Overview
This is an exciting opportunity to join an experienced national team of researchers to pilot and evaluate a joint response for young people experiencing mental health crisis. The response includes a collaboration between Greater Manchester Police and young people’s mental health services. This three-year pilot will provide one three-year full-time post or two part-time posts to Senior Mental Health Practitioners/Clinical Psychologists/Equivalent who are committed to improving crisis care for young people. The appointee(s) will have the opportunity to work flexibly across the Greater Manchester area, collaborate closely with the research team and associated stakeholder groups, and experience first hand the live evaluation of an innovative and collaborative approach to care.
The post advertised will be instrumental in the success and development of crisis pathways for children and young people. Learning from this study will inform future planning at a national level, offering an exciting opportunity to contribute towards the development of future clinical practice for young people experiencing mental health crisis.
Working alongside clinical staff and the research team, you will respond rapidly to requests for assistance when a young person presents in crisis. You will contribute to the assessment and management of young people in crisis within a clear and structured Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction framework, and identify therapeutic goals to support the young person and families/carers. You will refer on to specialist in-patient services as necessary or work collaboratively with other services to reduce the need for inpatient care. You will develop holistic, safety and recovery focused care plans and mobilise support around the child and family to promote resilience and reduce the likelihood of future crisis episodes. As a research based practitioner, you will feed into the wider multi-disciplinary team and liaise with the research and clinical teams. Direct work with young people will take place in the family home or out of home placement, clinical areas, community settings, or neighbourhood environments. Hours will be set within a 24-7 crisis context. Travel across Greater Manchester with the designated police officer will be required.
* To ensure the systematic provision of a high-quality, evidence based and psychologically informed services for young people experiencing a mental health crisis.
* To facilitate increased psychological awareness, particularly in relation to triggers and trauma, offering case-based consultation and bespoke training with the police, NHS practitioners, and vulnerable young people and families.
* To create opportunities within the team to encourage staff to reflect on the emotional impact of the work both individually and as a team and to take steps to mitigate some of these risks.
* To work with colleagues through crisis response impacted by critical incidents and other traumatic events.
* To provide expert consultation, advice and support in formulating and understanding the behaviours and presentations of children and young people.
* To contribute to multi-agency working arrangements designed to support the health, well-being and safety of children, young people and families.
* To work autonomously within professional guidelines, liaising as appropriate between the research team and clinical team.
* To take responsibility for developing strong, collaborative relationships with staff and managers associated with emergency responses and crisis care.
* To utilise research skills for audit, evaluation, policy, and service development purposes, within the context of the NIHR HS&DR funded pilot.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Clinical
* To work with members of the crisis teams and CAMHS to rapidly develop psychological formulations about children and/or families in crisis.
* To use psychological formulations to provide sound, evidence-based guidance to colleagues, families, carers and young people.
* To provide clinical advice and notes that accurately outline the information being used to guide the formulation and have clear guidance about any mental health risk and any next steps.
* To ensure any mental health risks discussed in attendance to crisis call outs are shared appropriately within the parameters of the crisis pathways and working relationships with members of GMP.
* To help the appropriate teams use the formulation to inform other professionals of how to understand and work in accordance with the formulation in order to improve outcomes and reduce risk for young people.
* To contribute to the multi-disciplinary team’s psychological understanding of young people and their families and offer guidance to improve mental health and other important outcomes.
* To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the entirety of your work.
* To take an active role in the process of multi-disciplinary risk assessment, utilising clinical guidelines to support consultation and formulation processes, documenting formulations and recommendations as appropriate.
* To support the family and multidisciplinary professionals to understand and take positive risks, as part of an agreed plan.
* To report adverse incidents (for clinical and research purposes) and ensure documentation is detailed and supported by evidence.
* To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the advice, consultation and formulation provided.
* To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service across all settings and agencies serving the client group.
* To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation, and treatment plans of young people engaging with crisis services.
* To provide expertise, brief evidence-based therapeutic support, enhance coping skills, advice, and support to facilitate the effective and appropriate provision of psychological care to the young people.
* To create a psychologically safe space in which individuals or the team consider the impact of the work and to think about ways to mitigate the potential risks to their own wellbeing.
* To utilise their expert knowledge about vicarious trauma to help teams take steps to reduce the risk of secondary trauma while doing this work.
* To gain, evaluate, disseminate, and implement research findings.
* To review and reflect upon own practice through participation in and effective use of professional and operational supervision and appraisal.
* To fully engage in research team and clinical team meetings.
* To keep detailed clinical and research notes to inform the young person’s ongoing care and role within the research study.
* To proactively support young people’s engagement in the research study, alongside their parents/carers, or other relevant trusted adults in the young person’s life.
* To obtain informed assent/consent for inclusion from prospective participants in research activities.
* To conduct and document risk assessment in therapeutic and training situations, hospital, and community settings, balancing the conflicting interaction of the individual needs of the children and adolescents, those who care for them, therapeutic goals, and risk minimisation.
Teaching, training, and supervision
* To provide training and workshops to professionals working within the Greater Manchester, particularly in relation to psychological trauma and research findings.
* To work with managers to contribute to the identification of the clinical training needs of staff working in crisis pathways and to work towards addressing such training needs as appropriate.
* To maintain and develop skills in the area of own professional post graduate training and clinical supervision skills.
* To receive regular clinical and research supervision from a senior clinical psychologist and, where appropriate, other senior professional colleagues.
* To contribute to the pre and post qualification teaching and training of clinical and counselling psychologists, as appropriate and with agreement from senior management. This may include contributing to the supervision of clinical psychology trainees on placement.
* To receive regular individual and peer group clinical supervision in accordance with the good practice guideline of the appropriate registered Professionals Standards Authority.
* To participate in and develop an up-to-date personal development plan reflecting on own needs and engaging in development of clear objectives.
* To maintain and develop specialist psychological knowledge and skills, using appraisal and continuing professional development systems.
* To provide clinical supervision to psychologists/psychological therapists and other professionals, as agreed with the Clinical Leads
* To undertake any available and appropriate management training within the service.
* To represent senior clinical psychology colleagues at service meetings, as directed by the Lead Psychologist for the service/Chief Investigator for the study.
* To adhere to the Code of Conduct as outlined by the BPS and the Division of Clinical Psychology and by the Health and Care Professions Council and other registered Professionals Standards Authority.
* To adhere to the Code of Practice for the Mental Health Act, as required.
* To take part in regular audit and peer review.
* To provide a positive role model to staff and enable a high level of support in order to deliver high quality care to the client group.
Management, Recruitment, Policy, and Service development
* To maintain the spreadsheet of activity for the research team and utilise feedback mechanisms for all training, consultation and staff support and where necessary develop bespoke feedback mechanisms.
* To contribute to the writing and development of reports, policy documents, and to provide overall support to the research process.
* To carry out regular reviews of services delivered (e.g., 111/999 call outs, staff support) to the clinical lead and chief investigator.
* Support the chief investigator with refining the treatment protocol and associated documents to ensure the service is being delivered to a high quality with treatment integrity, incorporating suitable psychological models.
* To identify good practice, to share it and promote it regionally and nationally with the research team.
* To contribute to research, policy and practice development as identified, and to seek proactively opportunities to engage in the same.
* To participate as a senior clinician in the development of a high quality, responsive and accessible service.
* To exercise delegated responsibility for managing, alongside senior management, the resources available, according to the SoECAT and project budget.
* To exercise responsibility for recording and implementing the systematic governance of psychological practice within the service/team.
Research and service evaluation
* To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support best practice in clinical research and practice.
* To undertake appropriate research with the team and provide research advice to other staff undertaking research through the Young People’s Research Centre.
* To initiate project management, including complex audit and service evaluation with colleagues.
* To contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the team’s operational policies and service, keeping detailed records to inform the overarching research process.
General
* To ensure the development, maintenance, and dissemination of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes.
* To take part in regular professional supervision and appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the field of clinical psychology and related disciplines.
* To maintain and promulgate the highest standards of clinical records keeping in accordance with professional codes of practice of the British Psychological Society and Trust policies and procedures.
* To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies, and issues in relation to both the specific client group and wider child psychology.
This job description is not exhaustive, but is intended to give an overall picture of the role. Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required from time to time. The duties of the post and job description can be reviewed through the agreed process.
This advert closes on Sunday 30 Nov 2025
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