Job summary
Preceptorship role! - 9 MONTHS MATERNITY COVER
PALMS is looking for additional clinicians to be part of our vibrant multidisciplinary team.We are seeking to appoint an additional Clinical Psychologist who is a motivated and forward thinking clinician and leader committed to supporting children and young people (CYP) and their families across Hertfordshire and the full PALMS' team. You will have experience of assessments and a range of evidence based interventions to support the needs of CYP accessing this mental health service.
PALMS works across Hertfordshire providing a specialist multi-disciplinary approach. PALMS is one of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) which offers individually tailored support for CYP, aged 0-18 who have an intellectual disability and/or are autistic, helping families to manage behaviours of concern, toileting, feeding and sleeping concerns which have not benefitted from community interventions and/or to support mental health needs which cannot be met with reasonable adjustment by other CYPMH services. Interventions include intervention workshops, intervention groups, individual therapy, parent as therapist sessions, and a family clinic. PALMS aims to keep CYP with their families thereby improving outcomes for all family members. PALMS predominantly applies narrative, systemic, positive behaviour, and bio-psycho social models adhering to the STOMP / STAMP and Transforming Care Agendas.
Interview Date: 1st July 2026
Main duties of the job
The ideal candidate will be:o Dedicated to supporting CYP with an intellectual disability and/or are autistic and their families.o Passionate about and have a desire to contribute to change in a vibrant NHS teamo Collaborative in their approach to work with families, networks, and other serviceso Able to work both in a team environment and autonomouslyo Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working in settings where there is a highly emotive atmosphere.o Flexible in their approach and have resilience under pressureo Have professional registration for their speciality
The use of AI is monitored and if you have used it then you are required to declare this, as well as what type of AI tools you have used and for what purpose. We reserve the right to further test your individual knowledge and skills in relation to the requirements for the post through robust and thorough interview and assessment.
About us
The PALMS team is well regarded, friendly, cohesive and proactive with excellent outcomes. We value feedback and empower all team members to contribute to the continuous development of the service and their own professional development and welcome innovation and change
We can offer you:
o Regular clinical and professional supervisiono Regular appraisal, personal development planning and opportunities for continuing professional development. This includes specific support with regards to fulfilling the PALMS' role.o Opportunities to work closely and meet regularly with a multi-disciplinary team and learn from other evidence based frameworks and approaches.o Opportunities to provide clinical supervision and line management to other members of the PALMS team as appropriate.
Job description
Job responsibilities
PALMS principally deliver a flexible service according to service needs and personal circumstances, in a planned way. For example, for a full-time worker this equates to flexibly working 37.5 across the working week.
PALMS are open to flexible working and therefore part time / job share would be considered. This opportunity is for 9 months maternity cover.
We are committed to supporting flexible working options for staff and welcome discussions on flexible working patterns to support our staff to maintain a healthy work life balance.
Afull valid driving licenceandaccess to a carinsured to use for business purposes is essential (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
Applicants to be aware that PALMS work within the ULEZ zone and any charges due to non-compliant vehicles cannot be reimbursed by the Trust.
Interviews will be run either in person at one of our bases or using Microsoft Teams, full details and instructions will be provided to successful candidates.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Doctoral level training in clinical psychology
- Pre-qualification experience, training and/or qualifications in relevant fields of applied psychology
- Further specialist post-qualification training relevant to the Children and Young People and/or ASD and LD population
- Formal training in supervision of trainee clinical psychologist
- Evidence of continued professional development as recommended by the BPS
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a wide variety of populations, across the whole course of presenting concerns
- Significant experience of working with people with an intellectual disability and with people who are autistic in a range of settings and/or significant experience of working with children and young people
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for CYP's psychological care and treatment
- Experience of teaching, training and/or supervision of trainee clinical psychologists
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working and inter-agency collaboration
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Well developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and /or clinically sensitive information to CYP, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings
Personal Abilities
Essential
- Flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of the child/young person
- Capable of using initiative and maintaining professional boundaries
- A passion in, and commitment to, working with children who have an intellectual disability and/or who are autistic and/or mental health difficulties
- An ability to work effectively in a range of direct care settings with families, carers and staff
- Ability to work independently, flexibly, reliably and consistently
- Required to travel across county
- Able to work as part of a virtual team and will be required to work in team bases across the county in the different service
- Able to maintain a high degree of professionalism when working in settings where there is a highly emotive atmosphere
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Address
St Albans Health & Wellbeing Centre
St Albans
AL1 3JE
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.hct.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)
This listing was aggregated from publicly-available sources. The employer holds an A-rated sponsor licence at the time of this listing, but sponsorship of this specific role is not guaranteed — the employer's offer and UK Visas and Immigration are the final authority. Details may have changed since our last update — verify with the employer via the Apply link.