About this role
Job summary
We are seeking an experienced, passionate and motivated Registered Psychologist to join our dedicated and growing team of professionals as we continue an exciting period of expansion. This is an opportunity for someone who shares our commitment to making a meaningful difference and who can truly embody our core values:
Ambition We dream BIG then make it happen
Dedication We go the extra mile for every child
Inclusivity Unique, but UNITED
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will provide expert guidance, advice and support to others, in the development and delivery of neurodevelopmental assessment and intervention pathways, post assessment recommendations, advice, and workshop programmes for children and young people, and the adults working with or caring for them such as teachers, health or social care workers and parents. They may directly participate in and undertake these tasks and act as an expert role model to others, whilst also providing support to others undertaking these tasks.
They will work as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes Registered Psychologists, Qualified Nurses (from a range of disciplines), Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Paediatrician, Assistant Psychologists, Clinical Trainees, Clinical Assistants and charity volunteers.
About us
Established in 2000, Caudwell Children aims to change peoples lives, change the way society perceives and treats disabled and neurodivergent people and change the way that charities operate, through the provision of child-centred practical and emotional services, passionate campaigning and demonstrating best practice.
We believe in a world where disabled and neurodivergent children have the choice, opportunity, dignity and understanding they deserve #jointhechange and help us in our mission!
Our facilities provide a state-of-the-art base within the grounds of Keele University, Staffordshire, with the option of informal homeworking arrangements up to 40% of working week after passing probation.
Job description Job responsibilities
Clinical:
Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a specialist neurodevelopmental service for children and young people and their families fostering strong collaborative relationships with colleagues to maximise effectiveness. Provide and advise on specialist psychological assessments of children 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, observations and interviews with family members and others involved in the childs care. Provide specialist knowledge, expertise and skills in the assessment and diagnosis of autism, intellectual disability, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions where appropriate. Lead and contribute to MDT discussions around psychological and diagnostic formulation, taking into account theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the child or family group. Develop appropriate recommendations for ongoing support and intervention plans that promote the childs development, wellbeing and family functioning. Offering psychological advice to others developing recommendations and intervention plans. Provide specialist psychological advice, consultation, and training to other professionals contributing directly to formulation, diagnosis, intervention planning and ongoing support. In particular, supporting management of complex cases, including those with high levels of need and risk. Communicate complex and sensitive information, such as assessment outcomes, diagnosis and recommendations, in a skilled and compassionate manner. Offering advice and support to others where required. Prepare comprehensive psychological reports and communicate the findings to others as required, for example parents, children and team colleagues, adapting communication to the needs of others as appropriate. Offering specialist support and oversight of others professional reports as required. Contribute to risk assessment and developing risk management plans, including providing support to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management. Contribute to service evaluation and monitoring. Leadership and Supervision:
Provide support and supervision to practitioner psychologists, trainees, CAP students, assistant psychologists and other professionals in the team as required. Adhere to systems in place for the clinical and professional supervision of psychological staff. Lead appraisals of, and personal development plans for psychology staff as required. Be responsible for the management of psychology staff, including supporting and reviewing workloads, and implementing HR procedures as required. Provide professional, clinical and management supervision to less senior psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists, and the psychological work of other professions as appropriate. Teaching and Training:
Receive regular clinical supervision from a suitably qualified Registered Psychologist. Contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programs, as appropriate applying and disseminating knowledge gained to improve practice across the service. Contribute to professional post-graduate teaching and training of others, as required. To advise service and professional management on psychological aspects of the service provision, where requested or otherwise required to do so.
Quality of Care:
Ensure the effective delivery and quality of care standards for the service, in accordance with all relevant national, professional and local policies and regulatory requirements from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Advocate for the involvement of children and families, where appropriate, in decisions made about them including wider service development and future program planning and delivery. Ensure adherence to clinical governance requirements across the service, leading and supporting governance procedures as required to drive continuous service improvement. Support and contribute to any regulatory or organisational inspections/audits. Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including adherence to the organisations Safeguarding Policy, procedures and relevant legislation.
Research and Development:
To keep up to date on relevant psychological theory, research, and guidelines to ensure implementation of evidence-based practice across the service. Contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the teams policies, procedures and services, through the deployment of professional skills in research, service evaluation and audit, working in conjunction with the Governance team and Research Department. To contribute to service development projects as required, striving for continuous improvement in service provision. Support ongoing service evaluation processes as required, including analysing feedback, monitoring outcomes and measuring impact to inform service improvement.
