Practitioner Psychologist

NHS; Catford; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Practitioner Psychologist to offer specialized psychological services to young people in the Youth Justice System. The role involves assessment, supervision of junior psychologists, and contributing to service development. Applicants should have a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and relevant experience in complex mental health issues. A competitive salary of £64,156 to £71,148 is offered, alongside professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience working as a clinical specialist with young people.
• Specialist psychological assessment and treatment experience.
• Ability to supervise assistant and trainee psychologists.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist psychological assessments and interventions.
• Contribute to team functioning and service accessibility.
• Implement policies and contribute to service development.

Skills

Cultural competence

Complex data analysis

Teaching and training

Education

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

Clinical Registration with HCPC

Training in AIM Assessment & Intervention

Training in SAVRY, SAPROF or MACI

Supervision Training

Job description

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Practitioner Psychologist

The closing date is 18 November 2025

To provide a highly specialist psychology service to young people who are held withing the Youth Justice System or who are at risk of offending including specialist assessment, treatment, planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.

Main duties of the job

To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.

To provide clinical supervision and consultation as appropriate, functioning as a lead specialist in assessment and intervention of sexually harmful behaviour, violence risk assessment using SAVRY/SAPROF and neurodevelopmental assessment where required.

To undertake service evaluation, audit and research.

To work as an autonomous professional within BPS and HCPC guidelines and codes of conduct, and guided by principles and policies or procedures of the service, taking responsibility for interpreting policies within defined parameters.

To agree outcomes/results with clinical/professional lead and to decide how they are best achieved.

About us

The ARTS Forensic CAMHS Team is a small but highly regarded team co-located with the Youth Justice Service within the wider local authority Integrated Adolescent Service based in Catford, London Borough Lewisham. The team is part of Lewisham CAMHS and has a long history of providing innovative approaches to working with the complex and traumatised young people involved in the criminal justice system. The postholder will be well supported within the Psychology & Psychotherapy framework within Lewisham CAMHS and the South London & Maudsley Trust. The team consists of a Clinical Service Lead, Senior Clinical Psychologist and CAMHS Therapist. A Consultant Child & Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist is with the team on Tuesdays.

Job responsibilities

KR 1 Clinical and Client Care

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the ARTS Team including AIM assessment and intervention for sexually harmful behaviour, violence risk assessment and neurodevelopmental assessment (ADHD & cognitive assessment).

To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.

To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.

To act as mixed care coordinator and therapist; taking responsibility for assessment, intervention and care coordination on a mixed caseload

KR 2 Contributing to team or service clinical functioning

To contribute to the effective working of the team or service and to a psychologically informed framework for the service.

To contribute to the team or services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.

To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.

To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.

To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.

To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

KR 3 Policy and service development

To implement policies and procedures in own area of work, and to propose improvements or beneficial changes.

To contribute to service development through undertaking and participating in appropriate projects.

To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities.

KR 4 Care or management of resources

To take care of, and use carefully, the Trusts equipment and physical resources.

To ensure that the post-holder has sufficient resources by estimating future needs and requesting or ordering supplies as needed.

KR 5 Management and supervision

To be responsible for the allocation and/or clinical supervision of the work of more junior psychologists with support from a more senior psychologist.

To supervise trainee applied psychologists within own area of specialism.

To contribute to the appraisal of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.

To contribute to the recruitment of more junior psychologists, as appropriate.

To provide supervision for the psychological work of other multi-disciplinary staff as appropriate.

KR 6 Teaching and Training

To undertake occasional teaching and training of pre and post- qualification psychologists and specialised training to other professions as appropriate.

To contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills base within the ARTS Teamby maintaining an active awareness of current developments in psychology and forensic work with young people and by implementing knowledge gained in practice.

To disseminate research and service evaluation findings through presentations and published articles.

KR 7 Record-keeping and Information Governance

To ensure that all information generated by own work is recorded as required by Trust policies and local procedures.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping and report writing, according to professional and Trust guidelines, including electronic data entry.

KR 8 Research and development

To initiate, undertake, support and supervise regular complex service evaluation and audits.

To initiate and carry out appropriate research where appropriate and within scope of the service.

To provide expertise in a specialist research area which will contribute to ARTS Team.

To initiate and implement the development of outcome measurement and assessment and assist other staff in the implementation of same.

KR 9 Maintaining professional standards and continuing professional development

To receive regular clinical and professional supervision from a more senior psychologist according to HCPC and Trust guidelines.

To ensure own Continuing Professional Development in line with BPS and Trust Personal Development Plan requirements and the HCPC Standards for Continuing Professional Development.

To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of current developments in professional and clinical practice and of relevant legislation and policies.

To comply with the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and Standards of Proficiency, and ensure professional development in line with these.

To adhere to the BPSs Professional Practice Guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.

KR10 General

To travel to home visits, prisons, and other teams and services as appropriate and across the Trust when required.

To be aware of risk relating to aggressive and challenging behaviour amongst the client group, and follow trust policies relating to its management.

To respond appropriately and professionally to emotionally distressing situations, for example challenging behaviourand to support others involved in such situations.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Clinical psychologist: Doctorate in Clinical Psychology or equivalent
• Clinical Registration os a Clinical Psychologist with HCPC
• Training in AIM Assessment & Intervention
• Training in use of SAVRY, SAPROF or MACI
• Supervision Training

Experience

• oEvidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in with a range of young people presenting with complex mental health, emotional and behavioual difficulties
• oExperience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature
• oExperience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
• oPost-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities.
• oExperience of working with young people who perpetrate sexually harmful behaviour
• oExperience of working with young offenders

Knowledge

• oKnowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological assessments and interventions for young people with complex mental health and trauma
• oTheoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatments including emotional instability, trauma, ADHD, depression and anxiety.
• oAdvanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics in ADHD.
• oKnowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
• Knowledge of complex trauma and trauma informed approaches.

Skills

• oTo deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• oTo select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that require analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources.
• oSkills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

£64,156 to £71,148 a yearper annum inclusive of HCAS