Job overview
We are looking for a highly motivated, professional, flexible and personable clinician to apply for this important post, where relationship building with our partners and integrated neighbourhood working cross-agencies are key. The post is part of an exciting new service transformation of Luton’s Children’s Services and closer partnership working with ELFT CAMH Community Access Services, offering integrated neighbourhood based social, emotional and physical health support for children and families.
Luton was successful in its bid to become a pathfinder Local Authority to test the roll out of the social care reforms as set out in Stable Home: Built on Love. The key reform aim is to reduce the number of children, young people and their families needing crisis intervention. To deliver the required changes the Local Authority has created a Family Help team that brings together the current targeted support offer and child in need services with a strong emphasis on building a multi-agency team, that includes health, the police, education, the DWP and the VCS. This new service aims to support children, young people and their families who require social care support at the earliest opportunity.
Main duties of the job
The multi-agency team will use evidence-based intervention models to help families develop their resilience and make significant, positive changes to their lives, using a strengths-based approach (that are trauma-informed and systemic) to working with family networks and enable collaborative partnerships with professional networks.
The Highly Specialist Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, Systemic Family Psychotherapist, Community Mental Health Nurse, or Psychological Therapist will be a key member of the Family Help Team, and located substantially with the team in the locality, providing mental health clinical expertise by consultation, training, supervision and supporting other team members in their delivery, other relevant agencies, as well as delivering highly specialist psychological and systemic assessment and treatment for children, young people and their families. The post holder will have close links with and in CAMHS, and be part of the wider CAMH Community Access Service and wider specialist stepped care CAMH Service. The aspiration is for this post to prove a success in its initial 12 months and to secure longer-term funding.
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
If you would like to know more about the job, please contact Dr Vicky Taylor, Clinical Team Lead for CAMH Community Access Services, Luton (), or Dr Marc van Roosmalen, Deputy Associate Clinical Director – Professions Lead (), or on 01525 638614 or 01525 638613.
Out for internal advert: mid-August 2025
Shortlisting: first two weeks of September 2025
Interviews: Second or third week of September 2025
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. •Post Graduate Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or equivalent), Systemic Family Therapy (or equivalent) or equivalent CMHN or Psychological Therapist and registration with the HCPC, UKCP, BACP, BABCP or other equivalent body.
Desirable criteria
2. •Qualifications/ training in specialist skills e.g. systemic therapies, neuropsychology, CBT, NVR, DBT
Experience
Essential criteria
3. •Experience of working as a qualified Clinical/Counselling Psychologist, Systemic Family Psychotherapist, CMHN or Psychological Therapist for a minimum of two years and relevant experience for transition to Highly Specialist/ 8a
4. •Experience of working in a multi-ethnic communities and of working with interpreters
5. •Additional relevant clinical experience working with children, young people and families with complex and transgenerational needs and/or organizational knowledge and skills acquired through formal training, long or short courses, formal supervision (individual and/or group), structured self-study, or experience – or a combination of these – to an appropriate level demonstrated by certification, documented supervision logs, management appraisal documentation and/or assessment at interview.
6. •Experience and training in PTSD, Complex PTSD and trauma informed work
Desirable criteria
7. •Experience of teaching/training
Knowledge
Essential criteria
8. •Doctoral (or equivalent) level knowledge of research design and methodology
9. •Knowledge of legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management and mental health in relation to children, young people, and their families particularly in relation to looked after children and the impact of abuse on children and families, trans-generationally, and impact on caring families and professional systems
10. •Communication skills - high level with regard to complex clients and multi-agency staff and networks.
11. •Highly specialist psychological and/or systemic assessment and formulation skills
Desirable criteria
12. •Advanced keyboard skills including competency in the use of other IT packages e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SPSS
13. •Driving skills