Job Description

Salary: 353,915 to 357,296 per annum (29.6 hours/week, pro rata)
FTE Equivalent: 367,394 to 371,620 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Part-time 29.6 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
Location: Based at Glebelands, Shoreham with countywide coverage Hybrid working considered (minimum 1 day/week WFH)
Make a Real Difference to the Lives of Children in Care

• Are you a trauma-informed practitioner, passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people in care?

• Are you looking for a leadership opportunity in a growing, DDP-informed therapeutic service?

• Do you thrive in providing training, consultation and reflective practice to staff groups within Childrens Services?
• Do you have experience of providing DDP-informed therapeutic interventions with carers and children in care?

If so, we want to hear from you.
Following the transfer of our specialist psychological services into West Sussex County Council, we are at an exciting juncture, integrating a range of specialist social care and psychology-led services under one roof in our Psychological Hub. Our vision is to deliver creative and impactful services whilst building upon established, collaborative relationships between the social care workforce and psychological services.
About the Role
We are looking to recruit a dedicated and experienced Principal Clinical Psychologist Clinical Lead for our growing ATTACH team. This is a multidisciplinary team including child psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, child and family workers and other mental health practitioners - all united by a shared mission to provide trauma-informed, relational care to vulnerable children, young people and their families.
As Clinical Lead you will:

• Provide clinical oversight and day-to-day leadership of the ATTACH team
• Deliver specialist psychological consultation, reflective practice groups, and training to social care teams
• Offer direct psychotherapeutic interventions to some children and their carers in fostering, kinship and residential settings
• Clinically supervise psychology colleagues and mentor more junior staff, including assistants and trainee placements
• Collate and contribute to data reporting for the wider Psychological Hub, influencing developments in strategic service innovations

About You
Were seeking a confident and compassionate clinician who:

• Is HCPC-registered as a Practitioner Psychologist
• Has a proven track record in delivering bespoke interventions for Children in Care with a systemic and integrative focus.
• Has a strong foundation in trauma-informed and attachment-based models, including DDP and PACE
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the needs of children who present with issues arising from developmental trauma and disrupted early attachments, and the support needs of those who care for them in foster, special guardianship, and residential homes
• Is experienced and interested in delivering consultation, training, and reflective supervision to staff groups
• Has excellent leadership and supervisory skills, including skills in job planning and managing a range of competing priorities
• Is confident managing risk and complexity in multi-agency environments
• Experience working with neurodiverse young people and an understanding of the intersection between developmental trauma and neurodevelopmental needs would be an advantage

What We Offer

• A welcoming and forward-thinking psychological service embedded within Childrens Services
• Hybrid working arrangements to support your work-life balance
• Opportunities to develop and shape a pioneering integrated psychological model
• Line management and clinical supervision by the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for ATTACH service
• Peer support and ongoing CPD
• An inclusive and values-driven team culture that supports innovation and reflective practice

Youll be joining a leadership group of Principal and Consultant Clinical Psychologists, contributing to the strategic vision of the Psychological Hub, and influencing how West Sussex supports children in care through compassionate, psychologically informed approaches.
About Us
The Psychological Hub is clinically led by two consultant clinical psychologists: one leading the Community Psychological Service and the other leading the ATTACH service (the therapeutic service for Children We Care For). For context, the Community Service provides a range of consultation and training to the wider local authority safeguarding and edge of care teams, and provides specialist psychological assessment and therapeutic interventions to children and their families where there are concerns about the child engaging in harmful sexual behaviour.
The ATTACH service, previously known as the CYPL Permanency Service, delivers psychological support into our Children We Care For, Care Leavers, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking young people and Special Guardianship teams and includes support to our Residential and Fostering services.
The ATTACH team delivers DDP-informed support to children in care and the professionals and carers around them, helping them understand and respond to the impact of developmental trauma, disrupted attachment, and hidden emotional needs. Within West Sussex Fostering, there is a drive and vision to deliver therapeutic parenting within foster care and kinship, underpinned by DDP principles and an attitude of PACE. Please see the West Sussex Fostering Vision Statement document for further details of the PACE culture ambition.
Rewards and Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
We offer a generous Local Government Pension scheme, which is one of the largest pension schemes in the UK. The LGPS provides you with a secure and guaranteed income every year when you stop working.
For a full list, this can be found at our
Please Get In Touch
We welcome informal enquiries ahead of application to explore how this opportunity might fit your professional goals and values. For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Dr Jenny Mount (Consultant Clinical Psychologist, ATTACH service) at Jenny.Mount@westsussex.gov.uk.
This is your chance to lead, innovate, and make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable children and their carers. For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the attached.
Information Pack:

• West Sussex Fostering Vision statement information please see attached.

To apply: please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter (CV maximum 4 pages and cover letter maximum 2 pages please). In your cover letter, please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again. Be sure to check out our Fostering Vision Statement in the information pack.
The reference number for this role is CAFHE05689.
For issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to HCPC registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our page.
Available documents