Job summary
We are seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced Clinical Psychologist on a 0.6WTE permanent contract. The successful candidate will join the expert assessment and diagnostic multi-disciplinary team working with children and young people aged 0-18 years presenting with complex difficulties that may indicate an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

You will need relevant skills to lead and contribute to the holistic assessment of a child's needs considering developmental, environmental and social factors. You will be responsible for assessment, formulation, consultation and advice being offered to children and their families. You will be encouraged to develop your skills, knowledge and interests in this clinical field and to contribute to all aspects of service and staff development. There are also opportunities for development of audit and research and to be involved in the extension and further development of the services.

You will join an enthusiastic, friendly and compassionate expert team delivering high quality services in new ways. We work in partnership with parents to ensure that their child's needs are understood and considered alongside the diagnostic criteria for possible autism. The team are all based within one centre creating a cohesive, strong and highly supportive multi-disciplinary environment. For further information please contact Lauren Sholl (Clinical Team Lead) or Dr Jessica Moreland (Principal Clinical Psychologist) on 0121 722 8010.

Main duties of the job

• To take the lead role in coordinating multi-disciplinary assessments and assessment planning and to deliver a diagnosis to children and families when appropriate.
• To provide psychological diagnostic assessment, interventions, management and advice using highly specialist advanced skills and knowledge for a caseload of children with complex developmental difficulties including the possibility of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• To support the Lead Psychologist and the Clinical Lead in the planning, development and evaluation of the service with allocated responsibilities according to skill set.
• To ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality specialist service to children and their families aged between 0-18 years presenting with neurodevelopmental disorders including the possibility of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
• To work autonomously within professional guidelines and exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of professional practice.
• To utilise skills for audit, policy and service development and research taking responsibility for aspects of service development through audit.
• To provide advice support and training to other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Person Specification

Qualifications
Essential

• Professional knowledge acquired through degree, Clinical Psychology Post Graduate Doctorate Qualification, CPD, clinical supervision of practice.
• HCPC registration in own speciality.

Desirable

• Additional demonstrated interest in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
• Formal training in ADI-R, 3Di, DISCO or ADOS.
• Training and experience in the completion of psychometric and neuropsychological assessment of children and young people.
• Post-doctoral training and recorded CPD experience and/or further qualifications in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice including aspects of paediatric neurodevelopment.

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups and presenting problems including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems.
• Experience of delivering clinical supervision.
• Experience of working with children/young people aged 0-18 years and with children with complex additional needs including; mental health disorders, complex neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Emotional Behavioural Difficulties and attachment disorders.
• Post qualification experience working with children with complex needs.
• Experience of a wide range of young people and families presenting with high levels of complexity and difficulty.
• Experience of delivering potentially distressing information to parents/carers/families.
• Detailed working knowledge of child development.
• Significant experience of working within a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency context. (This should be post qualification).
• Experience of working with families from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds.
• Experience of using a wide range of profession specific assessment tools.
• Ability to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information: when there are significant barriers to acceptance; hostile, antagonistic, highly emotive atmosphere.
• Communicates highly complex condition related information to patients, who may be hostile, distressed, with risk of harm to self/others.
• Skills for assessing clients, relatives and interpreting client, family situation and appropriate formulation/ability to communicate with MDT members when expert opinion may differ.
• Ability to plan and prioritise own workload.
• Ability to propose changes for policy, service development/may impact on other professions, service areas.
• Ability to be solution focused in relation to service development work and significant service demand issues.

Desirable

• Experience of creating and delivering presentations and training programmes in line with specialist knowledge.
• Experience of working within an ASD diagnostic service.
• Experience of working with children with complex Speech Language and Communication difficulties.
• Experience of working within a multi agency service with a high volume of work and pressures.

Additional Criteria
Essential

• Ability to function within a fully integrated multi-agency service.
• To respond flexibly to client and service demands.
• Good communication skills.
• Ability to put child and family at the centre of clinical thinking.
• Ability to work independently but within a framework.
• Ability to support team leader/clinical lead with all aspects of service delivery and improvement.
• Ability to manage exposure to some distressing and emotional situations through direct clinical work and supervision.
• Able to manage own distress and to support staff well being.
• Ability to deal with frequent highly distressing or emotional circumstances; dealing with family breakdown, serious mental illness, child, sexual abuse, youth offending behaviours.
• Ability to manage exposure to verbal aggression/risk of physical aggression.
• Reflective and reflexive in approach; ability to work flexibly to work within organisational parameters whilst balancing clinical need and working within professional practice guidelines.
• Highly developed decision making skills.
• Accountable for own professional actions, works within professional ethics and trust policies.
• Commitment to continuing professional development, to partnership working and to reflective practice.
• Capacity to exercise careful judgement whilst having the ability to work within stressful situations in the work setting.

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.