Community CAMHS - Clinical Psychologist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

- To provide specialist psychological assessment for children and young people referred to the Community CAMHS team, based on the appropriate use, interpretation, and integration of highly complex psychological 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. This includes assessment as part of a multi-disciplinary team where extremely complex systemic presentations demand extensive assessment.

- Formulate, implement, and evaluate therapeutic interventions for young people in line with their training modality and experience.

- To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for young people, their families and care systems. To also monitor and evaluate progress during treatment and multi-disciplinary care with responsibility to make reasonable adjustments and refinements to psychological formulations drawing upon different psychological models and maintaining several provisional hypotheses.

- To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options, considering current theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning developmental difficulties, chronic illness, and historical processes that have affected the young person, family, or care system.

- To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, treatment, and discharge of young people.

- To provide specialist psychological advice and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to young people’s formulation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.  This would include the dissemination of psychology research and theory.

- To act, where appropriate, as multi-agency coordinator for the planning and review of care plans for children involved with complex, multi-agency systems.

- To undertake risk assessment and management for clients and to provide general advice to other professionals on psychological aspects of risk assessment and management.

- Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.

- Offer clinical assessment and evidence-based intervention whilst observing current best practice, legislation, and guidance.

- Manage a caseload whilst considering and adhering to safeguarding policy and procedure alongside national/local legislation.

-  Plan and successfully manage smooth transitions where they are clinically indicated.

- Aim to be innovative and creative in the delivery of therapeutic intervention/care bundle, and offer psychoeducation to children, young people, and families.

- Involve the system around the young person in treatment as appropriate, e.g. parent/carer, school, conveying therapy formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language.

- Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols.

- Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.

- Observe and adhere to the Community CAMHS service specification, vision, aims and objectives

Training & Supervision

- Prepare and present clinical information for all patients on their caseload to clinical and case management supervisors within the service on an agreed and scheduled basis, to ensure safe practice and the clinical governance obligations of the worker, supervisor and service are delivered.

- To access and maintain all essential training.

- To regularly supervise and support the work of Trainee & Assistant Psychologists

- Seek support from the Clinical and Operational Lead(s) where needed, as well as accessing regular clinical and managerial supervision as per trust policy and professional registration requirements.

- To maintain competency, skills and a thorough working knowledge of the safeguarding children’s agenda, and to participate in safeguarding children supervision.

- To maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies, and procedures in relation to children’s mental health and social care needs.

Professional

- Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional, and accrediting bodies (e.g., NMC, SWE, BPS, HCPC, BABCP), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the department of health.

- To maintain professional registration and to act in accordance with professional codes of conduct, practice, and guidelines.

- Ensure that client confidentiality is always protected and comply with data management systems and processes including submissions to the training provider.

- Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed, 
and reviewed with senior therapists on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.

- To maintain expected levels of clinician: client activity.

- To maintain accurate, timely and relevant clinical records both written and electronic in line with the trusts policies and procedures

- Work in partnership with other teams within the Nottinghamshire and bordering CAMHS Services.

- To attend and participate in team meetings, business meetings, supervision and support meetings as required.

- Keep up to date all records in relation to Continuous Professional Development and ensure personal development plan maintains up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.

General

- To contribute to the development of best practice within the service.

- Support colleagues and stakeholders in tackling stigma relating to mental health. 

- To ensure effective multi agency partnership working and increase the accessibility for services that work with children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing needs.

- Ensure adequate mechanisms for service user involvement to influence service design.

- To develop an ethos of continuous quality improvement, striving to deliver a higher standard of professional care to the child and family.

- To value diversity and promote equality of opportunity ensuring that individuals are treated fairly and respected for their contribution in terms of experience, knowledge, and skills.

- To be mindful to the needs of children, young people, families, and individuals from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious, and social backgrounds to be inclusive of learning disabilities and to develop with colleagues’ innovative ways of meeting these needs.

- All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health of safety of colleagues, patients, and the public.

- All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the GDPR and Security and Confidentiality Policies.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.