Job summaryWhat we are looking for?Hillingdon CAMHS-LD is looking for a Principal & Highly Specialist Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to lead our friendly, supportive, and experienced multi-disciplinary specialist mental health service. We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled clinician who can lead our LD team using a creative and dynamic approach. They should maintain clinical curiosity and engage in reflective practice as well as be able to be an advocate for children, young people and families' needs. Previous experience within CAMHS-LD or adult LD settings (particularly with safeguarding, risk and Positive Behavioural Support [PBS]) is an advantage.The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.Main duties of the jobYou will lead and help the service provide a variety of specialist interventions (e.g. PBS, CBT, ACT, parenting work, groups and family work) for a broad range of complex mental health and behavioural concerns within the context of Learning Disabilities experienced by children, young people and families within a socially, economically and culturally diverse London borough. In addition, you will provide specialist assessments, supervision, consultation and lead service development and delivery. You would also be working closely with Local Authority and Social Care services to ensure that children, young people and families are supported via multi-agency care and service delivery planning (e.g. Dynamic Support Registers, Partnership boards etc.).The LD Pathway is developing with clinical innovation and pathway development is very much a part of the role, supported by the 8c Consultant Psychologist for the three boroughs, Harrow, Hillingdon and Brent. The key part of this role is to provide clinical leadership to the team and hold a caseload, which will vary, depending on the clinical need and waiting list. You work closely with Consultant Psychiatrist, the 8c Consultant Psychologist and Lead Behaviour Analyst. As part of a wider group of CAMHS sub-team leads, you will, with senior management, take a lead on the organization of aspects of the service and in developing strategy.About usWhat will we provide you?Hillingdon CAMHS-LD has a strong multi-disciplinary approach and thrives on innovative practice to meet the local population needs. We have strong links with our neighbouring CAMHS-LD teams within CNWL as well as universities and other local partners and stakeholders. The post provides an excellent opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in clinical practice and leadership via regular clinical supervision, being part of Quality Improvement (QI) projects, CPD opportunities as well as multi-disciplinary working within an experienced wider service of Family Therapists, Behaviour Analysts (BCBAs) Psychotherapists, Nurses, Child Wellbeing Practitioners, Psychiatrists and Clinical / Counselling Psychologists.To find out more about working in CAMHS please CLICK HEREfor one of our CAMHS videoThinking of relocating?For those of you who live a non-commutable distance from us, we offer relocation expenses if you would like to relocate to London. Check out our relocation policy to the right of this page. This has been pre-approved for this service.The Minet Clinic is a short walk from Hayes and Harlington station (Elizabeth Line).Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesClinical:To lead the multi-disciplinary CAMHS-LD team for children and young people, within the clinical governance structures and protocols of the service.To provide highly specialist psychology service to children with learning disabilities and their families across all sectors of care; providing highly specialist psychological assessments for children with learning disabilities and their carers 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, including frontline workers in health, education, social services and the voluntary sector.To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of emotional and behavioural disorders in children, young people and families with a co-existing LD diagnosis, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the clients problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.To work to prevent placement breakdown, and far more effective rehabilitation of children and young people back into their families where appropriate.To be responsible for developing and implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses and taking account of changing needs during the course of delivering the intervention. To act as case manager to coordinate care for individuals for an agreed caseload.To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical, environmental and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.In providing care to clients, to liaise and work with family members and others involved in the clients care, including CAMHS colleagues, frontline workers in health, education, Social Services, inpatients services and the voluntary sector.To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients whose problems are managed by psychologically based standard care plans ensuring appropriate assessment, formulation and interventions, communications with the referral agent and others involved in care on a regular basis.To provide specialist psychological advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals, contributing to clients formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies serving the client group. In particular, providing support informed by Positive Behaviour Support approached.To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on psychological aspects of risk assessment and risk management.To contribute to and implement policy changes and developments within the area served by the team/service, including the 0-25 SEND code of practice (2016).To participate in the clinical Duty rota and initial CAMHS assessment clinics / specialist assessments as required.To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of multi-disciplinary care.To contribute knowledge, advice and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care by all members of the team. In particular, providing support informed by Positive Behaviour Support approached.The post holder will undertake all work sensitive to the needs of families from a wide range of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds and with sensitivity to issues of power, gender, educational attainment, sexuality, disability, class and age.To develop collaborative and effective working links with social services education, health and the third sector.Person SpecificationEducation & QualificationsEssentialPost-graduate doctoral level training (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) in clinical psychology, or counselling psychology, as accredited by the BPS. Training should include specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuro-psychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist: Clinical Psychologist or Counselling psychologistDesirablePre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training etc.Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice especially relevant to complex CAMHS. In particular, additional training in a therapeutic approach developed/recommended for working with Learning Disabilities.Recent Safeguarding children training.Post-qualification training in Supervision.ExperienceEssentialExperience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity around mental health concerns across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in-patient and residential care settings including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.Experience of working with people with learning disabilities and their networksSubstantive post-qualification experience of working within a multidisciplinary specialist CAMHS team and of proving specialist CAMHS assessment and interventionSubstantive post-qualification experience of delivering evidence based treatment using a range of modalities in a number of cultural contexts.Experience of providing supervision and consultationDesirableExperience of providing interventions to young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental differences (e.g. Learning Disabilities).Experience of the use of a range of diagnostic tools and outcome measuresExperience in Autism assessment.Experience of teaching and / or training to professionals within and outside of health settings.Supervised experience of evidence-based treatment in relation to children with mental health concernsExperience of working with interpreters.Experience of working with other agencies, including Education, Social Care and the voluntary sector and of the process of commissioning servicesExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contextsFamiliarity with and skills in the implementation of Quality Assurance for EHCNAs for SENDKnowledge & SkillsEssentialSubstantive knowledge and skills in the use of complex methods of assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration, in particular as applied to complex problems including cognitive behavioural methods.Substantive knowledge of the theoretical evidence base for understanding, formulating and providing interventions for mental health concerns experienced by children and young people.Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information including diagnoses and formulations to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHSWell-developed skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance and as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviourSubstantive experience of assessing mental health risk and safeguarding concerns.Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychologyEvidence of continuing professional developmentKnowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the client group and mental health and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In particular, knowledge and experience of the Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) process.DesirableHigh level knowledge of the theory and practice of specialist neuropsychological assessment and CAMHS interventions for mental health and behavioural concerns within the context of LD.High level knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.Knowledge of CAMHS legislation.Knowledge and experience of research methodology.Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.Experience of planning and delivery of group treatments.Experience of working within a multicultural frameworkExperience of leading or taking a lead role within CAMHS, CAMHS-LD or NHS servicesPersonalEssentialEnthusiasm for a broad range of psychological phenomena, an interest in models of service delivery and an ability to articulate the value added by clinical psychology services within the context of multi-disciplinary mental health servicesAbility to contain and work with organisational stress and ability to 'hold' the stress of others.Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.Treats service users with respect and dignity at all times.Enthusiastic, flexible and confident approach to workingAble to prioritise own workload and meet performance requirements for the roleWillingness and ability to learn new skills and adapt to change.OtherEssentialAbility to identify, provide and promote appropriate means of support to carers and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and severely challenging behaviours.Understands and able to implement and promote the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the postUnderstands and can apply confidentiality and information sharing policy and procedures.Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Employer detailsEmployer nameCentral and North West London NHS Foundation TrustAddressHillingdon CAMHS, Minet ClinicAvondale RoadUxbridge, HayesUB3 3NREmployer's websitehttps://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)