Job summary
- Main area
- Clinical Psychologist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent: Dual roles within core PALMS and IIT available.
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 812-PALMS-IIT-CP-25-B
- Employer
- Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Sandridge Gate Business Centre
- Town
- St Albans
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 15/06/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 27/06/2025
Employer heading
Clinical Psychologist - Intensive Intervention Team
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Job overview
PALMS is expanding again and we are seeking to appoint a motivated, committed, flexible and forward thinking Clinical Psychologist to contribute to the development of an Intensive Intervention Team (IIT) for the PALMS’ population.
The PALMS’ IIT includes an Administrator, Consultant Psychiatrist, Outreach Workers and Specialist Positive Behaviour Analysts. This MDT will work collaboratively and in collaboration with the wider PALMS’ MDT to support these CYP as well as working with colleagues in the existing Hertfordshire crisis service C-CATT (CAMHS Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team).
*Proposed interview date: 27-June-2025*
Main duties of the job
-
The ideal candidate will be:
- Passionate about and have a desire to contribute to change in a vibrant NHS team
- Dedicated to supporting CYP with autism and/or learning disability and their families.
- Collaborative in their approach to work with families, networks, and others services
- Able to work both in a team environment and autonomously
- Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working in settings where there is a highly emotive atmosphere.
- Flexible in their approach and have resilience under pressure
- Have professional registration for your speciality
Working for our organisation
We can offer you:
- Regular clinical and professional supervision including opportunities to meet as a team including peer reflection and Intervision
- Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development. This includes specific support with regards to fulfilling the PALMS’ IIT role.
- Opportunities to work closely with a multi-disciplinary team and learn from other evidence based frameworks and approaches.
- Opportunities to provide clinical supervision and line management to other members of the PALMS IIT and core PALMS team as appropriate.
- Opportunities to connect with local and national networks
- Involvement in providing training
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
PALMS has longstanding commissioning arrangements to provide input to CYP on three distinct pathways of tailored intervention: ‘standard’, ‘heavy’ and ‘intensive’. There has been an increase in the number of CYP presenting in/at risk of going into crisis; These children and families require a significant amount of clinical input to enable de-escalation, reduce risks and decrease the likelihood of being placed out of county.
Throughout 2020/21 PALMS collated robust data on the time and skills required to meet the needs of CYP presenting in crisis and demonstrated significant positive outcomes for CYP and their families. In addition, PALMS has been able to evidence the importance of a MDT approach to support these CYP. Simultaneously, Hertfordshire is committed to realising the vision of the long term plan. PALMS have therefore been provided with additional funding to support the PALMS’ population who are at risk of, or at, crisis.
Alongside supporting these CYP and their families, the work of the team will provide decision makers with evidence informed options and clear recommendation for developing and delivering an effective multiagency crisis service that is responsive to needs within Hertfordshire and which fully meets the vision of the long term plan.
The post is permanent; Roles within the IIT are flexible in terms of base as most of the work will be within the community across the county and as such a full valid driving license and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
We are committed to supporting flexible working options for staff, wherever possible, and welcome discussions on flexible working patterns to support our staff to maintain a healthy work life balance.
Interviews will be run either in person at one of our bases or using Microsoft Teams, full details and instructions will be provided to successful candidates.
Closing date - 15th June 2025
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996), including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology. Two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan development psychology as accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS
- Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
- Further specialist post-qualification training relevant to the Children and Young People and/or ASD and LD population
- Formal training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologist
- Evidence of continued professional development as recommended by the BPS
Other Specifications
Essential criteria
- Willingness to uphold the Trust’s values
- Eligible to live and work in the UK
- Hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)
- Willingness to travel to alternate locations to provide services
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working with a wide variety of populations, across the whole course of presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the treat of physical abuse.
- Significant experience of working with people with a learning disability and with people with an Autism Spectrum disorder in a range of settings and/or significant experience of working with children and young people.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care co-ordinator and within the context of a multi- disciplinary care plan
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision of trainee clinical psychologists
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration
Desirable criteria
- Experience of service quality monitoring i.e. clinical audit, evaluative research etc.
- Experience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and /or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups
- Doctoral level knowledge of research methodology, research design and complex, multivariate data analysis as practiced within the clinical fields of psychology
- Knowledge of child development, child and adolescent mental health and a range of therapeutic models
Personable Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to work with children & young people whose behaviour is personally challenging
- Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships and boundaries with young people
- Ability to provide a therapeutic environment which contributes to young people’s healthy development (including sexual)
- An interest in, and commitment to, working with children who have a learning disability and/or an autism spectrum disorder and/or mental health difficulties.
- Values that match positive behaviour practices.
- Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently
- Ability and willingness to work flexibly including evenings and weekends.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Anna Dillon
- Job title
- Service Lead and Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01727 582122
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