Job summary
Are you passionate about working with children who have encountered a difficult and traumatic start to life? Do you want to make a real difference to adopted and care experienced young people?
We have opportunities available for creative, passionate and caring DDP Therapists (Band 6 or 7 dependent on experience, training provided for the right candidate) at our clinic base in the Midlands (Bloxwich).
The Child Psychology Service (TCPS) CIC is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to provide caring, therapeutic, psychological support to children and their families. TCPS provides a free-at-point-of-access service to families eligible for the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) or for funding from their Local Authority. We work closely with our colleagues in the NHS and social care to provide specialist, therapeutic assessments and interventions that arent always available within statutory services.
Main duties of the job
- Provide high-quality, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) to looked after and adopted children
- Contribute to high quality assessments and reports, which guide interventions
- Provide high quality, succinct evaluation reports, which demonstrate effectiveness of interventions
- Build and maintain relationships with children and their families and the professional networks around them, often in highly challenging circumstances
- Provide consultation and training to professionals in relation to their work with children
- Participate in service development projects to support the continued improvement and growth of the service
- Maintain the high reputation of the service
- Work within the service needs of a CIC
- Ensure that work is of high quality and meets the commercial needs of the service
- Reach to productivity targets set by management
- Play an active role in promoting and advocating for the service
- Ensure that all TCPS policies and procedures are understood and put into practice
- Attend and actively participate in staff development sessions, team meetings, individual or group supervision and clinical supervision and other meetings as required
- To work flexibly and occasionally work outside standard working hours to meet the needs of the service as required
- To undertake any other duties as required in line wit the scope and spirit of the job purpose, title of the post and its grading
About us
The Child Psychology Service (TCPS) is Social Enterprise that has been established for over ten years, built with therapeutic principles guiding its structure from the inside out. We foster an ethos of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy in all that we do. TCPS has built a strong reputation of effectiveness and compassion as demonstrated by what our clients and commissioners say about us (see our website) and our Outstanding Ofsted status (http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/SC470742).
TCPS works predominantly with looked after and adopted children and their families but also provides some general psychological services. In addition, we offer a range of training, consultation and supervisory services to local authorities, Regional Adoption Agencies, residential childrens homes and schools. We are specialists in attachment and developmental trauma and invest heavily in our staff so that they have what they need to offer the highest quality services to children, families and partner agencies.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provide high-quality, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) to looked after and adopted children
- Contribute to high quality assessments and reports, which guide interventions
- Provide high quality, succinct evaluation reports, which demonstrate effectiveness of interventions
- Build and maintain relationships with children and their families and the professional networks around them, often in highly challenging circumstances
- Provide consultation and training to professionals in relation to their work with children
- Participate in service development projects to support the continued improvement and growth of the service
- Maintain the high reputation of the service
- Work within the service needs of a CIC
- Ensure that work is of high quality and meets the commercial needs of the service
- Reach to productivity targets set by management
- Play an active role in promoting and advocating for the service
- Ensure that all TCPS policies and procedures are understood and put into practice
- Attend and actively participate in staff development sessions, team meetings, individual or group supervision and clinical supervision and other meetings as required
- To work flexibly and occasionally work outside standard working hours to meet the needs of the service as required
- To undertake any other duties as required in line wit the scope and spirit of the job purpose, title of the post and its grading
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provide high-quality, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) to looked after and adopted children
- Contribute to high quality assessments and reports, which guide interventions
- Provide high quality, succinct evaluation reports, which demonstrate effectiveness of interventions
- Build and maintain relationships with children and their families and the professional networks around them, often in highly challenging circumstances
- Provide consultation and training to professionals in relation to their work with children
- Participate in service development projects to support the continued improvement and growth of the service
- Maintain the high reputation of the service
- Work within the service needs of a CIC
- Ensure that work is of high quality and meets the commercial needs of the service
- Reach to productivity targets set by management
- Play an active role in promoting and advocating for the service
- Ensure that all TCPS policies and procedures are understood and put into practice
- Attend and actively participate in staff development sessions, team meetings, individual or group supervision and clinical supervision and other meetings as required
- To work flexibly and occasionally work outside standard working hours to meet the needs of the service as required
- To undertake any other duties as required in line wit the scope and spirit of the job purpose, title of the post and its grading
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Prior therapy / counselling experience with children and adults
