Overview
NELFT North East London Foundation Trust invites applications for the role of Deputy Director of Psychological Professions in Kent CAMHS. The closing date is 19 November 2025.
NELFT's senior Psychological Professionals' leadership team leads this role within Kent CAMHS. The successful candidate will be part of the most senior team of Psychological Professionals within NELFT, led by the Director of Psychological Professions, and will have peers covering Redbridge, Havering, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Talking Therapies and our Acute and Rehabilitation Directorate. The post holder will oversee all psychological provision for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Neurodevelopment Services within Kent and will become a core member of the directorate's multidisciplinary senior leadership team.
Our vision centers on coproduction, trauma-informed care, building a community of psychological professionals and delivering inclusion and parity of access to all residents in the areas we serve. We strive to provide inclusive, accessible and individualized offers of care in a timely manner; to reduce health inequalities; and to recognise the harm caused by social injustice. We are committed to integrity, authenticity and courage to deliver the best possible psychological care to those using our services.
Main duties of the job
There has been substantial investment into Psychological Professions and clinical leadership within NELFT, resulting in a vastly expanded senior Psychological Professional leadership team and a major transformation. This work is in the implementation phase and includes: creating parity between bandings of Psychological Professionals in different areas; ensuring trauma-informed care for service users and staff; and integrating siloed psychological offers of care into multidisciplinary secondary care adult mental health provision. The transformation also includes coproduction of an accountability framework in which clinical and operational colleagues work collaboratively to deliver the best care for people who use services, their carers, families and supporters. This offer aligns with NELFT's commitment to being patient- and clinically-led while being operationally enabled.
About us
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.
On-call payment
This post will be required to participate in the Trust on-call rota and attracts payment of 0.75% of the basic salary.
Job responsibilities
Now is an important time to be joining NELFT. We are a patient and clinically led organisation which is operationally enabled. NELFT’s cohort of Psychological Professions holds a vision centered on coproduction, trauma-informed care, building a community of psychological professionals and delivering inclusion and parity of access to all residents in the areas we serve. We strive to provide inclusive, accessible and individualized offers of care in a timely manner; to reduce health inequalities; and to recognise the harm caused by social injustice in the communities we serve. We are committed to working with integrity, authenticity and courage to deliver the best possible psychological care to those using our services.
Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected because this document is an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to these documents when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role can be discussed at the interview stage.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology
* Post-graduate qualification in psychology or a psychological therapy (e.g. clinical or counselling psychology, psychotherapy)
* BABCP accredited or meeting eligibility criteria for BABCP accreditation
* Post Graduate training in psychodynamic psychotherapy as accredited by UKPC or BPC
Knowledge
* Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of evidence-based therapeutic interventions and their practical application in a range of mental health therapeutic settings
* A robust and broad understanding of national health and social care strategy and policy, in relation to developing services for secondary care
* Knowledge of strategic planning process
* Comprehensive knowledge of mental health policy
Skills
* Evidence of leading groups of psychological professionals working in NHS services
* Open, participative, dynamic and supportive leadership and management style
* Ability to build alliances and secure ownership of proposals across organisational boundaries
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, featuring breadth of outlook and political skill necessary to establish effective working relationships with staff at all levels within and outside the organisation
* Ability to identify, define, promote, communicate and achieve clear organisational values and goals, effective management processes and rational and timely decision making
* Ability to work in partnership with other key professionals within and outside the organisation and a partnership approach to work across agencies
* Ability to analyse complex issues, to think and plan to achieve both tactical and strategic objectives and to exercise sound judgement in the face of conflicting pressures
* Effective in conflict resolution and management
* Ability to present complex information to a diverse audience
* Positive outcomes of service delivery
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.
NELFT North East London Foundation Trust
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