Senior Speech & Language Therapist Critical Care

Job overview

The Havens is London’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), currently based on three sites at Camberwell, Paddington/St Charles and Whitechapel. The Havens provide comprehensive forensic, medical and aftercare services to clients who have experienced rape and serious sexual assault within the past 12 months. We are a longstanding partnership initiative between the Mayors’ Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and NHS England to improve the care offered to clients who have experienced sexual assault and rape. The service is provided by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The Children and Young People’s Service at the Havens (CYP Havens) represents an exciting expansion of service provision, aimed at providing an enhanced service for children and adolescents presenting acutely after child sexual abuse or assault, and ensuring equity of provision with adult services. The Children and Young People’s Therapy Service at the Havens (CYP Therapy Service) provides children and adolescents, and their families, presenting with psychological difficulties post sexual abuse with specialist psychological assessment and brief to medium term intervention (individual and group programmes). Additionally the service provides forensic interviewing of children and young people, alongside being active in audit, research and training.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed Clinical Psychologist with experience of working with children and young people. The post holder must have experience of working with trauma and experience in providing psychological assessment and intervention to children and young people in one to one therapy as well as groups and workshops. Experience of assessing and managing risk in the context of mental health and safeguarding is vital as well as experience of providing short to medium-term therapy.

Main duties of the job

You will be working closely with the Havens therapies service and CYP Havens, and you will provide supervision to more junior psychologists. You will contribute to the development of the Havens Service, in particular the Forensic Interview Psychology project and participate in audit, research and training in addition to carrying out liaison work with local agencies. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team are therefore essential. A willingness to rise to the challenges presented by this area of work and a commitment to providing an excellent service to survivors of sexual assault are also necessary.

You are expected to have doctoral level training in clinical psychology and must be HCPC registered, and you will have a minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience in working with trauma in the CYP population. Experience of working with clients who have experienced sexual violence and trauma are essential.

There is a requirement for some evening work (up until 20h00) and occasional Saturdays. The Havens is a pan-London service, therefore travel between sites will be expected, when not working from home.

Working for our organisation

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of £1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical and Client Care
• To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist psychology service to children, young people and their families attending the Havens.
• To provide highly specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions for clients in the CYP Psychology Service including: - Specialist assessment and clinical formulation of children and adolescents who have experienced sexual assault, rape or who have been sexually exploited. To include psychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured / semi-structured and unstructured observations and interviews with the client, family members and others involved in their care.

- Specialist evidence-based brief intervention for children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse / exploitation, monitoring outcomes and modifying / adapting intervention as required and drawing on a range of theoretical options, and supporting their transition to local services as required.

- Undertake liaison psychology with The Havens and borough services, including:
advocates; local borough CAMHS teams; local charity and third sector services; local early support services; and local IAPTS and school counsellors.

• To provide culturally appropriate psychological interventions with carers or families of referred clients when required.
• To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans.
• To develop, co-ordinate and ensure the systematic provision of a highly specialist psychology led forensic interview service, in collaboration with the Metropolitan police, for children and young people reporting sexual assault, abuse or exploitation.
• To undertake visually recorded forensic interviews (VRI) in collaboration with the Metropolitan police, following receipt of specialist training by the Metropolitan Police.
• To develop, co-ordinate and ensure an effective care pathway between CYP Psychology Service and London Sector CSA hubs / Child House(s), to promote coordinated, safe and effective client care and client choice.
• To provide consultation and supervision to services across South West London, as part of Havens CYP Psychology service development.
• To communicate skilfully, complex and sensitive information with clients, parents, carers, and colleagues taking account of sensory, developmental and cultural barriers to communication.
• To prepare written reports, including court reports as a professional witness.
• To work as an autonomous professional within Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC) and BPS guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, taking full responsibility for own work including treatment and discharge decisions.

Responsibilities for team and service clinical functioning
• To co-ordinate (and chair on rotation) meetings for CYP Havens and the CYP Psychology Service to ensure effective functioning and review when appropriate.
• To take a lead in ensuring a psychologically informed framework for CYP Haven and the CYP Psychology Service.
• To take a lead in developing the service’s delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
• To be proactive in challenging discrimination and support the development of culturally competent services.
• To advise other members of the service on specialist psychological care of clients.
• To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.
• To utilise theory, evidence-based literature and research to support evidence-based practice in individual work and work with other team members.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996 or awarded the Statement of Equivalence in Clinical Psychology by the BPS or successful completion of the HCPC Period of Adaptation in Clinical Psychology)
• Additional training in a specialised area of psychological practice (relevant to working with child sexual abuse / exploitation) through formal post-qualification training (PG Diploma or equivalent), OR a combination of specialist short courses, Or an evidenced portfolio of supervised practice–based learning in a specialist area of clinical practice, assessed by an experienced clinical supervisor to be of equal level to a Postgraduate Diploma.
• Completed training course in clinical supervision.
• Trained in evidence-based interventions for PTSD in children and young people

Desirable criteria

• Training in forensic interviewing in accordance with Achieving Best Evidence Guidelines for children and young people

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies for childhood sexual abuse / exploitation.
• Advanced theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of childhood sexual abuse / exploitation.
• Advanced knowledge of psychological assessment and clinical psychometrics relevant to childhood sexual abuse / exploitation.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities.
• Doctoral level knowledge of psychological research methodology and complex statistical analysis.
• Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature in childhood sexual abuse / exploitation.
• Experience of supervising assistant and trainee psychologists having completed the relevant training.
• Experience of supervising qualified psychologists
• Experience of line managing staff
• Experience of providing teaching and training to psychologists or other professional groups.
• Post-qualification experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities
• Experience of proposing and implementing service development projects within own service area.

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of having worked as a clinical specialist under supervision in childhood sexual abuse / exploitation.
• Experience of carrying out post-doctoral research, audit or service evaluation projects
• Knowledge of forensic interviewing skills for children and young people across the age range and with a range of complex psychological needs.
• Knowledge of acute (e.g. recent) child sexual abuse and exploitation, and issues relevant within this context (including but not limited to safeguarding, criminal justice system / pre-trial therapy, individual and systemic psychosocial needs)
• Experience of working acutely with recent child sexual abuse / exploitation, within a multi-disciplinary service that provides comprehensive care to address the child or young person’s holistic psychosocial and medical health needs.
• Experience of forensic interviewing with children and young people.
• Experience of using structured risk assessment protocols and measures.
• Record of publications in either peer reviewed, academic or professional journals/books.

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• To deliver psychological therapy across cultural and other differences.
• To select and administer specialist psychological assessments, interpreting and integrating complex data that requires analysis, interpretation and comparison, drawn from several sources, on which expert opinion may differ.
• To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information.
• To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers, and to organise meetings such as CPAs and case reviews, and joint activities with staff of partner agencies.
• Skills planning projects and work schedules for groups of psychologists.
• Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data.
• Skills in providing teaching and training to other professional groups
• Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles.
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate.
• Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings.
• Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these.
• Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self- harming or aggressive behaviour.
• Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self by service users.

Desirable criteria

• Expertise in the skilled administration of psychometric tests, including skilled manipulation of test materials; and to be able to supervise others in administration of psychometric tests.
• Skills in forensic interviewing with children and young people.

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.