CYP Psychological Practitioner Trainee

SWLStG; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust is offering a government-funded CYP Psychological Training Programme for an Infant and Early Years Practitioner (IEYP). The 1-year post combines formal teaching at Anna Freud/UCL with a clinical caseload in the Under 5 CAMHS service, based around Wandsworth with teaching in Central London.

The NHSE-funded position covers salary and training costs, with potential progression to Under 5 CAMHS Practitioner roles after completion.

Qualifications

• A second-class honours degree or higher required.
• Registration with appropriate professional body where applicable.
• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
• Training in therapeutic approaches used in Under 5’s services.

Responsibilities

• Assist qualified psychotherapists and applied psychologists in delivering psychological interventions for infants, children and their carers within the Under 5 CAMHS service.
• Assist with information and self-help materials for service users under supervision.
• Conduct protocol-based psychological assessments using self-report measures and structured interviews.
• Assist in formulation and delivery of mental health care involving psychological interventions under supervision.
• Coordinate and help run groups and workshops.

Education

Second-class honours degree or higher

Job description

Site Springfield University Hospital Town London Salary £47,951 - £56,863 per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs Salary period Yearly Closing 15/10/2026 23:59

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.

We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ however we aim to be ‘outstanding’.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".

When you join us, you’ll be part of something special – an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.

As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

Our service has an exciting opportunity for a CYP Psychological Training: Infant and Early Years Practitioner (IEYP) to join our team as part of the NHS England (NHSE) funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes.

This government-funded initiative promotes the growth and skill of the child mental health workforce to meet much needed demand. 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. This is a unique opportunity to apply your learning from weekly teaching into practical clinical interventions working with clients in the service making a direct impact in the lives of children, young people and their families.

Main duties of the job

This Trainee Infant and Early Years Early Childhood pathway post combines formal teaching at Anna Freud/UCL with a caseload within the Trust’s Wandsworth Under 5’s CAMHS service line. The position will be based in the community around Wandsworth and successful candidates will be expected to travel to Anna Freud in Central London (Rodney St, N1 9JH) for teaching during the training year. Upon completion of the training year, the postholder will be encouraged to apply for Under 5’s CAMHS Practitioner roles, although please note that currently we are unable to guarantee that these roles will be available in the Trust.

Course start date: 18 th January 2027

Training Information

This full-time training will begin in January 2027 with around 2.5 days a week for academic work (teaching and personal study), and 2.5 days based at the service seeing clients (children, young people, and carers) related to training assignments. Trainees will be both an employee of the service and an enrolled student with UCL/Anna Freud. Upon completion, qualified trainees will receive a UCL Postgraduate Diploma.

Working for our organisation

Unless expressly stated in the job advert this role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. T he Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ - we aspire to be ‘outstanding’.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical and Clinical Research

1. To assist qualified psychotherapists and applied psychologists in the implementation of delivery of psychological interventions for infants, children and their parents or carers accessing the Under 5’s service.
2. To assist with the provision of information and self-help material for service users under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist or psychotherapist
3. To undertake protocol based psychological assessments of children and their carers applying psychological, including self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with patients and others involved in the client’s care.
4. To assist in the formulation and delivery of mental health care involving psychological interventions in line with Under 5 CAMHS services, under the clinical supervision of qualified professional psychotherapists and psychologist as appropriate across community settings.
5. To assist, and where appropriate lead, in the coordination and running of groups and workshops.

Teaching, Training and Supervision

1. In common with all applied therapists, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines and clinical governance guidelines.
2. To complete the Anna Freud/UCL training programme and assignments to further develop skills in therapeutic interventions and risk assessment.
3. To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
4. To support the leads and service in the regular and systematic entry of clinical data on IAPTus according to Trust protocols and to highlight areas of difficulty to the Under 5 service lead as soon as they arise.
5. To contribute to the training and support of others, including staff and workers in the non-statutory sector enabling them to provide effective mental health care.
6. To inform primary care practitioners and users about local statutory and voluntary services to whom children and young people can be “signposted”.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.

Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

• A second-class honours degree or higher
• Professional qualification as a Psychotherapist, Creative therapist, CWP, EMHP, nurse, social worker, occupational therapist, drama therapist or art therapist, CBT therapist, systemic practitioner
• Registration with appropriate professional body (where applicable)
• Further post graduate training in relevant areas of mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
• Training in therapeutic approaches used in Under 5’s services

Experience

• 2 or more years of experience working with the development and wellbeing of children and young children aged 0-5 and their families.
• Experience of children aged 0-5 and their development in a personal, voluntary or observational capacity
• Experience of multi-agency working and liaising across internal & external agencies.
• Experience of relevant work within Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services / or working with Under 5’s services
• Strong experience of working with children, young people and families with mental health problems and/or other disabilities
• Demonstrates adaptability and experience of working within an ethnically and racially diverse community
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
• Considerable experience in delivering both group and individual interventions
• Experience of risk assessment and management
• Experience of working within NHS settings

At South West London St Georges Mental Health Trust we are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Committed Employer, and welcome applications from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We are Members of Stonewall Diversity Champions and Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion.

As part of the Trust's commitment to Equalities and Diversity, the Trust supports the establishment of Staff Networks groups to promote diversity in the workplace:

• BME (Evolve) Staff Network
• DiverseAbility
• Mental Health Staff Forum
• Women's Staff Network
• LGBTQIA+

We are committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community and has signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

We provide reasonable adjustments to the interview process for any candidates with a disability.

Please note:

• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3 rd party e-recruitment system
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That your employment is offered subject to successful completion of a Probationary Period depending on your Band (except medical roles)
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including job applications, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. The contact details published on our official website are the Trust’s authorised contact channels and should be used for all recruitment communications, job applications, and verification of employment offers.

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.