About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Applied Psychologist (Band 8b) to join Walsall CAMHS in a permanent, part-time (0.71 WTE) senior leadership role.
The post holder will deliver highly specialist psychological care for children and young people with complex mental health needs and act as clinical and strategic lead for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), ensuring high-quality, evidence-based delivery within CAMHS.
The role includes clinical leadership, supervision, service development and quality improvement, working closely with senior clinicians and managers to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
Main duties of the job
Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children and young people with complex, high-risk and enduring mental health presentations.
Act as the clinical and strategic lead for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) within Walsall CAMHS, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based delivery aligned with best practice.
Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of the DBT pathway, including oversight of referrals, care pathways, clinical governance and outcomes.
Provide expert consultation, supervision and leadership to staff delivering DBT, promoting fidelity to the model and workforce capability.
Hold professional and clinical supervisory responsibility for applied psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainees, contributing to psychologically informed MDT supervision.
Work collaboratively within the MDT to ensure psychological input informs risk assessment, care planning, safeguarding and service delivery.
Lead and contribute to multi-disciplinary training, including DBT, trauma-informed care and complex presentations.
Play a key role in service development, quality improvement, audit and research, supporting NICE compliance, outcome monitoring and continuous improvement.
Work with service managers and senior clinicians to support service redesign and strategic priorities, promoting a compassionate, inclusive and psychologically informed service aligned with governance and Trust values.
About us Working for our organisation means being part of a values-driven NHS Trust that places staff wellbeing, compassion and professional development at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating a supportive, inclusive working environment where staff feel valued, listened to and able to thrive. We offer a strong focus on psychological safety, reflective practice and high-quality supervision, alongside a range of wellbeing supports, including access to staff wellbeing services, peer support networks and flexible working options where possible. We actively encourage learning, innovation and career development, recognising that caring for our staff is essential to delivering the best outcomes for children, young people and families.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post holder is a Principal Applied Psychologist (Band 8b) within Walsall Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), delivering highly specialist psychological services to children, young people and their families presenting with complex, high risk and enduring mental health difficulties.
The role combines advanced clinical practice with strategic and professional leadership, including acting as the clinical and strategic lead for the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) provision in Walsall CAMHS. The post holder will ensure high quality, evidence based DBT delivery, support service development and workforce capability, and embed a strong psychological perspective across multidisciplinary care pathways.
The post holder is professionally responsible for their own practice and provides clinical supervision, line management, training and consultancy to applied psychologists and other staff. They play a key role in service development, quality improvement, governance, audit and research, contributing to service redesign and culture change in line with Trust values.
1. Clinical Responsibilities Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for children and young people with complex mental health presentations, working closely with families and carers. Undertake and oversee risk assessment and risk management, providing expert psychological advice in relation to high risk presentations, safeguarding, and crisis planning. Develop, implement and review evidence based treatment plans, adapting psychological formulations and interventions in response to progress and complexity. Provide specialist consultation to the MDT to inform diagnosis, formulation, care planning and clinical decision making. Lead and contribute to multi disciplinary care planning, monitoring outcomes and supporting coordinated delivery of care. 2. Leadership of DBT Provision (Walsall CAMHS) Act as the clinical and strategic lead for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) within Walsall CAMHS. Lead the development, implementation and ongoing evaluation of the DBT pathway, ensuring fidelity to the DBT model and alignment with national and local best practice. Provide expert clinical leadership, supervision and consultation to staff delivering DBT interventions. Support workforce development and training in DBT, including maintaining competencies and embedding psychologically informed practice. Oversee clinical governance, outcome monitoring and quality assurance for the DBT provision. 3. Supervision and Professional Leadership Provide clinical supervision to applied psychologists, assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists. Line manage assistant psychologists where required. Support psychologically informed supervision and reflective practice across the MDT. Maintain responsibility for own professional development and HCPC requirements, contributing to teaching and supervision on applied psychology training programmes as appropriate. 4. Multi Disciplinary Training and Development Promote and embed psychologically informed and trauma informed approaches across the MDT. Deliver and coordinate training and consultation to multi disciplinary colleagues, including DBT related training where appropriate. Assess training needs within care pathways and contribute to workforce development plans. 5. Service Development, Quality Improvement and Governance Contribute to and lead service development initiatives, quality improvement projects (QIPs), audit and NICE benchmarking. Work collaboratively with service managers, consultant psychologists and senior clinicians to identify service priorities and support service redesign and cultural change. Represent a psychological perspective in service level forums relating to governance, quality and service improvement. 6. Service Evaluation and Research Lead and contribute to service evaluation and outcome monitoring, including DBT specific outcomes. Initiate, develop and deliver research and evaluation projects, engaging service users and carers where appropriate. Supervise trainee and qualified staff undertaking service evaluation and audit projects. 7. Professional, Safeguarding and Organisational Responsibilities Uphold professional, ethical and legal standards in line with HCPC requirements and Trust policies. Take responsibility for safeguarding children and young people, confidentiality, data protection, infection control and health and safety. Work in accordance with Trust values, promoting compassion, respect, inclusion and collaboration.
Person Specification
Essential Essential
oPost-graduate doctoral level training in applied Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology. oHCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist oWorking as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings. oUtilise psychometric tests competently oProvide effective teaching, training, consultancy and clinical supervision for the multidisciplinary team oHighly developed knowledge and skills in the care of difficult to treat groups e.g. dual diagnoses, additional disabilities or severely challenging behaviour
Desirable
oFoundation training in Dialetical Behaviour Therapy and experience in delivering this intervention
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 Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address Walsall CAMHS
Canalside, Abbotts Street
Bloxwich
WS3 3AZ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)