Principal Applied Psychologist

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; West Bromwich; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a HCPC-registered Principal Applied Psychologist to lead the CAMHS STEPP Constellation, supporting children and young people with complex mental health needs.

You will provide expert clinical leadership, supervision and consultation across STEPP pathways, delivering high-quality assessments and interventions, and collaborating with education, social care and partners to improve outcomes for families.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology (or equivalent) as Accredited by the BPS.
• HCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist.
• Post-doctoral training in one or more specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership for CAMHS STEPP Constellation across Sandwell CAMHS.
• Deliver highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and interventions for children and families with complex needs.
• Lead on complex risk assessment, safeguarding and risk management.
• Provide specialist consultation and psychological leadership within multidisciplinary teams.
• Supervise and support Applied Psychologists, Trainee Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists.

Skills

Leadership

HCPC registered

Supervision

Clinical assessment

Team collaboration

Education

Post-graduate doctoral training in Applied Psychology

HCPC registration

Job description

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Principal Applied Psychologist

The closing date is 16 November 2026

Band 8b Principal Applied Psychologist - STEPP Constellation Lead

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Principal Applied Psychologist to lead the CAMHS STEPP Constellation, supporting children and young people experiencing Suicidality, Trauma, Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Personality Difficulties.

You will provide expert clinical leadership delivering and overseeing high-quality, evidence-based assessment, formulation and intervention working closely with operational, medical and professional leaders. You will provide expert supervision, consultation and support to psychologists and wider team members, promoting compassionate, trauma-informed and person-centred care.

You will support with service evaluation, audit, and quality improvement initiatives and work collaboratively with health, education, social care and voluntary sector partners to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

We are seeking an HCPC-registered Applied Psychologist with substantial experience of working with children and young people with complex mental health needs, strong leadership skills, and expertise in one or more STEPP specialisms. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of specialist CAMHS provision and make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across the Black Country.

Main duties of the job

• As the Principal Applied Psychologist and STEPP Constellation Lead, you will provide clinical leadership for CAMHS pathways supporting children and young people experiencing Suicidality and Trauma and develop close links with the Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Personality Difficulties pathways.
• You will lead and develop psychological provision across the STEPP pathways, providing supervision, leadership and support to Applied Psychologists, Trainee Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists and other disciplines as required. You will contribute to workforce development through consultation, teaching, training and reflective practice.
• You will deliver highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for young people with complex and high-risk mental health needs, while providing expert consultation and risk management advice across multidisciplinary teams.
• The role requires close partnership working with health, education, social care and voluntary sector colleagues to ensure effective, integrated care pathways.

About us

At Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, our vision is to provide outstanding, compassionate care that improves the lives of the children, families and communities we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace where colleagues feel valued, empowered and able to thrive professionally.

As part of Sandwell CAMHS, you will join a skilled and compassionate multidisciplinary team that places children, young people and families at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to support innovation, continuous learning, professional development and staff wellbeing, enabling our teams to deliver the highest standards of care.

Our work is guided by our Trust values of CARE:

• Compassionate - we show kindness, empathy and understanding in everything we do.
• Accountable - we take responsibility for our actions and strive for excellence.
• Respectful - we value diversity, listen to others and treat everyone with dignity.
• Empowered - we support each other to grow, innovate and make a difference.

Whether you are looking to develop your specialist psychological expertise, contribute to service transformation, or take the next step in your leadership journey, Black Country Healthcare offers the support, opportunities and flexibility to help you succeed.

Job responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership for the STEPP Constellation (Suicidality, Trauma, Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Personality Difficulties) across Sandwell CAMHS.
• Deliver highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based interventions for children, young people and families with complex and high-risk mental health needs.
• Lead on complex risk assessment, risk management and safeguarding, providing expert advice to multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Provide specialist consultation, guidance and psychological leadership within multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams.
• Supervise, line manage and support Applied Psychologists, Trainee Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists.
• Lead workforce development through supervision, teaching, training and the promotion of psychologically informed practice.
• Work collaboratively with operational, medical and professional leads to develop and improve specialist CAMHS pathways.
• Lead service development, quality improvement, audit and transformation projects, ensuring services are evidence-based and aligned with national standards.
• Promote trauma-informed, compassionate and person-centred approaches to care across the STEPP pathways.
• Lead and contribute to research, service evaluation and outcome monitoring to drive innovation and improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
• Represent psychology within service redesign, governance and strategic planning forums, ensuring psychological expertise informs organisational development and cultural change.
• Build strong partnerships with health, education, social care and voluntary sector agencies to support integrated care and improved patient outcomes.

Person Specification

• oPost-graduate doctoral level training in applied Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• oHCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist
• oPost-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
• oEvidence of continuing professional development
• oWorking as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
• oExercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care as a care coordinator within the context of a multidisciplinary team.
• oUtilise psychometric tests competently
• oHighly developed knowledge and skills in the care of difficult to treat groups e.g. dual diagnoses, additional disabilities or severely challenging behaviour

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.

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust