Job Summary
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster’s under 5 service has an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Trainee to join as Trainee in Parenting Training for Conduct Disorder, as part of the NHS England (NHSE) funded Children and Young People (CYP) Psychological Training Programmes.
This government-funded initiative promotes the growth and skill of the child mental health workforce to meet much needed demand. NHSE covers salary and training costs for a 1-year position, allowing services to employ trainees to support specialist pathways to bridge the gaps in CYP mental health support.
This is a unique opportunity to apply your learning from weekly teaching into practical clinical interventions working with clients in the service making a direct impact in the lives of children, young people and their families.
We are seeking highly motivated candidates who are enthusiastic about making a difference to children and young people’s mental health through evidence-based interventions based on NICE Guideline recommended treatment.
You will be committed to the CYP Psychological Training Programme core principles: Accessibility, accountability, participation, awareness and evidence-based practice and in providing an inclusive and effective service for children and young people, along with a dedication to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Main duties of the job
With the assistance of their clinical supervisor accept appropriate referrals;
Assess clients for suitability for the treatment for which modality specific training is provided;
Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department’s referral protocols, and refer unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary;
Formulate, implement and evaluate therapeutic intervention for clients in line with their training modality and experience;
Involve the system around the child in treatment as appropriate, e.g. parent/carer, school, conveying therapy formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language;
Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate;
Complete all requirements relating to data collection within the service;
Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols;
Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate step-up and step-down arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care approach.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualifications that demonstrate a capacity to complete academic work at postgraduate diploma level.
- Minimum second-class Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent standard in a relevant subject (e.g. psychology, social work etc); OR ? Applicants who do not fulfil the academic criteria but have relevant professional experience are still encouraged to apply and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- A training in a mental-health related profession (e.g. psychology, nursing, health visiting; social-work, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, special needs teaching, psychiatry, other psychotherapy, counselling).
Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrates an appreciation of the importance of a child’s first five years of life on their development and mental well-being.
- Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safeguarding children
Desirable
- Demonstrates an appreciation of the range of factors that can impact on an infant/young child’s developmental and emotional well-being.
- Demonstrates an understanding of under 5s services (such as, health visiting, family support, early help) and the need for a holistic approach
- Demonstrates knowledge of theory in relation to early child-development
Skills / Competencies
Essential
- Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with young children and their carers
- Ability to adapt communication style according to the varying needs of families
- Ability to personally manage sensitive and potentially emotionally distressing caseload material
- Ability to reflect on own practice (in clinical supervision and practice tutor groups with course peers)
- Ability to complete academic work at postgraduate level and balance the academic demands of the course with clinical placement demands
- IT/Computer literate
- Good time management and organisational abilities
- Ability to maintain accurate records
- Ability to follow policy and clinical governance procedures and make proposals for change
Experience
Essential
- Substantial professional experience working with the development and wellbeing of children and young people or their families
- Experience of working with safeguarding issues
- Experience of multi-agency working and liaising across internal & external agencies.
- Experience of children aged 0-5 and their development in a personal, voluntary or observational capacity.
Desirable
- Experience of working with children age 0-5 and their families (such as, a family support team, preschool, nursery, under 5s CAMHS).
- Experience of working within a professional setting concerned with the mental health, development and wellbeing of infants age 0-5
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.
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).
Closing Date: 12 November 2025