Other:
Maintain professional registration and ensure compliance with relevant professional standards required for your role (e.g. HCPC, BPS). Contribute to the development and articulation of best practice in psychology across the service, the implementation of regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in relevant fields of psychology and related disciplines. Maintain the highest standards of record keeping including electronic data entry, recording and report writing in accordance with policy. Take responsibility in the exercise of professional governance in accordance with professional codes of practice of the HCPC and British Psychological Society and local policies and procedures. Ensure all record keeping is in line with local, professional, organisational and national guidelines. Maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to the specific client group. Communicate with children, families and all stakeholders in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture in full compliance with the Equality & Diversity Policy. Uphold the principles and practice of customer care and continuous improvement. Maintain confidentiality and Data Protection and at all times work in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations 2018. Have an awareness of relevant health and safety regulations and legislation, being responsible for your own health and safety and that of anyone else whom your acts and omissions may affect. Ensure maintenance and security of physical, financial and information resources. Demonstrate commitment to ongoing personal and professional development. Attend training as appropriate to the role, applying knowledge gained to the workplace. To work effectively and collaboratively as a member of the team, building and maintaining good working relationships with all internal and external stakeholders. Ensure compliance with statutory and non-statutory bodies. Adhere to all Caudwell Children policies and procedures. Demonstrate commitment to Caudwell Childrens mission, vision and values. On occasion and when necessary work flexible hours to meet the needs of the business. Willingness to travel on occasion in order to fulfil the needs of the post.
Person Specification
Disclosure & Barring Service Checks Essential
The Charity is committed to safeguarding children and young people and therefore adopts a safer recruitment approach through a robust recruitment and selection process. All posts within the Charity are subject to DBS checks, in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). This role is eligible for an Enhanced disclosure check.
Qualifications Essential
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or suitable equivalent. Registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist, with evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC. Additional training in a specialised area of clinical practice relevant to the post (e.g. autism, mental health, neurodevelopmental conditions, child development etc.) Experience and advanced knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessment and intervention for children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, mental health difficulties and complex needs. Experience of assessment and diagnosis of autism and/or other neurodevelopmental conditions, including developing recommendations and interventions across a range of settings including families, schools and social care. Knowledge of cognitive and neuropsychological assessments for children and young people. Experience of working with a variety of client groups including children, young people and families, with a variety of different needs (e.g. autism, ADHD, developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, complex needs) and reflecting a range of clinical need and risk. Expertise in the range of neurodevelopmental conditions, and the shift towards neuro-affirmative practice. Knowledge of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts. Knowledge and experience of trauma-informed practice. Knowledge of legislation in relation to the children and young people, disability and neurodivergence, mental health, safeguarding, and equality and diversity. Experience of working in an MDT and supporting other professionals and managing conflict and different professional opinions. Maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive situations. To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information. Well-developed consultation skills to work with the multi-professional team or other professional groups. Expertise in psychological formulation and intervention including providing consultation around formulation of complex cases. Knowledge of the theory and practice of a range of specialised psychological therapies. Completed training course in clinical supervision, and experience of offering professional clinical and management supervision to other qualified psychologists. Knowledge of relevant legislation, operating frameworks and national guidance e. g. Childrens Act, Mental Capacity Act, NICE guidelines etc. High level knowledge and ability to manage risk and follow safeguarding procedures in the context of safeguarding and child protection legislation. Knowledge and commitment to standards in relation to other relevant legislation including Information Governance, Health & Safety etc. Experience following and implementing aspects of Clinical Governance. Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to cope in pressured situations. Excellent interpersonal, communication, observation and reporting skills. Ability to engage a wide range of children, families, staff and other stakeholders and foster good collaborative team relationships. Ability to work flexibly and adapt approaches as required, with an openness to learning and improving practice. A commitment to the principles and practice of continual improvement and the provision of personalised services. A commitment to respect and uphold the rights of others, while promoting quality of life for children and their families. A personal commitment to the organisations vision, values and principles. Ability to work with a high degree of accuracy. Excellent IT skills. Ability to plan and prioritise workloads. A positive can-do attitude with a flexible approach to work. Able to travel to meet the needs of the post. Able to meet the physical requirements of the role after reasonable adjustments have been made for illness or disability.
Desirable
Additional qualifications in research, or teaching/training. Experience of working in CQC and ISO regulated organisations. Knowledge of statutory and voluntary agencies. Experience of working in the Third Sector. Experience of working with volunteers. Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups, alongside skills in delivering training to a range of audiences. Experience of proposing and implementing audits, service development projects, service evaluations or research projects.
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 Caudwell Children
Address Caudwell International Children's
Centre, Innovation Way
Keele
Staffordshire
ST5 5NT
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.caudwellchildren.com/ (Opens in a new tab)