CAMHS Higher Assistant Psychologist (N&S HFT- Parenting Well)

A Vacancy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

• The N&S CAMHS PWP Project is looking for an enthusiastic and conscientious Assistant Psychologist to join our newly formed service Parenting Well with Psychosis. This is a fantastic opportunity to join us in delivering a high-quality, specialist clinical service and to be involved in research and service evaluation opportunities, as well as other service developments.
• The PWP project aims to bridge the gap between CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and Adult Mental Health services, promoting family well-being and reducing the intergenerational transmission of mental illness.
• It brings together the Helping Families Team and SLAM’s Early Intervention Psychosis teams across Croydon, Lewisham, Lambeth, and Southwark, with the goal of providing integrated care and support for parents with first episode psychosis.
• A key aspect of the project is its inclusion of Peer Supporters and lived experience networks in project development, delivery and evaluation.
• The project includes co-delivered professional training in “Think Family” principles, focusing on the needs of children and young people impacted by parental mental illness.
• The post holder will receive regular supervision. We believe diversity is a strength and we particularly welcome applications from those underrepresented in psychology and other mental health service provision.

• To assist practitioner psychologists and other disciplines in the delivery of a specialist, evidence-based treatment programmes for parental mental health.
• To provide clinical work as required by the service, under the direct guidance, and close clinical and professional supervision of a practitioner psychologist.
• To assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
• To work following clinical guidelines and the policies and procedures of the service, while closely supervised and regularly seeking help from a clinical/professional supervisor or manager.
• To work in partnership with our colleagues in Early intervention, service users and peer supporters.
• To collaborate with project members and parents, and to communicate with stakeholders with creative, engaging, accessible and culturally sensitive information.

Flexible working:
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 8am to 6pm giving you the very best of good work life balance. (This may include working early mornings, later evenings or Saturdays as part of the core working hours/working pattern for this post)

About our locations: Maudsley Hospital (headquarters)
Helping Families Team are based in the Michael Rutter Centre on the Maudsley Hospital site. Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2) and is within walking distance from the beautiful green spaces of Ruskin Park and the vibrant high-street that offers great shopping opportunities and with a wide range of restaurants. We provide services across the boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham, Croydon and Southwark. (Due to move to the Pears Maudsley Children and Young People (PMCYP) at the Maudsley Hospital in early 2026)
Early Intervention Services: Within the Trust, each of the four boroughs has a stand-alone Early Intervention service (Lewisham: LEIS; Southwark: STEP; Croydon: COAST; Lambeth: LEO). The teams are located in different sites.

• The Parenting Well with Psychosis Project is a 3 year partnership which has been funded by the Maudsley Charity’s Living Well with Psychosis Programme. The charity funds initiatives and research to improve the treatment and support the recovery of people affected by psychosis. The Charity also has a focus on work that supports families and carers, and addresses inequalities in the experiences of racialised communities with mental health services.
• Social deprivation, discrimination and racial trauma are all linked to an increased likelihood of developing a psychotic illness. In southeast London, rates of psychosis are up to two times higher than the UK national average, some of the highest rates in Europe with Black men and women disproportionately affected both in prevalence and in their experience of mental health services and treatment.
• The role is a 3-year fixed term contract.
• The post holder will also be able to work clinically within the Helping Families Team and within the partnership depending on previous experience and clinical interest.
• The team will be an example of the Trust Think Family Strategy in practice where integrated care and partnership working are fundamental to whole family assessment, intervention and change.
• The program emphasizes diversity and inclusion, promoting access to parenting resources for marginalized communities. The Lead will commit to ensuring families from local Black communities, who are disproportionately affected by a diagnosis of psychosis, are invited to contribute to the design, delivery, evaluation as well as be in receipt of the programme as part of their care plan.
• Coordinate Steering Group alongside service users, peer supporters, community members, community organisations, and Trust leads. We have a clear set of principles and values that guide the way we create partnerships and how we engage respectfully and honestly with families and professionals.
• Support coordination and delivery of professional training focusing on empowering practitioners to consider the needs of children and young people impacted by parental mental illness.
• Coordinate implementation of being a Parent-Enjoying Family Life parenting groups, an evidence-based, 10-week parenting group intervention for parents dealing with mental health difficulties co-delivered by peer supporters and clinicians. The intervention will empower parents by building family resilience, supporting them to mentalise their experiences of being a parent and increasing their confidence in parenting their children. Post holder will be able to support co-delivery where appropriate.
• To contribute to enabling other staff, service users and carers from diverse backgrounds to flourish by working to create a psychologically safe environment.
• Lead on the coordination and evaluation of the project alongside peer supporters and service users.
• To undertake service evaluation, audit, research and policy development under supervision
• To ensure that systems are in place and working effectively for the clinical and professional supervision and support of other psychologists and multi-disciplinary colleagues within the Parenting Well team

This advert closes on Tuesday 12 May 2026