Clinical Psychologist - Children Looked After (CLA) | Croydon Health Services NHS Trust


Company:	Croydon Health Services
Salary:	£63,665 - £70,887 p.a incl of HCAS
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Croydon, CR0 1EA
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	24 Sept 2026
Closing date:	24 Oct 2026

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Summary

The Specialist Clinical Psychologist will provide expert psychological assessment, formulation, consultation and trauma-informed clinical leadership within the Children Looked After (CLA) Health Service. The post holder will lead on supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of Children Looked After who have experienced developmental trauma, attachment disruption, abuse, neglect, loss and adversity.

Working within a trauma-informed and psychologically informed model of care, the post holder will undertake highly specialist assessment, formulation and intervention for children and young people with complex emotional, behavioural and mental health needs.

The post holder will work closely with health, social care, education and CAMHS colleagues to inform care planning, placement stability, risk management and multi-agency decision making. In addition, they will provide consultation, supervision, training and psychological leadership.

The post holder will benefit from specialist CAMHS clinical supervision, strong multi-agency collaboration, and access to ongoing CPD and specialist training in developmental trauma, attachment, safeguarding, risk management and neurodevelopmental assessment. The Trust is committed to supporting the post holder to develop and maintain expertise in autism and ADHD assessment pathways, alongside opportunities for service development, research, teaching, supervision and leadership across children's services.

Interview TBC

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessment, formulation and intervention for Children Looked After (CLA) with complex emotional, behavioural, attachment and mental health needs.

• Act as the clinical lead for trauma-informed practice within the CLA Health Service.

• Maintain a small specialist clinical caseload through the CLA Waiting Well pathway, offering psychological assessment, formulation, consultation and brief evidence-based interventions to support children awaiting CAMHS assessment or treatment.

• Work collaboratively with CAMHS, Social Care, Community Paediatrics, SEND and other partner agencies to support integrated care pathway.

• Provide specialist consultation and psychological advice to CLA Nurses, Social Workers, Foster Carers, Residential Providers, Education Professionals and other members of the professional network.

• Contribute to safeguarding processes, risk assessment and management.

• Provide specialist expertise in understanding the interface between developmental trauma, attachment difficulties and neurodevelopmental presentations.

This is a unique opportunity to work within an innovative integrated model across CLA Health, CAMHS and Social Care. The post offers excellent access to specialist CAMHS supervision, ongoing CPD, training in developmental trauma, attachment and neurodevelopmental assessment, and opportunities to contribute to service development, teaching, leadership and system-wide improvements for Children Looked After

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust provides hospital and community services across Croydon through a range of clinics and specialist centres. Formed in August 2010 from the integration of Croydon Community Health Services and Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust, we employ around 4,100 staff serving a diverse population of over 360,000 people.

Our main site, Croydon University Hospital, is one of the busiest in London. We are also leading the way in delivering more healthcare in community settings and people’s homes. Our district nursing teams, Allied Health Professionals and community matrons care for people of all ages across the borough.

Like the wider NHS, we are working hard to meet increasing demand. With the right people on board, we continue to innovate and transform our services to provide the highest quality care for local residents. We place strong emphasis on education, training and career development for all staff.

If you want to make a real difference, challenge yourself and be part of a Trust that’s shaping local healthcare, Croydon Health Services could be the place for you.

At Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, we are committed to supporting flexible working arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to discuss any flexibility they may need during the recruitment process.

See attached documents ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

This advert closes on Thursday 8 Oct 2026

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