CYP Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist 8a

Main area

CYP Principal Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist 8a - 8b

Grade

Band 8a to 8b

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time hours per week

Job ref

373-CYP1454-A RR

Site

Marsden House

Town

Chester

Salary

£55,690 - £74,896 per annum

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

31/10/2025 23:59

Job overview

We have a rare opportunity to join our expanding Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (CAPT) workforce in Cheshire's 0-18 Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS). This post is based in Chester with an expectation that the successful applicant will also provide input to our Winsford team.

This is an ideal opportunity for a band 8b CAPT, or band 8a CAPT looking to develop their clinical leadership skills and move into a more senior grade in time with the support of a development plan. (Suitable applicants currently working at band 7 who have a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience can be considered for an 8a-8b development post).

You must be a full member of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists to apply.

**We offer a relocation package of up to £8,000**

The relocation package is for anyone who would need to relocate in order to take up employment with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership. Terms and conditions apply.

Main duties of the job

You will be a vital member of our MDT and offer strong clinical leadership skills, collaborating with a range of partner mental health professionals. You will provide highly specialist psychoanalytic assessments and treatment of children and young people presenting with severe and complex mental health difficulties with a main base in one of our Cheshire CYPMHS 0-18 services. With close ties to the DChPsychPsych programme at NSCAP you'll have the opportunity to offer placements for trainee CAPTs. Please download a copy of the job description for full details.

At CWP, we take pride in our forward-thinking approach to mental health care across all ages. You'll have opportunities to engage with our clinical networks, contribute to service development, evaluation and research. We offer: - Clinical and professional supervision - Ongoing professional development to support your growth - A highly supportive working environment that encourages service innovation and research

Please contact Dr Tim Smith for further information T: E: or to arrange an informal visit/discussion.

Working for our organisation

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton and Liverpool.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.

All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you'll find something to suit you at CWP.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please download a copy of the job description (see 'documents to download' section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust's Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trust's Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.

An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: or by calling

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the 'essential' criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer 'YES' to the question: 'Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?'

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon

Person specification
TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS
Essential criteria

• Postgraduate diploma or Masters degree (pre-clinical training as recognised by Association of Child Psychotherapists)

• Professional qualification as a Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist as recognised by the Association of Child Psychotherapist (Doctorate level training equivalent).

• Full Membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists. (up to date full membership of ACP to be maintained).

Desirable criteria

• Post qualification training in clinical supervision.

EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERTISE
Essential criteria

• Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of child and adolescent psychotherapy, including psychoanalytic theories and models of development, psychopathology, family and institutional dynamics and models of intervention and practice.

• A good amount of postqualification experience of assessment/intervention with young people (and their families, parents/carers) in a CAMHS (or equivalent) setting

• Ability to function independently as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist within a Team

• Experience of psychoanalytic assessment and therapeutic work with difficult, disturbed, and challenging children and young people (and their families, parent/carers) requiring skilled and complex psychotherapeutic interventions

• Experience of working in the role of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with Children and Adolescents presenting severe and complex difficulties.

• Experience of working with professional networks and awareness of issues for networks and teams.

• Experience of providing consultation and support to other professionals in Health, education and/or Social Services.

• Significant experience of presenting clinical child psychotherapy within the context of multidisciplinary and multi-agency treatment and care

• High level ability to communicate effectively (in written and verbal forms) complex, technical and clinically sensitive information to children, young people and their carers and families, and a wide range of professionals within and outside of CAMHS.

• Knowledge of legislation and national guidance in relation to the needs of children and young people and to mental health (including safeguarding procedures) implications for clinical practice

Desirable criteria

• Experience of designing and implementing audit.

• Experience of supervising and/or facilitating the development of trainees or junior colleagues

• Post qualification experience in developing a relevant area of special interest (eg application of STPP, consultation re CLA).

• Experience of contributing to Service development.

Skills
Essential criteria

• Highly developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, to convey highly complex and clinically sensitive information to children, young people and their families and to a range of professionals within and outside the NHS.

• Capacity to communicate clearly with analytic and non-analytic colleagues.

• Well-developed skills in the use of complex psychoanalytic methods of assessment, intervention and management in work with infants/children/ young people, parents/carers and families.

• Highly-developed skills in co-working, liaison and consultation with others.

• Capacity to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team context.

• Ability to assess risk, manage risk and make complex judgment about risk issues.

• Ability to work with people from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicity from one's own.

• Ability to cope with stressful interpersonal situations, including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical aggression, and to communicate in situations in which there may be barriers to the acceptance of communications.

• Capacity to prioritise complex tasks and organise workload to meet Service User and service needs.

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.

Further details / informal visits contact

Name

Tim Smith

Job title

Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

Email address

Telephone number

Additional information

If you consider yourself Neurodivergent and need help to complete your application form, please contact

or telephone

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