Clinical Psychologist and Project Lead

Job overview

This is unique opportunity to contribute to delivering and developing an innovative pilot service for 0–25-year-olds at risk of or affected by youth violence. This role is part of the North Central London Vanguard commissioned by NHS England to develop a model of care for young people who may be gang affected. The service adopts a holistic and multi-agency integrated approach based on the understanding that no individual service has the solution for the complex issues facing some young people. The service draws largely on community psychology, narrative, attachment-based principles and AMBIT approaches. The team is made up of Clinical Psychologists, Caseworkers and Creative Practitioners. As a partnership service we draw on a strong collective of shared values that enable us to work collaboratively to support young people. The team deliver accessible evidence-based and holistic mental health interventions in environments where young people feel in control and safe, including a community youth homelessness hub, prisons, other community spaces and young people’s homes. Recognising the contextual factors that affect wellbeing, interventions are targeted across all different areas of a young person’s life (e.g., emotional, social, relational, occupational, etc.).

The post holder will be part of the ongoing pilot project, commissioned by NHSE, initially on a fixed term 2- year contract.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of the Enfield Vanguard project and providing clinical leadership for the project, ensuring that the clinical and strategic priorities are taken forward in an agreed and coherent way. The post holder will be working closely with the team, families and multi-agency professionals to improve emotional and holistic well-being for young people. This role has a specific focus on supporting young people who find it hard to trust services, offering practical support alongside and emotional interventions and supporting the wider network around the young person to improve their wellbeing and reduce barriers to accessing health and social care services.

The post holder will be part of the clinical leadership team across the NCL Vanguard Service, working closely with senior management in ensuring the delivery of highly innovative and adaptive evidence-based care. Alongside individual clinical work, the service works across multiple levels, seeking to shift how the wider system perceives and works with young people, hoping to address inequalities to create sustainable change. Embracing new ways of working will be key, as the model constantly evolves to respond to the needs and aspirations of young people it serves.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide clinical and professional leadership in the setting up and delivery of the Enfield London Vanguard.
• To manage and oversee a small multi-disciplinary team to provide highly specialist psychological and psychometric assessment, formulation and intervention including risk assessment and the development of risk management plans to Enfield Vanguard service users in individual, group or family settings.
• To be responsible for the clinical management and risk management within the Enfield Project under the guidance of the NCL Vanguard delivery lead.
• To take full responsibility for initiating, formulating and implementing highly specialised and innovative plans for the psychological treatment and/or management of a young person’s mental health needs and wider contextual needs. To regularly review care plans for service users.
• To be responsible for implementing a range of psychological interventions for individuals and groups and to evaluate and make decisions about the intervention options available. This will involve interpretation and integration of complex psychological data and competing or contradictory theories/hypotheses from professionals from other agencies.
• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the assessment, formulation and intervention approaches for young people
• To act as a lead professional for young people, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans. This will involve offering staff from other agencies guidance on mental health and trauma informed care.
• To contribute in an active way to the network of services for young people affected by violence and to ensure the co-ordination of services provided. This will involve working closely with colleagues from other agencies.
• To act as the care co-ordinator and case manager for young people within the service.
• To develop, facilitate and deliver creative well-being group-based activities and interventions that are grounded in psychological theory and principles or to support the delivery of groups alongside other team members or professionals. This may include offering wellbeing groups within partnerships organisations including custody settings

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.