Child Clinical Associate in Psychology

Job summary

We are delighted to be advertising for aChild Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP). These posts are a new initiative to England and join our expanding range of psychological therapists in the Children and Young People's Directorate. This post is based in Bexley CAMHS Blossom Team which is an i-thrive multidisciplinary team (MDT) working with a wide range of children, young people and families with mental health problems from including common presentations such as anxiety and depression and including specialist fields such as looked after children or those with neurodevelopmental disorders. This post is based at the Park Crescent Centre at Erith Hospital and Acorns in Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup.

Main duties of the job

Applicants should either have completed they Child CAP apprenticeship or be on track to do so in the near future. You will practice autonomously within your scope of practice, under the supervision of an HCPC registered clinical psychologist. You will contribute directly to the assessment and treatment of children, young people and their families working in a multidisciplinary team alongside other professionals. You will participate in duty and triage rotas in the service and hold your own caseload of both treatment and care co-ordination cases.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We're Kind
• We're Fair
• We Listen
• We Care

Job responsibilities

• To provide psychological assessments, psychological formulations and deliver psychological interventions to the communities we serve within the Bexley borough. In particular, those young people with complex mental health problems and other comorbidities, focusing on strength and assets to help people with what matters most to them.
• To work under the supervision of a qualified clinical psychologist who will retain clinical responsibility for clinical work carried out, provided that the clinical work is within the care plan specified.
• To work independently on a day-to-day basis according to a plan agreed with supervisors and within the overall framework of the services policies and procedures.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• Qualification in English and maths (evidence of pass at level 2 or above)
• An honours degree (or equivalent) in Psychology at 2.2 or better
• Eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered membership of the British Psychological Society.
• Successfully completed BPS [British Psychological Society] accredited (postgraduate) Child CAP apprenticeship training programme.
• Registration with the BPS wider workforce register (or eligibility to register as condition of appointment to post).

Desirable

• Further continuing professional development relevant to work in mental health and/or psychological interventions
• Further training in a specific model of Psychological Intervention

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working as an apprentice or qualified Child Clinical Associate Psychologist.
• Adept in understanding and using models of clinical supervision and requirements for practice in line with the evidence-base and professional codes of conduct.

Desirable

• Experience of working in mental health settings and/ or psychological service settings.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• An understanding of, and the ability to apply psychological assessment process to develop formulations and risk assessments with complex clients within scope of practice.
• Post-Graduate level knowledge of applied psychological theory and research within the relevant area of practice (e.g CAMHS)

Desirable

• Specialist understanding of how adverse experiences and environment impact on mental health and well-being.

Additional

Essential

• Day to day contact with service users
• Sitting for sustained periods and maintaining intense concentration for prolonged periods when undertaking psychological assessments and interventions with clients.