A Vacancy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
The Adolescent Treatment Team (ATT) is a well-established arm of Lewisham CAMHS offering stabilisation, formulation, treatment and discharge to the most complex, high risk and vulnerable children in the area. The team is multi-disciplinary, dynamic, resourceful, caring and supportive, holding a small number of children with a variety of mental health presentations including psychosis and emotional instability. The team work together to meet the needs of these children and to promote their best opportunity of recovery. ATT use teamwork to offer effective service provision in a supportive, positive and respectful environment.
ATT is seeking to recruit an experienced clinician to a new role within the team reflecting the changing needs of our population. ATT wish to employ a qualified clinician with experience of working within a CAMHS service with children with possible or diagnosed neurodiversity. We have seen an increase in these vulnerable children over the past few years, approximately 60% of our caseload either have a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of autism or learning need. The new post holder will provide ongoing CAMHS support and also help the team think about the development of appropriate service provision.
The post holder will provide specialist clinical skills to the team focusing mainly on the needs of the neurodiverse young people in Lewisham. Many of these children have comorbidities such as psychosis, bipolar, trauma, severe emotional instability and complex learning issues. The team are part of the Early Interventions in Psychosis service (EIS) and many of our young people need support in this area. We require a clinician who can provide direct input to these children and offer consultation to the team regarding, risk, formulation and treatment.
The clinician will be involved in referral discussions, initial assessments, care coordination of a small number of cases, therapeutic interventions using evidence-based practice, joint working and specialist assessments such as ADOS and cognitive assessments. There will be space for service development and potentially research, for example we have seen a growing presentation in neurodiversity and At-Risk Mental State. Consultation and supervision will also be part of the role. There will be the opportunity to work with groups and in partnership with our NDT service. As an 8a the role would involve some senior management duties and liaison with the management team.
SLAM is the largest mental health trust in the UK and offers a wide range of National Specialists and local provisions in South London. Working for Lewisham CAMHS gives access to many of the dynamic and innovative opportunities linked to the Trust.
Lewisham is an inner-city borough in South London serving a population of almost 300,000 people, 23 % falling in the 0-19 age group. Lewisham is highly diverse and proudly represents many different cultures, needs and backgrounds.
Lewisham CAMHS has several teams providing services to specific need; the ATT team has been established over 20 years serving the most complex and high-risk children in Lewisham. There is close liaison with other CAMHS teams and the wider specialist services. Working within ATT can be challenging and demanding but there are resources in place such as supervision, case discussion, the MDT, joint work, training, clear referral criteria, systems management and workable caseloads to support functioning. There is a strong team identity and ethos, we strive to do our best for our young people.
The successful candidate would offer high quality clinical psychological services to the team including, care coordination, assessments, formulation, evidence based therapeutic interventions and case monitoring/management with an emphasis on children with a neurodiverse profile. The candidate will be a resource for the team when considering the needs of children with a variety of mental health presentations, there could be some cross over with the EIS team. There will be the opportunity to supervise and train others and develop skills based on the appraisal. Full details are available in the Job Description and Personal Specification.
This advert closes on Friday 14 Feb 2025