Clinical or Counselling Psychologist (CLA/ND)

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Wood Street; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent health service provider in the UK is seeking a Clinical or Counselling Psychologist to join their Children Looked After Champions team. The ideal candidate will provide specialist interventions and contribute to ADHD and ASD assessments. This full-time, band 7 position is perfect for newly qualified or established professionals who are passionate about supporting children and working collaboratively with families and professionals across health and education sectors. Join a team dedicated to improving outcomes for young people in a supportive environment.

Benefits

High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of basic salary

Comprehensive induction training

Collaborative working environment

Qualifications

• CAMHS experience is essential.
• CLA and/or ND experience is desirable.
• Additional or prior qualifications relevant to job role are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist interventions for looked after children.
• Contribute to high quality assessments of ADHD and ASD.
• Carry out parental interviews and child assessments.

Skills

Passion for working with CLA and relevant transferrable skills

Passion for working with ND and relevant transferrable skills

Education

HCPC registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Job description

Job overview

Clinical or Counselling Psychologist – Children Looked After / Neurodevelopmental Assessment (band 7, full time, permanent)

We have an exciting opportunity to join Waltham Forest CAMHS’s Children Looked After (CLA) Champions team and our Neurodevelopmental Assessment pathway as a band 7 clinical or counselling psychologist. This post would suit either a newly qualified or established band 7 looking to specialise.

Our teams are committed to collaborative working and actively supporting and liaising with other health, education and social care professionals. We are passionate about ensuring the child’s voice is central to the work we do and work in partnership with families, carers and other agencies to achieve the outcomes desired by the child or young person.

Main duties of the job

In the CLA Champions team, you would join a small, passionate team of trauma‑informed clinicians, using a consultation‑led, attachment aware model to provide specialist interventions for children who are looked after. You would have a varied caseload of direct work with young people (including complex trauma‑focused therapy) and indirect work with foster carers, residential staff and the wider network around the child. There is also the option to become involved in our therapeutic parenting group and develop your skills through receiving specialist supervision and additional on‑the‑job training.

In the neurodevelopmental pathway, you will contribute to high quality assessments of ADHD and ASD, as part of a multidisciplinary team, and by bringing a trauma‑informed perspective to case discussions. You will carry out parental interviews, child assessments and school observations, and have the opportunity to receive ADOS training. You may also have the opportunity to contribute to neuropsychological assessments and liaise with the network around the child to promote understanding of neurodiversity.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co‑produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop‑in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This post sits within a large and diverse borough‑based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service which is currently undergoing significant transformation to reduce geographical inequalities and strengthen clinical and operational leadership. You will have opportunities to join the wider community of psychological professionals across London CAMHS and the NELFT patch.

Please contact Dr Kate Danvers (Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Strategic Lead for Looked After Children) for more details about this post.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• HCPC registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologist

Desirable criteria

• Additional or prior qualifications relevant to job role

Experience

Essential criteria

• CAMHS experience

Desirable criteria

• CLA and/or ND experience

Skills

Essential criteria

• Passion for working with CLA and relevant transferrable skills
• Passion for working with ND and relevant transferrable skills

Desirable criteria

• Supervision and/or consultation skills

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Documents to download

• Job Description Person Spec CLA ND CAMHS (PDF, KB)
• Candidate Recruitment Pack (PDF, KB)
• Acceptable Use of AI in Recruitment (PDF, MB)

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Dr Kate Danvers
Job title: Consultant Clinical Psychologist / Strat Lead CLA
Email address: Additional information

Please contact before 17th December to discuss this job.

Interviews are likely to be held in week beginning 19th January.