CYP-IAPT ASD/LD Trainee | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health organization in Greater London is seeking a Trainee to join their team in the NHS-funded Children and Young People Psychological Training Programmes. This full-time position begins in January 2026 and includes both academic work and hands-on experience with children in need of mental health support. Successful candidates will receive a UCL Postgraduate Diploma upon completion. Competitive opportunities for professional development are available.

Qualifications

• Candidates must manage a mix of academic work, self-study, and clinical case work.
• Previous experience with children and young people with disabilities is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Conduct mental health assessments for autistic and learning disabled youth.
• Deliver low-intensity interventions under supervision.
• Participate in multi-disciplinary meetings for client care.

Skills

Mental health assessment

Therapeutic intervention

Working with autistic children

Education

Delegates training modality

UCL Postgraduate Diploma

Job description

An exciting opportunity for a Trainee (ASC/LD) to join our team as part of the NHS England funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes. NHSE covers salary and training costs for a 1-year position, allowing services to employ trainees to support specialist pathways to bridge the gaps in CYP mental health support.

Use of AI- Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

The post-holder will be based within the specialist neurodevelopmental team in Lewisham CAMHS. They will work in our assessment and treatment team. The position will be based at the Kaleidoscope Children Centre and successful candidates will be expected to travel to Anna Freud in Central London (Rodney St, N1 9JH) for teaching.

This full-time training will begin in January 2026 with 2.5 days a week for academic work, and 2.5 days at the service seeing children, young people, and carers related to training assignments. Trainees will be both an employee of the trust and an enrolled student with UCL/Anna Freud. Upon completion, qualified trainees will receive a UCL Postgraduate Diploma.

The course start date is 19th January 2026.

Candidates will need to manage a demanding combination of academic work, self-study and clinical case work.

Application Process

• Apply for both the trainee role with our organization and the University Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Young Person IAPT Therapy simultaneously.
• In both applications, please mention the modality you are applying for and why in your personal statement.

Course Page: UCL Child and Young Person IAPT Therapy PG Dip

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK and substance misuse services for people addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Very few organisations in the world have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

By working at SLaM, you will gain experience in being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King's Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.

Key Responsibilities

• Mental health assessment of autistic and learning disabled children and young people
• Assessments for suitability for the treatment for which modality specific training is provided
• Deliver lower‑intensity interventions to autistic and/or learning disabled in Lewisham under the supervision of a qualified clinician
• Formulate, implement and evaluate therapeutic intervention for clients in line with their training modality and experience
• Support the delivery of intervention groups to parents/carers and/or teaching staff
• Involve the system around the child in treatment as appropriate (e.g. parent/carer, school), conveying therapy formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language
• Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate clinical care
• Attend multi‑disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate
• Collect and record routine service data including appointment recording, and routine outcome measures

Training & Supervision

• Fulfilling the requirements of and completing a PG diploma at UCL/Anna Freud including practical, academic, and practice‑based assessments, alongside private study
• Apply learning from the training programme in practice
• 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, in order to ensure safe practice and the clinical governance obligations of the worker, supervisor and service are delivered

Professional Responsibilities

• Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g., BPS, HCPC, BABCP), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the Department of Health
• Ensure that client confidentiality is protected at all times and comply with data management systems and processes including submissions to the training provider
• Be aware of, and keep up to date with advances in the spheres of care pathway
• Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with senior therapists on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development
• Attend clinical/managerial supervision on a regular basis as agreed with Manager
• Participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives
• 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
• Attend relevant conferences/workshops in line with identified professional objectives

This job description is an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities of the post, and the post holder may be required to undertake additional duties appropriate to the pay band. The post may change over time to reflect the developing needs of the Trust and its services, as well as the personal development of the post holder.

This advert closes on Monday 8 Dec 2025