The Retreat Clinics
Joint Autism Lead
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About the job
Job summary
Make a difference through outstanding clinical leadership. The Retreat is looking for an experienced and passionate Joint Autism Lead to join our clinical leadership team.
This is an exciting opportunity for an established clinician to combine clinical practice, leadership and service development, helping us deliver high-quality, safe and effective services that put the needs and experiences of our clients at the heart of everything we do.
As Joint Autism Lead, you will work closely with the Clinical Services Manager, Service Managers and fellow clinicians to provide strong clinical leadership, promote best practice and ensure our services remain clinically excellent, compliant and responsive to the needs of the people we support.
You will provide clinical leadership and professional support across the adult neurodevelopmental service, acting as a trusted source of advice on clinical practice, risk and complex clinical issues. Experiences in Child Services is also welcome.
Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities will include:
- Providing clinical leadership and support to staff and clients within adult neurodevelopmental service.
- Leading the referral and triage process, ensuring safe and consistent inclusion and exclusion criteria and effective allocation of referrals.
- Providing autism assessments and psychological therapy to individuals and groups presenting with a wide range of psychological needs.
- Developing, writing and implementing clinical pathways and Standard Operating Procedures, ensuring high-quality practice becomes embedded.
- Advising managers and colleagues on clinical and professional matters, including clinical risk.
- Supporting clinical service evaluation, outcome measurement, research and continuous service improvement.
- Using audits, complaints, peer reviews, inspections and new evidence to identify and implement improvements in practice.
- Contributing to the development of strong clinical teams through clinical leadership, team development, forums and learning opportunities.
- Working collaboratively with other clinical leaders to share best practice and ensure consistency across services.
- Ensuring client rights, wishes and experiences remain central to care and support.
- Supporting accurate clinical records, effective reporting and compliance with relevant professional, statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Providing a strong clinical voice across service information, literature and marketing materials.
- Offering supervision for trainee psychologists.
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About us
What you can expect
At The Retreat, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to clinical quality while continuing to develop your own professional practice.
The role includes access to appropriate clinical supervision, support for continuing professional development, and participation in annual appraisal.
You will be part of a wider clinical leadership team focused on high-quality care, continuous improvement, learning and positive outcomes for clients.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- At least three years' post-qualification experience as a clinical or counselling psychologist.
- Experience conducting autism assessments, and may have specialist training in one or more standardised assessment tools (including autism diagnostic interview (ADI-R) or autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS-2)).
- Experience developing effective therapeutic working alliances with complex clients.
- Experience of clinical leadership within a relevant service area.
- Experience supporting clients and staff exposed to highly distressing situations and challenging behaviours.
- Experience monitoring and evaluating clinical services and using data, audits, research, complaints and inspection findings to improve practice.
- Experience evaluating clinical practice and outcomes using appropriate tools.
- Experience of working within Records Management Information systems such as EMIS, SystmOne, Tacklit etc.
Desirable
- Experience of developing training for other professionals, providing consultancy to other organisations, undertaking research activity.
Qualifications
Essential
- A relevant degree and postgraduate qualification, including specialist training in one or more therapeutic models relevant to adult neurodevelopmental service.
- Registration with an appropriate professional body.
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Desirable
- Experience of developing training for other professionals, providing consultancy to other organisations, undertaking research activity would also be valuable.
- A doctorate-level qualification or extensive post-qualification training and accreditation is desirable.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
About the company
The Retreat Clinics
We’re a specialist mental healthcare provider, supporting people who require expert therapy to improve their mental wellbeing. We specialise in tailored care which is personalised and effective, providing psychological and psychiatric assessment and therapy services locally, regionally and nationally, with clinics in York and Manchester, and online. In addition, we provide neurodevelopmental assessment and therapy services for adults, children and young people with autism and ADHD.
We deliver high quality, sustainable, renowned mental health and wellbeing services, alongside Autism and ADHD services, helping people to live well with themselves so that we all live better together.
As an independent charity, we provide care to people who refer themselves and those who are referred to us by GPs and other professionals. We can often help when others can’t, enabling people to recover and get their lives back on track.
We have a reputation for excellence and 200 years’ experience. We have a team of highly experienced and professionally accredited staff who seek to reflect the tolerance, humanity and values of our Quaker roots. We provide tailored care which is personalised and effective and, as a growing organisation, we’ve harnessed emerging technology to provide online consultations and dedicated patient portal.
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