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Job summary

Main area
Psychology
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 22.5 hours per week
Job ref
285-5345-CYPF
Employer
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Sandwell CAMHS
Town
West Bromwich
Salary
£66,582 - £77,368 pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
16/11/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust logo

Principal Applied Psychologist

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is growing and changing. We provide specialist mental health, learning disability and community services across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. We’re looking for people who care about others, take responsibility, treat people with respect and have the confidence to speak up and shape what comes next.

We’re focused on the future, with a clear Trust Strategy and our Best for the Black Country programme driving improvement across our services and communities.

What we do

·       Adult and older adult mental health

·       Children and young people’s mental health

·       Specialist learning disability services

·       Community healthcare for children, young people and families in Dudley

Why join now

We’ve got real momentum. Clear priorities and our Best for the Black Country work mean things are moving in the right way, fast.

Our culture is built around being compassionate, accountable, respectful and empowering each other - you’ll see this in how teams support patients and colleagues every day.
You’ll be looked after. Flexible working, family-friendly policies, supportive teams, proper wellbeing support and opportunities to learn and develop.

There’s room to grow. A wide range of services, space to try ideas and a voice that’s heard.

It’s a great place to live. Diverse communities, good transport links, strong schools and green space, with a lower cost of living than many city regions.

What it’s like to work here

You’ll join friendly, skilled teams who look out for each other. We plan together, share pressures and celebrate wins. You’ll be encouraged to take ownership, speak up and learn from experience. New starters get a warm welcome and clear induction; early careers colleagues have preceptorship and buddying; experienced staff can lead, teach and innovate.

Who we are

We’re 4,000+ colleagues from many backgrounds, committed to improving health and wellbeing for our communities and for each other. If you’re interested in the role but don’t meet every requirement, please apply — we value potential, different perspectives and people who want to grow.

As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application—especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions—is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Armed Forces Community

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from veterans, reservists, service leavers, military spouses and members of the wider Armed Forces community. We recognise the valuable skills, experience and attributes developed through military service and are committed to supporting the Armed Forces community in their careers.

Job overview

Band 8b Principal Applied Psychologist - STEPP Constellation Lead

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Principal Applied Psychologist to lead the CAMHS STEPP Constellation, supporting children and young people experiencing Suicidality, Trauma, Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Personality Difficulties.

You will provide expert clinical leadership delivering and overseeing high-quality, evidence-based assessment, formulation and intervention working closely with operational, medical and professional leaders.   You will provide expert supervision, consultation and support to psychologists and wider team members, promoting compassionate, trauma-informed and person-centred care.

You will support with service evaluation, audit, and quality improvement initiatives and work collaboratively with health, education, social care and voluntary sector partners to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

We are seeking an HCPC-registered Applied Psychologist with substantial experience of working with children and young people with complex mental health needs, strong leadership skills, and expertise in one or more STEPP specialisms. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of specialist CAMHS provision and make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across the Black Country.

Main duties of the job

  • As the Principal Applied Psychologist and STEPP Constellation Lead, you will provide clinical leadership for CAMHS pathways supporting children and young people experiencing Suicidality and Trauma and develop close links with the Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Personality Difficulties pathways.
  • You will lead and develop psychological provision across the STEPP pathways, providing supervision, leadership and support to Applied Psychologists, Trainee Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists and other disciplines as required. You will contribute to workforce development through consultation, teaching, training and reflective practice.
  • You will deliver highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for young people with complex and high-risk mental health needs, while providing expert consultation and risk management advice across multidisciplinary teams.
  • The role requires close partnership working with health, education, social care and voluntary sector colleagues to ensure effective, integrated care pathways.
 
 

Working for our organisation

At Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, our vision is to provide outstanding, compassionate care that improves the lives of the children, families and communities we serve. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace where colleagues feel valued, empowered and able to thrive professionally.

As part of Sandwell CAMHS, you will join a skilled and compassionate multidisciplinary team that places children, young people and families at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to support innovation, continuous learning, professional development and staff wellbeing, enabling our teams to deliver the highest standards of care.

Our work is guided by our Trust values of CARE:

  • Compassionate - we show kindness, empathy and understanding in everything we do.
  • Accountable - we take responsibility for our actions and strive for excellence.
  • Respectful - we value diversity, listen to others and treat everyone with dignity.
  • Empowered - we support each other to grow, innovate and make a difference. 

Whether you are looking to develop your specialist psychological expertise, contribute to service transformation, or take the next step in your leadership journey, Black Country Healthcare offers the support, opportunities and flexibility to help you succeed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Provide clinical leadership for the STEPP Constellation (Suicidality, Trauma, Eating Disorders, Psychosis and Personality Difficulties) across Sandwell CAMHS.
  • Deliver highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and evidence-based interventions for children, young people and families with complex and high-risk mental health needs.
  • Lead on complex risk assessment, risk management and safeguarding, providing expert advice to multidisciplinary colleagues.
  • Provide specialist consultation, guidance and psychological leadership within multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams.
  • Supervise, line manage and support Applied Psychologists, Trainee Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists.
  • Lead workforce development through supervision, teaching, training and the promotion of psychologically informed practice.
  • Work collaboratively with operational, medical and professional leads to develop and improve specialist CAMHS pathways.
  • Lead service development, quality improvement, audit and transformation projects, ensuring services are evidence-based and aligned with national standards.
  • Promote trauma-informed, compassionate and person-centred approaches to care across the STEPP pathways.
  • Lead and contribute to research, service evaluation and outcome monitoring to drive innovation and improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
  • Represent psychology within service redesign, governance and strategic planning forums, ensuring psychological expertise informs organisational development and cultural change.
  • Build strong partnerships with health, education, social care and voluntary sector agencies to support integrated care and improved patient outcomes.

Person specification

Essential

Essential criteria
  • • Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied Psychology (or its equivalent) as accredited by the BPS including models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
  • • HCPC registration as an Applied Psychologist
  • • Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice
  • • Evidence of continuing professional development
  • • Working as a qualified applied psychologist within the designated service including a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and a range of clinical severity across a range of care settings.
  • • Exercising full clinical responsibility for clients’ psychological care as a care coordinator within the context of a multidisciplinary team.
  • • Utilise psychometric tests competently
  • • Highly developed knowledge and skills in the care of difficult to treat groups e.g. dual diagnoses, additional disabilities or severely challenging behaviour

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Bronze Award

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Dr Wendy Harrison-Frazer
Job title
Consultant Psychologist/Div Lead for Psychology
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07817 568705
Additional information

Service Manager/Clinical Lead Scott Hathersmith

[email protected]

0121 612 6620/07976 849482

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