Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Clinical Psychologist 8b Team Lead

The closing date is 21 July 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work in an 8a development role as a Clinical Psychologist within our Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMS, formerly known as CAMHS) multidisciplinary team.

The successful post holder will work within our Enhanced Specialist Pathway which include Forest House General Adolescent Unit (FHAU), Home Treatment Team, DBT and the Eating Disorders Service.

The role involves delivering a high-quality service provision that promotes and improves the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and their families within our Enhanced Specialist Pathway (previously Tier 4 services).

You will have HCPC registration and provide a highly specialist child and adolescent service within the Enhanced Specialist pathway , providing both core work and specific/specialist work. HPFT has been at the forefront on national developments in CYPMHS, Service developments.

The Enhanced Specialist services are a dynamic caring, supportive and hard-working team which prides itself in working in collaboratively with young people and stakeholders in service delivery. There are opportunities to take a lead in areas of service delivery and specialist areas of interest.

Main duties of the job

To ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist clinical psychology services to young people within FHAU and across the Enhanced Specialist Pathway working collegially within a multidisciplinary Therapies Team and the wider MDT.

To manage a team of therapists, ensuring adequate skill mix and cover for the services.

Providing support and supervision to your team in line with need and Trust policy.

To provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and treatment at the same time as offering advice and consultation on young people's psychological care to non-psychologist colleagues, professionals from other agencies and to other non-professional carers and parents.

To provide case management around a subset of young people within FHAU, ensuring safe, secure and joined up care and treatment within hospital, and between hospital, home and involved services / agencies, and to direct and guide members of the Therapy Team to do the same.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission

Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Details

Date posted

07 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£62,215 to £72,293 a year per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Compressed hours

Reference number

367-CYP-9524

Job locations

Forest House - Kingsley Green, Harper Lane Radlett WD7 9HQ

Harper Lane

Radlett

WD7 9HQ


Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work autonomously as a member of the FHAU multi-disciplinary team, and the Enhanced Specialist Pathway providing a high standard of service to young people and their families.

They will work with other professionals, both within the FHAU team, enhanced specialist pathway and beyond.

They will participate in pre-admission work, onboarding, assessment and treatment of young people and their families, in relation to a range of highly complex emotional, psychological or behavioral problems. They will also work to enable safe transitions of young people back into the community and support teams to prevent admission to tier 4 services.

The post holder will be responsible for the provision of an appropriate range of highly specialist psychology services within the pathway.

The post holder will provide clinical/professional supervision to less experienced practitioner psychologists, psychological practitioners and trainees.

The post holder will provide specialist advice to other professionals and carers.

Clinical Responsibility

To provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of young people admitted to FHAU and the Enhanced Specialist Pathway, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological 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 young people, family members and others involved in the clients care

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a young persons mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, employed individually and in synthesis, co-working with other team members/disciplines as appropriate, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan

To exercise professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of young people whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.

To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to young peoples formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all young people in the service,

To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of young people of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual young people and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management

To act as case manager, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, coordinating the work of others involved with care, tasking responsibility for initiating, planning and review of the young persons care, including the young person, their family/carers, referring agents, and others involved in the network of care. To facilitate the FHAU Therapies Team in the case manager this role.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of young people under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both unit - and multidisciplinary care.

To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the core team around the young person.

All staff should comply with the Trusts Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

Professional, Clinical, and Safeguarding supervision of practitioner psychologists, assistant psychologists, clinical psychology trainees, and psychological practitioners within the FHAU Therapies Team and Enhanced Specialist Pathway.

Recruitment, appraisal, and performance management of Band 6,7and 8A, Assistant Psychologists, and psychological practitioners as required, in collaboration with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

To line Manage within the Therapies Team, - some line management may be shared across qualified practitioners to ensure the smooth working of the team.

Supporting staff by directing employees to services that are available to everyone to help in managing health and wellbeing.

Be open and approachable as well as proactive in discussing and agreeing a process to monitor an employees mental and physical health.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work autonomously as a member of the FHAU multi-disciplinary team, and the Enhanced Specialist Pathway providing a high standard of service to young people and their families.

They will work with other professionals, both within the FHAU team, enhanced specialist pathway and beyond.

They will participate in pre-admission work, onboarding, assessment and treatment of young people and their families, in relation to a range of highly complex emotional, psychological or behavioral problems. They will also work to enable safe transitions of young people back into the community and support teams to prevent admission to tier 4 services.

The post holder will be responsible for the provision of an appropriate range of highly specialist psychology services within the pathway.

The post holder will provide clinical/professional supervision to less experienced practitioner psychologists, psychological practitioners and trainees.

The post holder will provide specialist advice to other professionals and carers.

Clinical Responsibility

To provide highly developed specialist psychological assessments of young people admitted to FHAU and the Enhanced Specialist Pathway, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological 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 young people, family members and others involved in the clients care

To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a young persons mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods of proven efficacy.

To be responsible for implementing a range of evidence-based psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, employed individually and in synthesis, co-working with other team members/disciplines as appropriate, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

To make highly skilled evaluations and decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group, ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan

To exercise professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of young people whose problems are managed by psychologically based care plans.

