Job summary
The post holder will provide a specialist psychological service for young children and their families as part of the citywide CAPS Early Years Service in Manchester. The community service offer includes providing parent groups, individual psychological assessment and intervention; and advice, consultation & training to support the psychological knowledge of the early years workforce. The post-holder may be responsible for the supervision of trainees and will be expected to supervise a band 7 staff member.

The service consists of a team of clinical psychologists; specialist PIMHS Health Visitors and midwife, nurse practitioners and child psychotherapists; alongside parent group leaders employed within the voluntary sector. We work as part of the under 5s CAMHS provision in Manchester, linked to both an integrated Infant mental health pathway and early years social communication pathways. We are looking for an experienced Clinical Psychologists who can work effectively and autonomously within this multi-agency context offering both clinical work, supervision to support others' clinical decision-making, training and consultation, allocations of cases, and lead on participation.

Main duties of the job
Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist passionate about working with parents and their children up to the age of 5? Are you interested in working in an vibrant, dynamic service, alongside local colleagues and partners working with young children and parents? If you are enthusiastic about helping this important client group, at a time of national developments for parents and children, then this post will be an excellent opportunity for you to gain a more senior position.

You will have experience of working with young children and their families who present with a range of relationship and social / emotional development needs and risk. It would be helpful to have skills and experience in supporting children and their parents in the early years to develop good attachment relationships.

You will autonomously manage your own caseload, providing a range of high-quality care appropriate to the infant, young child and parent's needs; within professional practice guidelines and a structured supervision framework. You must be confident and experienced in communication, supervision and consultation.

This post is a clinical post and includes allocation of case-work, supervision, training and offering consultation to other workers contributing and working with a multi-agency team.

For further information please contact Dr. Elisa Samuels - Head of CAPS on 07812 519221 or 0161-2033262

About us
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is a leading centre of clinical excellence, renowned for pioneering patient care, advanced medical research, and a collaborative multi-speciality environment. We are the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester is the largest health academic campus in Europe - a great place to progress your career.

With over 30,000 employees, a turnover exceeding £3 billion, and 10 hospital and community services, join our team to help us deliver outstanding healthcare to our diverse communities.We offer an engaging and supportive environment, with access to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology. Research and Innovation are at the heart of our work, offering opportunities to lead research that shapes the future of medicine, working alongside experts, advancing clinical practice, and improving patient outcomes.

At MFT, we foster a culture where every colleague is valued and empowered to thrive. Your expertise is recognised, your ambitions are supported, and your impact is felt at every level. Whether you want to develop your clinical skills, pursue research interests, or seek leadership opportunities, MFT provides the ideal environment to achieve your medical or professional aspirations.If you are dedicated to driving clinical innovation and delivering compassionate patient care, join us to shape tomorrow's healthcare; where clinical excellence, innovation, and your career will thrive.

Details
Date posted: 05 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum (pro rata)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 349-SPH-8141297-RL3
Job locations: The Bridge, Madison Place, Manchester, M40 5BP, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

Explore Inside MFT Your Candidate Place
To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT Your Candidate Place. This welcoming onestop hub gives you a real sense of who we are what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. Youll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.

To access Inside MFT Your Candidate Place, simply click on the relevant PDF document under the Supporting Documents section and once opened, you can where either scan QR code or click on the link provided.

Closing vacancy listings early
We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Diversity Matters MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application
Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, were proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOUfor our patients, our communities, and each other.As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your applicationespecially personal statements and responses to role-specific questionsis written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Doctoral degree or equivalent accepted by the British Psychological Society as qualifying the person to work as a clinical psychologist.
• Registration as a clinical psychologist with the Health Professions Council (HCPC)

Desirable

• Certificate in supervision skills
• Accreditation in relevant evidence-based perinatal intervention
• Additional post graduate training in psychological therapies and interventions

Experience and knowledge
Essential

• Experience in assessment and therapeutic work with children and families across the age range for at least 18 months
• Experience of work in children's early intervention /early years services
• Experience of multidisciplinary teamwork
• Experience of consulting with health care and other professionals
• Experience of offering supervision within clinical psychology

Desirable

• Working knowledge of professional systems involved in work with children and infants
• Experience of multi-agency working
• Experience/certification in Video Interaction Guidance
• Experience of working in a parent-infant mental health setting/parent and infant relationship service

Skills
Essential

• Ability to plan and prioritise own caseload.
• Ability to select, use and interpret a range of psychological measures including cognitive and developmental assessments
• Ability to formulate clinical problems using psychological theory
• Ability to integrate psychological theories and outcome data with clinical practice and service provision
• Ability to assess needs, plan, implement and evaluate appropriate interventions with children and parents/carers across the age range
• Skills in planning and delivering evidence-based interventions with children and parents
• Demonstrate sensitivity in all contact with disadvantaged groups.
• Ability to work with people from different backgrounds, cultures and of different ages.
• Good skills in communicating with children, parents and colleagues
• Ability to cope with stressful interpersonal situations including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the case of highly emotive and distressing problems and the threat of verbal and physical abuse

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve.