Job summary
- Main area
- Assistant Psychologist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 411-COM-26-7764290
- Employer
- Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Catkin Building Alder Hey Hospital
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £27,485 - £30,162 pro rota
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/02/2026 08:00
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist - Eating Disorder Team
NHS AfC: Band 4
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.
We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.
As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.
You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:
- Great flexible working opportunities
- Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- Extensive staff health and well-being programmes
Job overview
The post holder will support and enhance the professional psychological care of children, young people and families within a the specialised eating disorder team under the direction and supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist.
AGENDA FOR CHANGE BAND - band 4
30 hours per week
Working as part of the Community and Mental Health Division you will collaborate with other Clinical Psychology and multi-disciplinary team members. Other professionals in health, education and the voluntary sector involved in the emotional well-being of children and families.
This post involves work in the community, at Alder Hey Hospital and at our intensive therapies hub in Waterloo.
Main duties of the job
- Following appropriate induction and under direction and supervision, to undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients including standard psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, family members and others involved in the client’s care.
- To assist in the delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and / or management of a client’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified professional psychologist. The post holder can be required to work in highly emotive atmosphere and must maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times.
- To assist in the co-ordination and running of therapeutic groups.
- To work with other staff to assess outpatients, inpatients and residents and review their care in preparation for multi-disciplinary reviews.
- To assist in the development of a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all care settings.
- To attend and contribute to clinical psychology meetings and appropriate multi-disciplinary meetings, as directed by the qualified clinical psychologists.
- To prepare test materials and visual aids as required and to maintain stock of same where necessary.
Working for our organisation
This post is attached to the Eating Disorders team at Alder Hey. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing support to children and young people who are in need of intervention/support. The post holder will support children and young people who are inpatients on ward 4C and outpatients as part of their home treatment support. Providing evidenced based interventions depending on needs of the individual working collaboratively with other professionals across Liverpool and Sefton CAMHs and the Emergency department at Alder Hey hospital as well as other services as required as part of the care plan for CYP.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- In common with all members of the clinical psychology service, to receive regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional practice guidelines and Trust policy. The post holder’s work is directed, managed and supervised with goals agreed and reviewed at intervals.
- To develop skills and competencies that assist in the delivery of current duties.
- Where appropriate, and under the supervision of qualified staff, to contribute to the training and support of other staff in psychological care.
- To prepare test materials and visual aids as required.
- To assist in the design and implementation of audit and research projects.
- To develop a skill base in the administration and analysis of a range of psychometric packages as required.
- To maintain comprehensive clinical notes and consultation records as defined in the operational policy and countersigned by the Clinical Psychologist supervisor. This includes case files and the service’s electronic record system.
-
To be responsible for the prudent use of equipment and resources.
-
To assist in the design and implementation of service development projects within the service as required.
-
To attend meetings as required in which service developments are planned and discussed.
-
To be competent in the use of basic IT packages, such as Microsoft Word, and utilize electronic patient record date for implementation of audit and service delivery purposes (to inform service developments)To develop a skill base in the administration and analysis of a range of psychometric packages as required.
Person specification
experince
Essential criteria
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems or other disabilities
Desirable criteria
- High standard of report writing
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues.
- An ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
- An ability to interact sensitively and effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact with people with mental health problems or other disabilities and their families.
Essential Criteria
Essential criteria
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology. A lower second class honours degree supplemented by post graduate qualification may be considered. Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
- Work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities on a paid or voluntary basis.
- Research and Audit Experience
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
- Previous experience as an Assistant in an NHS setting.
- Previous experience in eating disorder setting
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Megan Richards
- Job title
- Operational Service Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors