Clinical Psychologist for CAMHS Single Point of Access (SPOA)

455 North London NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 13 May 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join NLFT CAMHS Single Point of Access (SPOA) as a Clinical Psychologist. This role is suitable for someone who is passionate about providing high quality mental health care to support children and young people and their families.

The purpose of the Single Point of Access (SPOA) is to assess children and young people being referred in to the CAMHS Division to ascertain the most appropriate service to meet their needs. The post requires significant clinical and organisational skills. You will adhere to the goals of 'No wrong Front Door' and support the operations of the Access Team who seek to identify the right service for a young person at the right time. We have developed a system of triage to help identify needs, assess risk and if appropriate offer initial assessment and brief intervention, using the iThrive model. As SPOA work closely with the other CAMHS teams, it is likely that there will be opportunities for work across teams in line with the post holder's interests or skills.

Main duties of the job

Coordinate the day to day running of the SPOA team, including screening new referrals, allocating these to the access clinicians.

Complete telephone triages/screening for young people who are referred to our service, making contact with families, allied professionals, the young person themselves.

Complete over the telephone risk assessment, management plans.

To provide (specialist) psychological assessments to children who are referred to the using a variety of sources including psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations, semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the child or young person's care.

To provide brief interventions for young people referred to SPOA or other CAMHS teams

Help to manage and maintain clear waiting lists for the clinical teams that sit within the CAMHS Division.

To provide advice and on clients' psychological care.

To work within Trust and professional guidelines, to a clear CAMHS job plan.

To support and promote the use of measures to evolve clinical practice and enhance user experience within supervision, team meetings and other forums.

To utilise research skills for practice evaluation and service development, as required by the service and set out in the job plan.

To be involved in co-production, to support the development of services.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.Our Five-Year Strategy:

  1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.

  2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all

  3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.

  4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Date posted

01 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year Per annum including HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0002

Job locations

St Ann's Hospital

St Add Road

St Ann's Road

N15 3TH


Job description

Job responsibilities

Contribute to the day to day running of the SPOA team, including screening new referrals and allocating these to the access clinicians. Manage and maintain clear waiting lists for the clinical teams that sit within the CAMHS SPOA.Manage and maintain a clear duty Rota for the SPOA.

Complete telephone triages/screening for young people who are referred to our service, making contact with families, professionals involved in their care, and the young person themselves.

Complete over the telephone risk assessment and management plans.

To provide some specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex 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 clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To support with the planning of evidence-based psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based on formulation.

Where appropriate, to implement a range of brief psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

Engage in risk assessment and management as required for new referrals and those waiting for treatment, and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To attend multi agency meetings to support the referral and assessment of children and young people to specialist CAMHS.

Work alongside admin colleagues to ensure a smooth and timely response/screening for all new referrals into the CAMHS Division.

Ensure the safe delivery of Key KPIs and access to treatment standards.

Comply with the service requirements for the completion of routine outcome measures.

To be noted:

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Contribute to the day to day running of the SPOA team, including screening new referrals and allocating these to the access clinicians. Manage and maintain clear waiting lists for the clinical teams that sit within the CAMHS SPOA.Manage and maintain a clear duty Rota for the SPOA.

Complete telephone triages/screening for young people who are referred to our service, making contact with families, professionals involved in their care, and the young person themselves.

Complete over the telephone risk assessment and management plans.

To provide some specialist psychological assessments of clients referred to the service based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex 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 clients, family members and others involved in the clients care.

To support with the planning of evidence-based psychological treatment and/or management of a clients mental health problems, based on formulation.

Where appropriate, to implement a range of brief psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.

Engage in risk assessment and management as required for new referrals and those waiting for treatment, and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.

To attend multi agency meetings to support the referral and assessment of children and young people to specialist CAMHS.

Work alongside admin colleagues to ensure a smooth and timely response/screening for all new referrals into the CAMHS Division.

Ensure the safe delivery of Key KPIs and access to treatment standards.

Comply with the service requirements for the completion of routine outcome measures.

To be noted:

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

  • Professional qualification as a Clinical Psychologist Professional registration with relevant professional body i.e. HCPC.

Desirable

  • Qualification in core therapy training relevant to children and families, such as CBT, DBT, systemic therapy

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential

  • Experience of working with children/young people with mental health difficulties
  • Experience of assessing mental health need and risk, and creating risk management or intervention plans with children and adolescents.
  • Experience in liaison and multi-agency working.
  • Experience of working using evidence based models of intervention for children and young people.

Desirable

  • Experience of direct, time-limited clinical work within a CAMHS type setting.
  • Experience in the use of routine outcome measures in clinical practice.
  • Experience of contributing to intake-coordination and waiting list management.
  • Experience of developing service user participation
  • Knowledge of statutory and voluntary sector services and the increasing demands facing mental health providers

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to make complex autonomous judgements based on theoretical, technical and clinical knowledge and experience
  • Ability to communicate effectively in highly emotive situations: - overcoming barriers to understanding and analysing complex and conflicting opinion/emotions
  • Experience in the autonomous management of personal work patterns and caseload. This includes experience in scheduling and maintaining a pattern of clinical and non-clinical work.
  • Good report writing, time management, administrative and IT skills.

Desirable

  • Research, audit, and service development skills
  • Supervision of junior staff
  • Skills in providing consultation to other professional groups

PERSONAL QUALITIES

Essential

  • Self-motivated. Flexible in approach and outlook. Ability to work as part of a team.
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to contain anxiety in others.
  • Adaptable
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Reliable
  • Trustworthy
  • Physical effort - capacity to sit in constrained position for extended periods.
Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

  • Professional qualification as a Clinical Psychologist Professional registration with relevant professional body i.e. HCPC.

Desirable

  • Qualification in core therapy training relevant to children and families, such as CBT, DBT, systemic therapy

EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential

  • Experience of working with children/young people with mental health difficulties
  • Experience of assessing mental health need and risk, and creating risk management or intervention plans with children and adolescents.
  • Experience in liaison and multi-agency working.
  • Experience of working using evidence based models of intervention for children and young people.

Desirable

  • Experience of direct, time-limited clinical work within a CAMHS type setting.
  • Experience in the use of routine outcome measures in clinical practice.
  • Experience of contributing to intake-coordination and waiting list management.
  • Experience of developing service user participation
  • Knowledge of statutory and voluntary sector services and the increasing demands facing mental health providers

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to make complex autonomous judgements based on theoretical, technical and clinical knowledge and experience
  • Ability to communicate effectively in highly emotive situations: - overcoming barriers to understanding and analysing complex and conflicting opinion/emotions
  • Experience in the autonomous management of personal work patterns and caseload. This includes experience in scheduling and maintaining a pattern of clinical and non-clinical work.
  • Good report writing, time management, administrative and IT skills.

Desirable

  • Research, audit, and service development skills
  • Supervision of junior staff
  • Skills in providing consultation to other professional groups

PERSONAL QUALITIES

Essential

  • Self-motivated. Flexible in approach and outlook. Ability to work as part of a team.
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
  • Ability to contain anxiety in others.
  • Adaptable
  • Good interpersonal skills
  • Reliable
  • Trustworthy
  • Physical effort - capacity to sit in constrained position for extended periods.

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).

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.

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

455 North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Ann's Hospital

St Add Road

St Ann's Road

N15 3TH


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

455 North London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Ann's Hospital

St Add Road

St Ann's Road

N15 3TH


Employer's website

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


For questions about the job, contact:

CYP Single Point of Access Service Lead

Ben Cowell

ben.cowell@nhs.net

02087023111

Date posted

01 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year Per annum including HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

455-NLFT-0002

Job locations

St Ann's Hospital

St Add Road

St Ann's Road

N15 3TH


Supporting documents

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