Principal Clinical Psychologist - Clinical Lead

The Opportunity

Salary: Pro-rata £55,640 to £59,129 per annum

FTE Equivalent Salary: Hay D £69,551 to £73,912 per annum.
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Part-time, 29.6 hours per week. Hybrid working considered; in-person availability on a Tuesday necessary for team meeting
Location: Based at Glebelands, Shoreham, with countywide coverage

Please note: WSCC offer a Relocation Allowance for this role - If you relocate for a role with us then we can offer a tax-free relocation allowance of up to £8,000.

Interviews: Scheduled for 06 and 08 October 2025

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 Children's Services?
• Do you have experience of providing a range of therapeutic evidence-informed interventions including DDP-informed interventions with carers and children in care?

If so, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role

We are looking to recruit a dedicated and experienced Principal Clinical Psychologist - Clinical Lead for our growingAttach 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
• Contribute to the development of the service

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 .

About You

We're 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, and a commitment to developing a supportive team culture
• Has experience working with neurodiverse young people. An understanding of the intersection between developmental trauma and neurodevelopmental needs would be an advantage
• Is confident managing risk and complexity in multi-agency environments
• 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.

For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached. Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.

What We Offer

• A welcoming and forward-thinking psychological service embedded within Children's 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 the Attach service
• Peer support and ongoing CPD
• An inclusive and values-driven team culture that supports innovation and reflective practice

You'll 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.

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.

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.

Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

Employer Pension Contribution: 18.70% (this alters per annum on the 1 April each year).

Annual leave: 30 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 38 days

For a full list, see our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

This is your chance to lead, innovate, and make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable children and their carers.

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05689.

We are also advertising roles within this team for Senior Clinical Psychologists. These roles can be found on our website. If you are interested in applying for more than one of these roles, please make Kerry Joad aware and we can duplicate your application.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Dr Jenny Mount (Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Attach service) at

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact

Information Pack:

• Job description - Principal Clinical Psychologist - Clinical Lead Attach (CAFHE05689)
• About Us

• West Sussex Fostering Vision statement

• REACH project information sheet
• Children's Home Collaborative information sheet (CHC)

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 detail the skills, experience and values you can bring to the role (refer to the key skills in the job description) 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.

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.