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Job summary

Main area
Assistant Psychologist
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 4
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
395-PP180-25-A
Employer
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Lenworth Clinic
Town
Ashford
Salary
£27,485 - £30,162 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
27/02/2026 23:59
Interview date
13/03/2026

Employer heading

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust logo

Assistant Psychologist

NHS AfC: Band 4

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London,  and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

We are excited to offer Assistant Psychologist opportunities across various sites within Kent and Medway Children's Mental Health Services.  These are Ashford, South Kent Coast (Folkestone, Dover and Deal), Canterbury and Medway.

The post holder will support people and enhance the professional psychological care within the service, across all sectors of care, providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions of a routine nature, under the direct supervision of a qualified professional psychologist drawing on their supervisor’s expertise.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of the Assistant Psychologist are summarised in the attached job description but key duties are:

  • Support the implementation and collection of Routine Outcome measures to drive service delivery-sharing these with the clinical team.
  • Have the opportunity to be part of a Multi-Disciplinary team; under supervision be able to support assessments and Evidence-Based Interventions to young people.
  • Supporting case discussions and formulations by completing chronologies, school observations and liaising with professional networks.
  • Facilitate groups under guidance of qualified staff.
  • Conduct clinically appropriate audits and research projects; sharing findings with the locality team but also the wider Kent and Medway Children's Services.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

  • We are kind. 
  • We are respectful.
  • We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. 

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust.  All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment.  As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. 

From April 2026, this role will sit within Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. The successful candidate will be supported throughout this change, with clear communication and further details provided during the process. If employment with NELFT begins prior to April 2026, arrangements will be managed in line with TUPE.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

 

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.

 

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

 

Use of AI

Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • NVQ level 2 or equivalent standard of literacy and numeracy
  • An upper second-class honours degree or higher in psychology. Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable criteria
  • Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • An awareness of NHS priorities
  • High level communication skills (written and verbal). Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance.
  • An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context and an understanding of psychology applied to health care.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Employers for CarersApprenticeships logoAge positiveDisability confident employerHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionTop 10 Employer 2023

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.

Application numbers

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

If you require any additional support during the application process please contact [email protected]. We are happy to make reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment journey.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lianne Fitzmaurice
Job title
Team Manager Ashford CYPMHS
Telephone number
0300 3001982
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