Job summary
- Main area
- CAMHS
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- 6 months (Fixed Term)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 354-CS-21890
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Swift Specialist Family Services
- Town
- Eastbourne
- Salary
- £32,073 - £39,043 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/05/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Assistant Psychologist
NHS AfC: Band 5
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
Would you welcome working alongside a highly skilled multidisciplinary team to make a difference to adopted children (10+ years)?
We are looking for a Senior Assistant Psychologist to be part of a pilot project working with adoptive children and their families. This is a 6 month contract initially, to begin summer 2026, with the potential for extension of the post thereafter.
Our small specialist service is dedicated to improving outcomes for adopted children and their families. We provide clinical assessments and formulations for children and young people who present with complex needs, often transversing attachment and trauma related needs, neurodiversity and mental health. Our work informs decision-making, treatment planning and support for adopted children and their families.
As a Senior Assistant Psychologist, you will be a vital part of our clinical team, contributing to these assessments and helping to evaluate the effectiveness of the service.
Main duties of the job
Working closely alongside a Principal Clinical Psychologist, and wider friendly colleagues in the integrated multi-disciplinary SWIFT CAT team, you will support Post Adoption clinical assessments of complex presentations in young people.
You will assist in the delivery of the service by carrying out psychological assessments, including those related to neurodiversity, under supervision. You will also collect, analyse and present data to inform service improvement and evaluation. You will develop resources, conduct research and literature reviews, to ensure that the service is aligned with the evidence-base.
Alongside, supporting the work of the adoption service, there may also be opportunities to contribute to the work of the ‘CAT’ team, a specialist child assessment and treatment team, that support children and families who are open to Children’s Services.
Our base is in Eastbourne and there is an expectation that you will contribute to an office rota and be willing to travel across the county when required.
Working for our organisation
The Adoption Service is part of the supportive, creative multidisciplinary SWIFT CAT (Children’s Assessment and Treatment) team which offers assessments and interventions to children who live in complex high-risk families. Our core business includes assessing children's mental health, including attention to risk management and care planning, and working with families as well as the wider systems that support them.
The team is part of SWIFT Specialist Family Services (SWIFT), a well-established integrated multi-agency service between East Sussex Children’s Services and Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will contribute to and support the provision of psychological assessments of children, young people and their families, including clinical assessments, cognitive assessments and assessments of risk, under the supervision of the qualified clinical psychologist in the team focusing on adopted children and young people.
You will also contribute to specialist complex neurodevelopmental assessments (I.e., Autism Spectrum Condition, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) for children and young people.
These assessments may include undertaking observations and interviews and administering and scoring psychometrics. Experience of using the WAIS, WISC and ABAS is desirable, but not essential as training and support will be provided.
Previous experience working with children and families is highly desirable given the complexity of young person and family presentation and need.
You will contribute to service development, service evaluation and research to support the work of the psychologists and the wider multidisciplinary team. This may include supporting the collection, collation and maintenance of data relating to service provision.
You will be expected to attend team and service wide meetings and professional development sessions. You will also be provided with your own independent study time. You will be supervised by a qualified clinical psychologist within the team who will support your professional development.
Working for your organisation
At Sussex Partnership we are committed to providing opportunities for flexible working. If you would like to work differently or different hours to as advertised, please get in touch to discuss this in more detail.
If you haven’t thought about living and working in East Sussex before then you should consider the following:
• Journey from the coast to the countryside in minutes
• Enjoy a lifestyle where there are renowned cycle routes and picturesque walks, including the famous South Downs Way in the South Downs National Park!
• Embrace taking time to discover all the miles of scenic coastline
• Easy access to airports - Gatwick and Heathrow are both within 90 minutes of the county, providing links to Europe and beyond
• London is also within easy reach via local and national bus routes and national mainline stations
This is a full time post. Part-time hours can be considered but would require commitment of a minimum 30hrs per week.
For further information or discussion please contact Kim Merrick, Principal Clinical Psychologist, SWIFT – Service for Adopted Young People, at [email protected]
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Honours degree at 2:1 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working with people with complex needs
- Experience of working with people with disabilities, in a health or Mental Health setting and or work with people with complex needs
- Relevant clinical and research skills
- Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Basic knowledge of databases, research skills and methodology
- Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a health context
- An understanding of psychology applied to health care
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
- Kim Merrick
- Job title
- Principle Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01323463800
List jobs with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors