Job summary
The CAMHS Virtual School team is a joint venture between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Lewisham CAMHS and Lewisham Virtual School. The team aims to bring a CAMHS perspective to improving emotional wellbeing and readiness to learn of Looked after Children.
The team is designed to be as flexible and responsive as possible to work with the network that is supporting the young person and to identify potential barriers to education, in relation to emotional wellbeing, and devise strategies to manage these. In addition, the service provides direct support to schools working with young people in foster care. Alongside this Lewisham has a school's team which supports the education outreach service and two Mental Health Support Teams.
The service is also known as DAB which is an umbrella name for VS CAMHS, VS Educational Psychology and the HOP CAMHS service. The name DAB (Dream, Achieve, Believe) was suggested by a care experienced Lewisham resident, and was voted as the favourite name by attendees at the Achievement awards in 2017.
Main duties of the job
- Increase the awareness and early identification of mental health difficulties in looked after children and young people in education
- Work collaboratively with Lewisham Virtual school to bring a CAMHS perspective to improving emotional wellbeing and readiness to learn of Looked after Children
- Work collaboratively with the network to understand and attend to young people's wellbeing in relation to their wider school environment.
- To offer CAMHS expertise to the wider professional network including teachers, SENCOs and other professionals within the school system.
- To contribute to assuring service quality by using a specialist knowledge and breadth of understanding of child and adolescent mental health theories, evidence-based assessments and interventions to manage complex cases.
- To use and maintain skilled standards of personal professional clinical practice in the treatment modalities required by the children and young people treated by the Team and be a resource to the whole service in maintaining the skills of the Hospital School, Virtual School Service and others.
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities.
Lewisham CAMHS
Lewisham is a borough with very high social needs and high levels of mental illness in adults. The child population of Lewisham aged 0-19 years is now estimated to be 64,000 (UK National Census, 2001). Nearly 8% live in single parent households, above the inner London average and 30% of households in some wards are without a wage earner. Children from black and ethnic minority groups represent 37% of the child population of 0-14 year olds. The number of children looked after by the local authority is approximately 480.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Facilitate early direct interventions where there are difficulties with education (e.g. assessment, formulation, brief therapeutic interventions with the young person and/or foster carer/parent).
- Enable networks to positively support Looked after Children experiencing these difficulties by providing them with appropriate strategies and skills
- To contribute to the leadership of the service through working closely with senior colleagues to quality assure best practice and the implementation of NICE guidelines across teams.
- To contribute to training, research and audit and interpret complex data to develop own and others understanding of child and adolescent mental disorders.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Facilitate early direct interventions where there are difficulties with education (e.g. assessment, formulation, brief therapeutic interventions with the young person and/or foster carer/parent).
- Enable networks to positively support Looked after Children experiencing these difficulties by providing them with appropriate strategies and skills
- To contribute to the leadership of the service through working closely with senior colleagues to quality assure best practice and the implementation of NICE guidelines across teams.
- To contribute to training, research and audit and interpret complex data to develop own and others understanding of child and adolescent mental disorders.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- DClinSci Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology
- oRegistered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, or registration pending if newly qualified
Desirable
- oTrained in AMBIT model of care
Experience
Essential
- Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
- Experience of psychological assessment and intervention with children and young people with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
- Experience of developing and carrying out research projects
Desirable
- Experience in working with Looked After Children or having worked in an education setting
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
- Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care
- Drawing up complex psychological formulations and sharing these with young people
- Delivering psychological therapy across cultural and other differences
- Communicating, skilfully and sensitively, complex and sensitive information with young people, carers and colleagues, overcoming barriers to communication including: sensory, emotional and cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
- Planning and scheduling assessment and interventions for individual young people and groups and carers, and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews
- Planning allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
Desirable
- oTo be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- DClinSci Clinical Psychology or Counselling Psychology
- oRegistered with the HCPC as Practitioner Psychologist, or registration pending if newly qualified
Desirable
- oTrained in AMBIT model of care
Experience
Essential
- Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
- Experience of psychological assessment and intervention with children and young people with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
- Experience of developing and carrying out research projects
Desirable
- Experience in working with Looked After Children or having worked in an education setting
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
- Knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
- Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care
- Drawing up complex psychological formulations and sharing these with young people
- Delivering psychological therapy across cultural and other differences
- Communicating, skilfully and sensitively, complex and sensitive information with young people, carers and colleagues, overcoming barriers to communication including: sensory, emotional and cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
- Planning and scheduling assessment and interventions for individual young people and groups and carers, and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews
- Planning allocation of tasks to assistant psychologists
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
Desirable
- oTo be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
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).
