Overview
Job summary: 22.5 hours per week.
We are looking to recruit a Band 4 Assistant Psychologist to join our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service within the Atkinson Secure Children's Home in Exeter.
Atkinson is a national secure children's home managed by Devon County Council, providing full residential care, healthcare, and education on site in dedicated facilities. We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Assistant Psychologist to join our multi-disciplinary Health and Wellbeing Team.
This is an exciting opportunity to support the delivery of psychological care to children and young people with complex social, emotional, and mental health needs within a secure setting, working closely with a multi-disciplinary team to promote emotional wellbeing and support onward transitions.
Young people are placed in Atkinson on Welfare Orders under Section 25 of the Children\'s Act due to being at risk of absconding, likely to suffer significant harm, or likely to injure themselves or others. Many have experienced relational trauma and adverse childhood experiences, and the home follows a trauma recovery model with a focus on therapeutic parenting.
Working within the home is highly rewarding; there is a strong team spirit and shared therapeutic ethos. The Atkinson is recognised for its integrated working, the great relationships we develop with our young people, and their positive outcomes.
Please contact us if you would like to learn more about the post and arrange a visit to the home.
Responsibilities
Main duties of the job: To provide supervised support to the psychology service and wider health and wellbeing team within the Atkinson Secure Children\'s Home.
Under the supervision of a qualified practitioner psychologist:
* Conduct psychological assessments, including neuropsychological and cognitive assessments, behavioural assessments.
* Develop psychological formulations for individual service users and the systems around them, that contribute towards the overall assessment of their care needs, using an appropriate theoretical framework.
* Collaboratively establish individual service users goals towards recovery.
* Deliver psychological interventions to service users; for example, CBT informed structured interventions, cognitive remediation, PBS informed interventions, EMDR informed interventions, guided self-help, co-facilitated group work.
* Support the wellbeing of the MDT through delivery and participation in group based reflective supervision and resilience group work.
* Support the audit and research activities of the service.
* Support the psychology services through data collection & analysis as part of audit, service evaluation and research initiatives.
* This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.
* Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.
* All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees\' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Details
* Date posted: 01 September 2025
* Pay scheme: Agenda for change
* Band: Band 4
* Salary: £27,485 to £30,162 a year Pro Rata
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
* Reference number: B9832-2025-SP-1108
* Job locations: Atkinson S C H, Beacon Lane, Exeter, EX4 8NA
Responsibilities (continued)
* Under the supervision and working in partnership with clinical psychologists and other members of the multi-disciplinary team, deliver a high standard of care/therapy through the assessment, planning, goal setting and review of individual service user needs.
* Manage a caseload with support and clinical supervision from a designated practitioner psychologist.
* Deliver brief non-complex therapies to service users of the respective services commensurate with level of knowledge and skills and under supervision of qualified psychological therapist/psychologist.
* Co-facilitate group interventions to service users of the respective services alongside and under the supervision of qualified psychological therapists/psychologists.
* Work with service users using self-help materials in a creative and collaborative way and provide information about other services relevant to their needs.
* Under supervision of a qualified psychologist administer, score and interpret neuropsychological or cognitive assessment and develop/deliver appropriate intervention plans, e.g. cognitive remediation.
* Proactively and positively contribute to the achievement of effective outcomes. This will include conducting evaluations using clinical outcome measures and satisfaction surveys.
* Communicate effectively with service users, relatives/carers and colleagues from diverse backgrounds in a manner that is sensitive, open, welcoming and person-centred.
* Use IT systems effectively. Maintain accurate, up to date clinical records in accordance with Trust policy.
* Working as part of a Team Participate in effective and collaborative team working by sharing relevant verbal and written information with colleagues in a timely manner.
* With colleagues, continuously review and revise working practices to deliver best clinical practice and increased efficiencies.
* Participate with colleagues in reflective practice to ensure that the service continually improves and, when mistakes are made, lessons are learned.
* Work in partnership with the homes wider health, education and social care teams and external networks.
* Motivation to meet a service users needs.
* Ability to demonstrate confidentiality and trustworthiness.
* A willingness to be flexible and part of a team.
* Ability to juggle many priorities at one time, whilst remaining calm.
* Ability to use initiative in learning new information
Please refer to attached Job Description
Person Specification
Knowledge (Essential)
* Knowledge of issues relating to mental health and mental health problems.
* Knowledge of research and audit methodologies.
Knowledge (Desirable)
* Knowledge of issues relating to complex mental health problems.
* Knowledge of neurological conditions.
* Knowledge of learning disabilities.
Experience (Essential)
* Experience of working with mental health service users or individuals with neurological or chronic health conditions, or who have learning disabilities, in a statutory or voluntary capacity; or life experience of coping with mental health problems or chronic health difficulties. This may include personal experience, an active carer role, or volunteering.
Experience (Desirable)
* Experience of working with young people in care.
* Experience of research and audit in real world settings.
* Experience of co facilitating groups.
* Experience of working in a team.
* Experience of cognitive assessment and administration of these in practice.
* Knowledge of community mental health settings and inpatient settings.
Qualifications (Essential)
* Undergraduate degree in psychology minimum 2:1 or 2:2 with evidence of additional academic abilities. Eligible for graduate membership of the BPS.
Qualifications (Desirable)
* Training or qualification in counselling skills, CBT, brief therapy or similar.
Skills (Essential)
* Ability to work as part of a team.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
* Ability to reflect on and critically appraise own performance.
* Ability to set priorities.
* Ability to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues.
* Ability to work within highly emotive environments and with highly sensitive information.
* Ability to apply psychological theories and research methods to practice.
* Excellent organisational skills.
* IT skills including use of SPSS and Excel.
* Competency in using spreadsheets/ databases.
Skills (Desirable)
* European Computer Driving License (ECDL)/ITQ.
Compliance
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 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. 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.
Employer details
Livewell Southwest
Address: Atkinson S C H, Beacon Lane, Exeter, EX4 8NA
Employer\'s website: https://www.livewellsouthwest.co.uk/
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