- Experience in working with children and families, or parents or caregivers, whose children have experienced developmental trauma and show attachment and relationship difficulties
- Using standardised and non-standardised assessment tools and contributing to clear, high quality psychological formulations
- Working in a professional team
- Experience and confidence in dealing with Safeguarding and Child Protection concerns
- Managing individual cases - planning, recording and reviewing
- An empathic non-judgmental approach to children, families, professionals and peers
- Skills and/or interest in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
- A compassionate, therapeutic approach to behavioural difficulties
-
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Competent with Microsoft Word, Excel and general computing
-
- Confident and innovative in working in challenging situations
-
- Ability to deliver evidenced based parenting intervention in groups and on one-to-one basis
-
- Understand and relate well to children and families from a wide range of backgrounds both individually and in group settings
-
- Work independently, using own initiative appropriately within defined boundaries of work
-
- Understand difficult behaviour and how it relates to a person/networks distress
-
- Active use of supervision to deal with the impact of challenging cases
-
- Up to date knowledge of relevant legislation, research and literature
Desirable
- Using attachment informed assessment tools
-
- Experience of general CAMHS i.e. non-LAAC work
-
- Qualifications, training, experience and/or accreditation in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Theraplay, Therapeutic Life Story Work, Non-Violent Resistance, creative therapies (e.g. art, music, drama, play), therapeutic parenting
Other Criteria
Essential
- Own car and ability/willingness to travel for clinical visits
- Willingness to work some (infrequent) flexible hours i.e. outside typical office hours as business dictates
-
- Willingness to undertake further training as required
-
- All posts are subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check
-
- All candidates who are successful at interview will be asked to complete an application form for an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before the appointment is confirmed
-
- A private home space in which to hold online clinical appointments (all equipment will be provided)
-
- Commitment to keeping up-to-date with safeguarding training updates and upholding responsibilities laid out in the TCPS Safeguarding Policy
Qualifications
Essential
- An appropriate degree in mental health, social care, education and/or a degree in a relevant therapy that enables you to be registered with their professional body, such as Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Family Therapy.
- Professional Registration or Licensing Bodies Registration with a relevant health, social care or education-based professional body e.g. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), The British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), The British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT), Play Therapy UK (PTUK), Social Work England
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Prior therapy / counselling experience with children and adults
- Experience in working with children and families, or parents or caregivers, whose children have experienced developmental trauma and show attachment and relationship difficulties
- Using standardised and non-standardised assessment tools and contributing to clear, high quality psychological formulations
- Working in a professional team
- Experience and confidence in dealing with Safeguarding and Child Protection concerns
- Managing individual cases - planning, recording and reviewing
- An empathic non-judgmental approach to children, families, professionals and peers
- Skills and/or interest in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
- A compassionate, therapeutic approach to behavioural difficulties
-
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Competent with Microsoft Word, Excel and general computing
-
- Confident and innovative in working in challenging situations
-
- Ability to deliver evidenced based parenting intervention in groups and on one-to-one basis
-
- Understand and relate well to children and families from a wide range of backgrounds both individually and in group settings
-
- Work independently, using own initiative appropriately within defined boundaries of work
-
- Understand difficult behaviour and how it relates to a person/networks distress
-
- Active use of supervision to deal with the impact of challenging cases
-
- Up to date knowledge of relevant legislation, research and literature
Desirable
- Using attachment informed assessment tools
-
- Experience of general CAMHS i.e. non-LAAC work
-
- Qualifications, training, experience and/or accreditation in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Theraplay, Therapeutic Life Story Work, Non-Violent Resistance, creative therapies (e.g. art, music, drama, play), therapeutic parenting
Other Criteria
Essential
- Own car and ability/willingness to travel for clinical visits
- Willingness to work some (infrequent) flexible hours i.e. outside typical office hours as business dictates
-
- Willingness to undertake further training as required
-
- All posts are subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check
-
- All candidates who are successful at interview will be asked to complete an application form for an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before the appointment is confirmed
-
- A private home space in which to hold online clinical appointments (all equipment will be provided)
-
- Commitment to keeping up-to-date with safeguarding training updates and upholding responsibilities laid out in the TCPS Safeguarding Policy
Qualifications
Essential
- An appropriate degree in mental health, social care, education and/or a degree in a relevant therapy that enables you to be registered with their professional body, such as Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Family Therapy.
- Professional Registration or Licensing Bodies Registration with a relevant health, social care or education-based professional body e.g. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), The British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), The British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT), Play Therapy UK (PTUK), Social Work England
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).