To provide expertise and specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to young peoples formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan

To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all young people in the service,

To ensure that all members of the treating team have access to a psychologically based framework for understanding and care of young people of the service, through the provision of advice and consultation and the dissemination of psychological research and theory

To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual young people and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management

To act as case manager, where appropriate, ensuring the provision of a care package appropriate for the clients needs, coordinating the work of others involved with care, tasking responsibility for initiating, planning and review of the young persons care, including the young person, their family/carers, referring agents, and others involved in the network of care. To facilitate the FHAU Therapies Team in the case manager this role.

To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of young people under their care and to monitor and evaluate progress during the course of both unit - and multidisciplinary care.

To provide expertise, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the core team around the young person.

All staff should comply with the Trusts Anti-Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

Professional, Clinical, and Safeguarding supervision of practitioner psychologists, assistant psychologists, clinical psychology trainees, and psychological practitioners within the FHAU Therapies Team and Enhanced Specialist Pathway.

Recruitment, appraisal, and performance management of Band 6,7and 8A, Assistant Psychologists, and psychological practitioners as required, in collaboration with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

To line Manage within the Therapies Team, - some line management may be shared across qualified practitioners to ensure the smooth working of the team.

Supporting staff by directing employees to services that are available to everyone to help in managing health and wellbeing.

Be open and approachable as well as proactive in discussing and agreeing a process to monitor an employees mental and physical health.

Person Specification

Knowledge/Training/Experience

Essential

  • Relevant training and professional registration as per person spec
  • Post -doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice including CBT
  • Post registration experience of specialist psychological assessmentand treatment with clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature

Desirable

  • Specialist training in an appropriate area and knowledge of CAPA and CYP-IAPT
  • Experience in neuropsychological assessment training in supervision of clinical/counselling psychologists

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

  • Assessed experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children/adolescents with a wide range of presentations of varying severity. This would usually include at least 2 years post qualification experience, or other evidenced experience.
  • Experience of working with moderate to severe mental health problems with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity includingmaintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
  • Demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training within Child and Adolescent Mental Health, through a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a clinical / counseling psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an agreed alternative
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
  • Abilities to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
  • Good general knowledge of the literature and research concerning mental health interventions with children, particularly the clinical effectiveness of such interventions
  • Knowledge of Child Protection Procedures
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
  • Good presentation and teaching skills and ability to use multi -media materials for formal presentations tolarge groups
  • Experience of working within a multi -cultural framework

Desirable

  • Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc
  • Experience of having published in either peer reviewed academic or professional journals and/or books

Communication Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Ability to communicate orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/ or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
  • Ability to work therapeutically with young people and their families
  • Ability to work as a fully participating member of a multi-disciplinary team and the ability to respect and value other members contributions
  • Positive problem solving approach

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)
  • IT skills; include use of Microsoft Office and Outlook

Leadership

Essential

  • Has experience of leading a team
  • Can demonstrate leadership qualities in line with trust values

Desirable

  • Has participated in CPD related to management and leadership
Person Specification

Knowledge/Training/Experience

Essential

  • Relevant training and professional registration as per person spec
  • Post -doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice including CBT
  • Post registration experience of specialist psychological assessmentand treatment with clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature

Desirable

  • Specialist training in an appropriate area and knowledge of CAPA and CYP-IAPT
  • Experience in neuropsychological assessment training in supervision of clinical/counselling psychologists

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

  • Assessed experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of children/adolescents with a wide range of presentations of varying severity. This would usually include at least 2 years post qualification experience, or other evidenced experience.
  • Experience of working with moderate to severe mental health problems with a wide range of client groups across the whole life course with presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity includingmaintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
  • Demonstrate further specialist clinical experience and training within Child and Adolescent Mental Health, through a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision of working as a clinical / counseling psychologist over a minimum of 18 months, or an agreed alternative
  • Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision
  • Abilities to provide consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
  • Good general knowledge of the literature and research concerning mental health interventions with children, particularly the clinical effectiveness of such interventions
  • Knowledge of Child Protection Procedures
  • Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for client's psychological care and treatment both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan
  • Good presentation and teaching skills and ability to use multi -media materials for formal presentations tolarge groups
  • Experience of working within a multi -cultural framework

Desirable

  • Experience of service quality monitoring e.g. clinical audit, evaluative research, etc
  • Experience of having published in either peer reviewed academic or professional journals and/or books

Communication Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Ability to communicate orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/ or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
  • Ability to work therapeutically with young people and their families
  • Ability to work as a fully participating member of a multi-disciplinary team and the ability to respect and value other members contributions
  • Positive problem solving approach

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Car driver (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 which prevents you from driving)
  • IT skills; include use of Microsoft Office and Outlook

Leadership

Essential

  • Has experience of leading a team
  • Can demonstrate leadership qualities in line with trust values

Desirable

  • Has participated in CPD related to management and leadership

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.

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.

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

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Forest House - Kingsley Green, Harper Lane Radlett WD7 9HQ

Harper Lane

Radlett

WD7 9HQ


Employer's website

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Forest House - Kingsley Green, Harper Lane Radlett WD7 9HQ

Harper Lane

Radlett

WD7 9HQ


Employer's website

https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Dr Meg Riddington

meg.riddington1@nhs.net

01923289940

Details

Date posted

07 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£62,215 to £72,293 a year per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Compressed hours

Reference number

367-CYP-9524

Job locations

Forest House - Kingsley Green, Harper Lane Radlett WD7 9HQ

Harper Lane

Radlett

WD7 9HQ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)