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Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

About

We provide NHS care and treatment for people living in south east England. Our mental health services provide care and treatment for people with conditions such as psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia and personality disorder. Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment you can be confident in.

Contact

Address
Swandean
Arundel Road
Worthing
West Sussex
BN13 3EP
Contact Number
01903 843000

Find out more

Jobs Website
Open
Ref: 354-CS-21967 Vacancy ID: 8223884

Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Accepting applications until: 14-Sep-2026 23:59

Open

Accepting applications until: 14-Sep-2026 23:59

Location

Swift Specialist Family Services
102 Holly Place
Eastbourne
BN22 0UT
West Sussex

Contract type & working pattern

Permanent
Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Salary

£57,528 - £64,750 pa
Yearly

(NHS AfC: Band 8a)

Specialty

CAMHS

Come and join us

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.

Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Job overview

Senior Practitioner Psychologist (8A) – SWIFT CAT

We welcome a Clinical Psychologist to our integrated multi-agency service, a partnership between East Sussex County Council (ESCC) - Children's Services and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) CAMHS. As a valued member of the collaborative SWIFT Children’s Assessment and Treatment (SWIFT CAT) team you will contribute to work that can have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable children and their families.

Your role will be a key part of the development of the service for children under 11 years who are on the Edge of Care, subject to Child Protection Plans and at risk of family breakdown. You will support social workers in formulating child and family presentations and where deemed necessary provide clinical assessment. This may include working alongside multidisciplinary colleagues in the Neurodevelopmental Pathway co-ordinated by SWIFT CAT.

There may also be the opportunity to provide some tailored interventions to children and families.

Advert

 

Alongside wider Specialist Children Services colleagues, you will:

  • Provide crucial support and guidance through consultation with parents, caregivers and professionals.
  • Conduct specialist clinical assessments for Under 11’s with complex emotional, behavioural, neurodevelopmental and safeguarding needs
  • Support our social work colleagues in care planning and risk management, ensuring that these foster children’s well-being.
  • For a small cohort of children, deliver evidence-based interventions to address identified needs where these can not be met by another service and are within the remit of the SWIFT CAT team.
  • Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team to enhance outcomes for children subject to Child Protection Plans and Pre-Care Proceedings.
  • Liaise with key agencies, including Education, to ensure integrated care.
  • Contribute to the development of evidence-based practice and improvement initiatives within the service.

An informal discussion is strongly encouraged.

 

Working for our organisation

SWIFT Specialist Family Services (SWIFT) is an established, integrated service which provides comprehensive assessments and interventions when parents' challenges (e.g., substance misuse, mental health, domestic abuse) impact their parenting.

This role is part of SWIFT CAT, our multidisciplinary child assessment and treatment team. You'll work alongside skilled colleagues to offer specialist mental health services to children living in complex, high-risk family situations. Our core business includes assessing children's mental health, including attention to risk management and care planning, and working with families as well as the wider systems that support them.

We are committed to providing a high-quality, integrated service that complements the work done by ESCC Children’s Services. As part of our team, you will have access to opportunities for ongoing professional development, research involvement, and participation in service improvement initiatives.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

 

Please see Job Description and Person Specification for full details of 8A Clinical Psychologist.

 

Essential requirements for this post are:

 

·       Experience of working with children and families.

·       HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologist.

o   Applications are welcomed from Clinical Psychologists.

·       Experience in risk assessment and management.

 

Desirable requirements include:

 

·       Post-qualification Band 8a experience (or equivalent).

·       Experience of working with child protection concerns and needs.

  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, social care setting.

·       Access to own transport for travel across East Sussex.

o   SWIFT have office bases in Eastbourne and Hastings.

 

Flexible working arrangements, including the possibility of hybrid working (home/office), can be discussed and agreed upon.

 

Hours:

This post is advertised as a full time post. Part-time hours can be considered but would require commitment of a minimum 30hrs per week.

 

At Sussex Partnership we are committed to providing opportunities for flexible working. If you would like to work differently or different hours to as advertised, please get in touch to discuss this in more detail.

 

Additional Information:

If you haven’t thought about living and working in East Sussex before then you should consider the following:

•               Journey from the coast to the countryside in minutes

•               Enjoy a lifestyle where there are renowned cycle routes and picturesque walks, including the famous South Downs Way in the South Downs National Park!

•               Embrace taking time to discover all the miles of scenic coastline

•               Easy access to airports - Gatwick and Heathrow are both within 90 minutes of the county, providing links to Europe and beyond

•               London is also within easy reach via local and national bus routes and national mainline stations

  • See the attached 'Partnership Perks' document for details about the SPFT benefits package.

 

Apply:

  • Please apply using the link in this advert.

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Further Information:

An informal discussion is strongly encouraged prior to application.

 

For further information or discussion please contact Becky Lloyd-Stubbs at [email protected] (Clinical Lead Nurse Specialist) and/or [email protected] (Consultant Clinical Psychologist).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology as approved by the HCPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology

Knowledge/Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience in highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment across outpatient, community, primary care, and inpatient settings
  • Post-qualification experience as a practitioner psychologist with approximately 50 hours of clinical supervision
  • Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, design and complex data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of applied psychology
  • Experience working with diverse client groups across the lifespan, addressing a wide range of clinical severities, and maintaining a high degree of professionalism in challenging situations
  • Skilled in teaching, training and/or supervision
  • Experience of applying psychology in different cultural contexts and working within a multicultural framework.
  • Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care.
  • Experience or demonstrable knowledge of working with the particular client group served by the team/service.
  • Knowledge of relevant national and local guidance, legislation, and mental health frameworks
  • Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialist psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
  • High-level proficiency in at least two specialised psychological therapies and neuropsychology, with continued practice or training post-qualification.
  • Formal training in supervision of other psychologists
  • Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC

Documents

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rachel Swann
Job title
Principle Clinical Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01323463800
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