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Job summary

Main area
CYPS
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract
12 months (Fixed term/Secondment for 12 months)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
346-DDC-082-25-A
Employer
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Stanley Primary Care Centre
Town
County Durham
Salary
£27,485 - £30,162 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
15/02/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust logo

Psychology Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 4

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We’re committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won’t rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 4 Psychology Assistant - fixed term or secondment for 12 months to join our new neurodevelopmental pathway.  The role will involve contributing to the assessment of children and young people across County Durham and Darlington who are presenting with neurodevelopmental difficulties such as Autism and ADHD.  

Applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis. In the event that permanent funding is secured for this post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.

Main duties of the job

Working under the supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist, the main role of the Psychology Assistant in the team is to conduct cognitive assessments and school observations that can contribute to the work of the team.  Additional roles will include assisting with audit, managing databases and service development.  Please note that some aspects of this work may be conducted remotely at the present time.

We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague who has excellent team working skills. 

If you are interested in this role, please answer the following question in no more than 100 words in the additional information section of your application form.  

Question:  "Why are school observations important in a neurodevelopmental assessment process?"

Working for our organisation

The Trust employs a successful team of Psychologists with a highly motivated and supportive team of Senior Managers and other senior clinical staff. The Trust is a strongly value based, person-centred organisation which has taken a strategic approach to continued service improvement, the modernisation of clinical roles and the introduction of care pathways embedded within a functioning system of governance.

Durham & Darlington Locality

TEWV CAMHS services in County Durham have had both national and local recognition for their quality improvement work. This includes Nursing Times awards for Patient’s Safety, Positive Practice Awards for Innovative Service Development along with gaining four making a difference awards. Key to our service transformation is engagement with young people; we have participation groups established and we are accredited with Investors in Children. We also work closely with parents and carers, co-facilitating a local parent group with a local community interest group; we are also accredited with County Durham Young Carers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Psychologists & Psychological Therapists provide key leadership roles within the Trust. To support this we have developed leadership profiles for each psychology band and the profile card associated with this post is attached on NHS Jobs. You can find more information about the NHS Leadership Academy’s Healthcare Leadership Model and the profiles at their website. We encourage you to look at these resources as they will play a part in the interview process.

Assistant psychologists are an integral part of our assessment team providing both standardised and informal assessments.  These will include cognitive assessments, play-based assessments, school observations and running groups.  

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree in Psychology
  • Eligible for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Some experience of people using services in psychological, mental health and/or social care settings. This may include, for example, personal experience or supporting a family member to access services
  • Experience in discussing and responding to issues related to cultural diversity, intersectionality and inclusivity, including working with vulnerable groups (e.g. those for whom English is not their first language).

Knowledge/Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of communicating sensitive information
  • Experience of work interacting with the public
  • An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental ill health or learning disabilities
  • An awareness of the application of psychology to health care
  • Demonstrate an awareness of confidentiality within healthcare
  • Awareness of the British Psychological Society Code of Conduc
  • Awareness of systemic barriers to accessing psychological services/healthcare for minoritised communities
Desirable criteria
  • Experience as a psychology assistant (paid or voluntary)
  • Experience working with people with mental health distress, learning disabilities or neurodiversity (paid or voluntary)
  • Experience of clinical audit, research or service evaluation
  • Experience using statistical software packages e.g. R Studio
  • Experience of using psychometric assessments
  • Awareness of increasing access to psychological services/healthcare for minoritised communities
  • An ability to apply psychological knowledge to the population described in the job advert

Personal Skills

Essential criteria
  • Ability to communicate information (verbal and written) effectively in a manner appropriate to the individual and situation
  • Record Keeping (within agreed timescale)
  • Methodical and accurate approach to data collection and analysis
  • Competence in using psychometric assessment tools (within agreed timescale
  • Breakaway techniques (within agreed timescale)
  • Awareness of the need to learn and develop through a variety of methods and experiences.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of clinical report writing

Employer certification / accreditation badges

We are a Living Wage EmployerVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into healthArmed Forces CovenantBetter Health at Work Gold Award

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Dr Stef Gunn
Job title
Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01207 285 882
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