Clinical Psychologist

The Opportunity

Salary: NJC Grade 12 - £46,731 to £49,764 per annum (for the part time position this equates to £28,038 to £29,858 per annum pro rata)

Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 1 x Full time - 37 hours per week, 1 x 0.6 Part time - 22.2 hours per week, for the part time role the days can be flexible with the exception of a Wednesday as this is team meeting day
Location: Based at County Hall North, Horsham but will be required to provide countywide coverage

Following the transfer in of our specialist psychological services into West Sussex County Council, we are at an exciting point in the process and are looking to recruit two permanent Clinical Psychologists to the Consultation Assessment & Treatment Service (CATS) within the Community Psychological Service.

CATS is a Psychology-led service which is embedded within West Sussex Children's Social Care. The service provides a range of specialist psychological assessments and therapeutic interventions with children, young people and their families/carers where concerns have been raised about the child engaging in harmful sexual behaviour (HSB). It is an exciting time to join the service as we are widening our service offer within Children's Social Care and the successful candidates will be part of this service development. Some of these developments are within the field of HSB and some will be a broader psychological offer. In addition to direct work, the service provides consultation, training and reflective practice groups.

In this role, you will have experience in undertaking evidence based psychological assessments and interventions with children and families. In addition, you will have an understanding of trauma-informed practices and relational approaches.

As a psychologist in the team the role will involve consultation to social care and other colleagues, facilitating reflective practice, and training delivery. There will also be opportunities to be involved in service development.

The post holders will receive a comprehensive induction which will include opportunities to shadow and to co-work. The successful candidate/s will also receive a range of in-house specialist training in addition to external training in the AIM 3 assessment model.

The post holders will receive regular clinical supervision from a Senior Clinical Psychologist in CATS, in addition to ongoing opportunities for co-working and taking part in regular team case discussions. The team has close links to the University of Surrey Clinical Psychology Doctoral programme and regularly provides placements to trainees.

The post holders will join a well-established and valued team who are passionate about the service and the work that we undertake.

You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes are available and having a driving license is highly desirable.

About you

Just some of the key skills and experience you will need to be successful in the role include:

• Professional Doctorate level training in Clinical Psychology and be registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Experience of working with children, young people and their families and good working knowledge of the service population or similar.
• Clinical expertise in delivering psychological assessment and therapy with children, young people and their families presenting with a range of complex psychological needs, who may be mistrustful of services.
• Effective communication skills, skills in consultation to other professionals and in designing and delivering training.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About us

Just some of the key skills and experience you will need to be successful in the role include:

• Professional Doctorate level training in Clinical Psychology and be registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Experience of working with children, young people and their families and good working knowledge of the service population or similar.
• Clinical expertise in delivering psychological assessment and therapy with children, young people and their families presenting with a range of complex psychological needs, who may be mistrustful of services.
• Effective communication skills, skills in consultation to other professionals and in designing and delivering training.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

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:

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05861.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Dr Lucy Harris, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for CATS at

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. (The Cover Letter has a maximum word count of 1500.) 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.

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 application help page.