Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the Cheyne Child Development Service (CCDS). We are looking for an enthusiastic and compassionate Clinical Psychologist to join the team.



This post will be based mainly at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, working in a well established team of clinical psychologists within the wider multidisciplinary child development team.



The work is varied and stimulating, covering both assessment and intervention, as part of a multidisciplinary team (paediatricians, speech and language therapists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, and music therapists). The post-holder will have the opportunity to contribute to service development initiatives. The post provides an opportunity to develop skills in neurodevelopmental assessments, and to take advantage of the excellent CPD offer within CNWL. The post holder will be line managed and clinically supervised by the lead consultant clinical psychologist for the CCDS.



To provide a high quality clinical psychology service for children with complex neurodevelopmental difficulties and their families. This includes both assessment and intervention work (individual and group). To offer advice and consultation to non-psychology colleagues, to ensure that issues relating to psychological care of the child and their family are addressed. To work in conjunction with parents, carers, statutory and non-statutory agencies to ensure a holistic approach to assessment and intervention. To offer clinical supervision to trainees on placement within the service and to contribute to service development and research initiatives.

The CCDS is based across two sites:

Doughty House, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and Parkview Centre for Health & Wellbeing (near Shepherds Bush), providing multidisciplinary child development assessment & interventions to the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea & South Westminster



The areas we cover have varying socio-economic need as well as diverse cultural populations. The post is within a multi-disciplinary team which operates within a wider multi-agency context, that includes CAMHS, Social Services, Education, other Local Authority services and voluntary agencies. Assessment and therapeutic input will be provided within clinics, community resources such as nurseries & schools and within clients' homes depending on the nature of the work being undertaken. The populations served are ethnically diverse, where consideration of cultural difference and influences is crucial in the assessment of children's disabilities.



The Central and North West London NHS Trust (CNWL) is responsible for the provision of Child and Adolescent Mental health Services (CAMHS) to the populations of Brent, Hillingdon, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, as well as providing a range of highly specialist services to other Trusts and Agencies, and to a wider regional catchment area. These services include Paediatric, Child Development and Looked After Children Services.



1. To provide a highly specialist clinical psychology service to children & adolescents who present with complex neurodevelopmental conditions.



2, To contribute to multidisciplinary neurodevelopmental assessments, following best-practice guidance and gathering information from external agencies where necessary, to provide a clear and thorough formulation of the client's strengths and needs, communicating the findings effectively and sensitively, providing appropriate information and recommendations and development of appropriate action plans to support the child/young person and their family/carers



3. To deliver post-diagnostic support, adapted to the child/family needs including individual follow-up sessions and/or post-diagnostic parent groups, contributing to the ongoing development of these groups, through feedback/evaluation from service users.



4. To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client's neurodevelopmental difficulties and associated mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client's problems, and employing methods based upon evidence of efficacy, across the full range of care settings.



5. To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals, carers, families and groups, within and across teams employed individually and in synthesis, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.