Psychological Practitioners

The Opportunity

Salary: Pro‑rata for 25.9 hours £33,758‑£35,949 per annum / Pro‑rata for 22.2 hours £28,936 – £30,814 per annum (FTE Equivalent Salary: Grade 12 £ 48,226 – £51,356 per annum)

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Part‑time, Monday to Friday. Hybrid working will be considered. Days are flexible except Tuesday, which is the team meeting day;
Thursday and Friday are quieter days in the team; it would be advantageous if successful candidates could work at least one of these days.

Two part‑time roles available:

• 25.9 hours per week (0.7 FTE) – supporting Children in Care
• 22.2 hours per week (0.6 FTE) – supporting Children in Care who are unaccompanied asylum‑seeking young people (UASC)

Location: Based at Glebelands, Shoreham‑by‑Sea but will be required to provide countywide coverage.

Travel independently around the county is required, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes are available and a driving licence is highly desirable.

Interviews are scheduled for: Monday 13 th July

• Are you a trauma‑informed practitioner, passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people in care?
• Are you looking for an opportunity to develop in a growing, evidence‑informed therapeutic service?
• Would you thrive in providing training, consultation and reflective practice to staff groups within Children’s Services?
• Do you have experience of providing a range of therapeutic interventions for children and families?
• Do you have an interest in improving outcomes for children in care and/or unaccompanied asylum‑seeking young people?

If so, we would love to hear from you.

Attach is a psychology‑led service supporting children in care that has recently launched within West Sussex County Council. We offer direct assessment and therapy, support for foster and residential carers and reflective supervision and training for social work colleagues with the aim of improving the lives of young people in care.

The Attach service is made up of experienced mental health practitioners who have worked for most of their careers in the NHS and have all moved across to social care. We are excited to be part of West Sussex County Council and are learning together about the opportunities available here.

The role focuses on improving emotional wellbeing, placement stability, relational health and trauma‑informed practice across children’s social care services. You will provide psychologically informed assessment, consultation, formulation, therapeutic intervention and workforce support for children and young people who have experienced trauma, adversity and disrupted attachment.

We have two roles:

• Physical Practitioner – Grade 12, 0.7 FTE
  : support to children in care and their carers/networks.
• Physical Practitioner – Grade 12, 0.6 FTE
  : support to children in care who are unaccompanied asylum‑seeking young people and their carers/networks.

In the first role you will be part of a growing team of clinicians responding to requests for specialist therapeutic support. You will attend regular triage meetings, share in clinical decision making and participate in business meetings.

• Drop‑in consultations to social work colleagues, providing a space to unpick clinical dilemmas and develop psychological formulations with related care plans.
• Time‑limited consultation spaces for adults caring for children, helping to understand behaviours that cause concern and exploring ways to move forward together.
• Leading reflective practice groups for social work colleagues.
• Collaborating with colleagues to deliver training offers to the network of adults involved in caring for children.

In the UASC role you will work closely with a colleague supporting unaccompanied asylum‑seeking young people and their networks. You will triage referrals, conduct initial assessments, hold network meetings and deliver evidence‑based, trauma‑informed interventions. Sometimes this work may involve working alongside an interpreter. Additional offers include a reflective practice space for social workers, adapting trauma‑narrative work, attending…