Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We have an exciting opportunity to join Waltham Forest CAMHS Emotional Difficulties Pathway (EDP) as a band 7 clinical or counselling psychologist. This post would suit either a newly qualified or established band 7 looking to specialise.
The Waltham Forest CAMHS EDP is needs-led, offering psychological and medical interventions driven by the principles underpinning the national CYP-IAPT programme (Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). The service provides evidence based NICE compliant psychological interventions to children, young people and their families experiencing complex mood problems, trauma and PTSD presentations, and complex emotional needs. You would join a multi-disciplinary team of trauma-informed clinicians who are passionate about ensuring the child’s voice is central to the work we do and work in partnership with families, carers and other agencies to achieve the outcomes desired by the child or young person.
This post sits within a large and diverse borough-based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service which is currently undergoing significant transformation to reduce geographical inequalities and strengthen clinical and operational leadership. You will have opportunities to join the wider community of psychological professionals across London CAMHS and the NELFT patch.
Main duties of the job
The EDP provides assessment, formulation, and intervention for children and young people with a range of moderate to severe mental health difficulties and/or their networks. You will be part of a large, supportivemulti-disciplinary CAMHS team that also has significant psychology presence.
The post holder will support their peers and the EDP Lead and be an effective team member whilst working on their own initiative. They will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively support and liaise with other health and social care professionals and agencies.
You will hold a caseload of children and families with complex needs, including supporting children who may be on the edge of inpatient admission. You will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively supporting and liaising with other health, education, and social care professionals in line with a trauma-informed, evidence-based, and inclusive model of practice within the service. You will be passionate about ensuring the child's voice is central to the work we do and work in partnership with families/carers and other agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for the child. You will actively contribute to our MDT and professional meetings. You may supervise and/or line manage Assistant Psychologists and provide consultation to the wider service. You will support your peers and team leader. You will promote co-production with those with lived experience and contribute to service development.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
Starting with Us
NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes, Essex.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 pro rata for part time).
High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
·The post holder will be responsible for organising and prioritising own workload in the day to day allocation of work. They will provide specialist psychological assessment of clients referred to the CAMHS team, based on the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews. This may include assessment as part of a multi-disciplinary team. They will formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of client’s mental health problems and employing strong evidenced based practice. They will provide specialist psychological advice and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to client’s formulation, diagnosis and treatment plan.
Please contact Dr Michelle Fontaine (Principal Counselling Psychologist & EDP Lead) for more details about this post.
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Person specification
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
4. A Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical or Counselling Psychology (or equivalent) accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
5. Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)as a Practitioner Psychologist.
Desirable criteria
6. Evidence of working with the relevant client population (0–18 years), including assessment and management of clinical complexity and high-risk patients.
7. Previous work as an Assistant Psychologist or a specialist 3rd-year placement in a CAMHS setting.
Experience
Essential criteria
8. Ability to communicate highly complex or sensitive information effectively to multidisciplinary team (MDT) colleagues.
Desirable criteria
9. Experience working with external agencies like schools, social care, or the voluntary sector.
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
10. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
11. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
12. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
13. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.