Principle Clinical Psychologist

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; East Midlands, Nottingham; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Principal Clinical Psychologist to support Autism Spectrum Disorder assessments in children and young people. The role offers opportunities for service development, evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Ideal candidates will have a doctorate in clinical psychology and experience in multi-disciplinary settings. This is a part-time, permanent position with a salary range of £64,455 to £74,896 pro rata.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive work environment

Collaboration with various healthcare professionals

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in the assessment of children with Autism.
• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Skilled in engaging with clients with complex needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct specialist psychological assessments of children and young people.
• Support the evaluation of the service and feedback to service managers.
• Coordinate and lead the MDT assessment panel discussions.

Skills

Specialist skills in assessing Autism

Experience in multi-disciplinary working

Research and audit skills

Effective communication

Education

Post graduate doctorate in clinical psychology

Current Registration with the HCPC

Job description

Principle Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 20 November 2025

CAMHS Principle Clinical Psychologist, Nottinghamshire ASD Assessment Pathway.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Clinical Psychologist (0.6 WTE) to support Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments for children and young people in the Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County neurodevelopmental pathways. You will join a small team of Psychologists to support the provision of highly specialist psychological expertise as part of the multi‑agency and multi‑disciplinary assessment pathway for possible ASD often in the context of complex social care, mental health and/or learning needs.

The postholder will be expected to contribute to ASD assessments through consultation, direct assessment, training and supervision. This is a newly established service and additional provision to the wider neurodevelopmental pathway. This role offers lots of opportunities to support service development and evaluation, alongside experience working with other agencies including Community Paediatrics and local authority agencies.

As part of the Nottinghamshire CAMHS service, you will also be joining a larger group of Psychology colleagues and CAMHS colleagues to support liaison and co‑working to share knowledge, expertise and support appropriate pathways for assessment.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support the Community Paediatricians in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire regions through consultation and direct assessment of children, young people and families as part of ASD assessments. This role will involve working closely with Community Paediatricians, Speech and Language Therapists and Specialist Nurses to undertake specialist assessment and support psychological expertise within ASD assessments.

The post holder will be skilled in assessment of ASD and consideration of alternative formulations or co‑existing needs, using standardised and evidence‑based assessments. Part of the role will also involve supporting the pre‑assessment services through consultation, ensuring children and young people are on the most appropriate pathway for their needs.

As a newly established service, a further key role will be establishing the impact of the additional Psychology provision to the wider pathway. Therefore, the role will also involve supporting the evaluation of the service and feedback to service managers and commissioners to inform policy and service development.

About us

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee‑led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in‑house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net‑zero commitment.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will also join an integrated, friendly, and supportive group of 24 Psychologists working across the Nottingham City and County conurbation multi‑disciplinary CAMHs. There are good opportunities for CPD, strong mechanisms for support and good links with the DClinpsy courses at Trent, Sheffield and Leicester University.

• To make highly skilled decisions, recommendations & advise within multi‑agency consultation about future assessment & treatment options taking into account information and assessment findings from a range of different data sources.
• To provide direct specialist psychological assessments of children & young people where there are concerns relating to social communication and interaction based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological (and neuropsychological) tests, with clients, family members and others involved in the child's care.
• To coordinate & lead the MDT assessment panel discussion where indicated for children and young people where there may be developmental concerns within the context of complex, multifactorial presentations of need and where expert opinion may differ.
• To ensure comprehensive assessment of ASD for all cases in line with NICE guidance and local protocol, ensuring the use of multiple sources of information and consideration of alternative formulation of need where indicated including intellectual disability, relational needs and/or developmental trauma.
• To advise on any clinical risk identified as part of assessment activity and to direct to the appropriate service for further support.
• To ensure comprehensive verbal and written feedback to both families and agencies supporting children, which will inform recommendations for local Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision and also future care plans provided at a multi‑agency level.
• To provide a highly expert assessment where opinion regarding a child's needs may differ across the CAMHS and other agencies.
• To provide appropriate support structures through supervision and consultation to the MDT Assessment panel and wider support networks around complex presentation where ASD may be diagnosed within the context of multiple contributing factors including intellectual disability, mental health and social care needs, with a view to providing a more comprehensive formulation/understanding of need.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use are required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Post graduate doctorate in clinical psychology as accredited by the BPS.
• Current Registration with the HCPC.
• Additional training in relation to supervision of unqualified and qualified staff.

Physical Requirements

• Has the physical ability to perform the full range of duties.

Training

• Further specialist training in the diagnostic assessment of children & young people with Autism / ASD.
• Advanced knowledge, experience and expertise gained in at least one specialist area of clinical practise gained through post‑qualification specialist training and supervised practise (e.g. Psychotherapy, neuropsychology, Attachment Therapy, Clinical Supervision).
• Training in Cognitive Assessment e.g. psychometric testing of children with complex developmental concerns.
• Further relevant post qualification training including psychological models of assessing and treating developmental trauma.
• Further training in the assessment of comorbid neurodevelopmental presentations e.g. ADHD.

Experience

• Extensive experience in the assessment of children & young people where there may be underlying Autism / ASD in line with diagnostic criterion and NICE guidelines.
• Experience of assessment of children/ young people & their families presenting with a broad range of mental health needs both in terms of severity and complexity, where there may be multiple contributing factors to understanding their presentation & informing further treatment.
• Experience in the specific assessment and formulation of both child and adult attachment.
• Experience of offering a consultation model to supporting the MDT and wider network around the child.
• Experience of effective multi‑disciplinary, multi‑agency working.
• Provision of clinical supervision and training to psychologists and practitioners from other professional groups.
• Experience of coordinating MDT assessment.
• Experience of clinical audit and/or service evaluation.
• Experience of staff training.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of assessment approaches to exploring possible ASD in the context of mental health and relational needs.
• Knowledge of the Diagnostic criterion using DSM 5 or ICD11 in the application of ASD assessment.
• Knowledge of NICE guidance in the assessment of ASD in children and young people where there may be additional mental health or social care needs.
• Detailed knowledge of a range of models of assessment, formulation, management and treatment of mental health difficulties & relational trauma across a broad age range 0‑19 years.
• Knowledge of the Safeguarding protocol.

Skills

• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment options of clients.
• Specialist skills in engaging with clients with complex communication needs and clinical presentations.
• Research and Audit skills to evidence the efficacy of specialist interventions, in conjunction with partner providers, service managers and to evaluate patient experience including the development of appropriate outcomes measure for the service.
• Research & or Audit activity applied within a Specialist Children’s health setting.
• Supervision of audit & research activity within a specialist CAMHS setting.

Values and Behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust, Honesty, Respect, Compassion, Teamwork.
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation.

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.

Address

Hopewood

Pebble Bridge Foster Drive, Mansfield Road Nottingham

Salary

£64,455 to £74,896 a year per annum (pro rata for part time)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part‑time

Reference number

186-1261-25-MH-A

Job locations

Hopewood

Pebble Bridge Foster Drive, Mansfield Road Nottingham