the manager to ensure clear job plans and objectives.

Undertake additional duties appropriate to the grade/role and work flexibly across CAMHS sites to provide cover for short-term absences when needed. Flexible hours may be arranged with the manager, subject to service needs and regular review.

6. Mandatory Training:

The post holder will complete the CNWL mandatory training programme annually within directed timescales.

7. Multi-agency Meetings:

The post holder will prioritise attendance at multi-agency planning meetings such as Child in Need, Child Protection conferences, professionals meetings, and CPAs.

8. Duty Systems:

The post holder will actively participate in and support the CAMHS internal duty system as required and stipulated in the duty rota.

9. Policy and Procedure:

The post holder will work in line with CNWL policy and procedures at all times, including:

Confidentiality, Data Protection, and Information Sharing

Code of Conduct

Capability

Equality and Diversity

Health and Safety

Infection Prevention and Control

Finance

Safeguarding Children

Sickness Absence

Annual Leave

Special Leave

Lone Working Policy

Use of Information Technology

10. Professional Standards and Performance Review:

The post holder will fully participate in the Trusts Appraisal/Supervision Programme and work with their manager to ensure they have a clear job plan and objectives.

11. Flexible Working:

The post holder will undertake any other duties appropriate to the grade/role and work flexibly across Child and Adolescent Mental Health sites to provide cover for short-term absences when required. Where service needs allow, flexible hours can be agreed with the manager in line with Trust policy and are subject to regular review.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties within the job grade, in discussion with the manager.

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential

• Master's level preclinical training at an Association of Child Psychotherapists recognised training school
• Postgraduate doctoral level training in clinical child and adolescent psychotherapy at a training school accredited by the Association of Child Psychotherapy (ACP)

Desirable

• Pre-qualification training and qualifications in relevant fields in health, social care or education

Experience

Essential

• Experience in specialist psychotherapeutic assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and their parents as a member of an NHS multidisciplinary team in community, primary care, outpatient, or inpatient settings.
• Experience working with a diverse range of children and adolescents (ages 0-18) and their parents, addressing a broad spectrum of clinical severity and complexity.
• Experience working with neuro divergent children and adolescents

Desirable

• Experience of working in different CAMHS Tiers.
• Experience applying child and adolescent psychotherapy in various cultural contexts.
• Experience in neuro developmental assessments.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Proficiency in complex methods of psychotherapeutic assessment, intervention, and management.
• Advanced skills in effectively communicating complex, highly technical, and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS, both orally and in writing.
• Knowledge of legislation related to children and adolescents, including child protection procedures and policies.
• Ability to tolerate anxiety without resorting to premature action, while understanding the role of supervision.

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS, Social Care and Education structures, as well as national policies and frameworks.
• Skills in providing consultation to professional and non-professional groups.
• Knowledge of research methodology, outcome research and ability to critically interpret research findings.

Other

Essential

• Ability to form effective working relationships within a multidisciplinary setting.
• Ability to identify and implementf clinical governance mechanisms to support and maintain clinical practice.

Desirable

• Ability to teach and train others and to present the work of child psychotherapists within public, professional and academic settings.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Westminster CAMHS

7a Woodfield Road

Westminster

W9 2NW

Employer's website

https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)