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Principal Psychologist | Integrated Front Door Clinical Lead
Band 8b
Main area: Child & Adolescent Mental Health
Grade: Band 8b
Contract: Permanent
Hours: full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job reference: 152-M180.26
Site: Westport House
Town: Wareham
Salary: £66,582 - £77,368 p.a.
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 23/07/2026 23:59
Job overview
Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist ready to lead transformational change in Children and Young People's Mental Health Services?
Dorset CAMHS is seeking an exceptional Principal Psychologist for our Integrated Front Door (IFD) Team to provide professional, clinical and strategic leadership within our Pan Dorset service. This is an exciting opportunity to influence how children, young people and families access mental health support, ensuring that every referral receives a high-quality, needs-led assessment aligned with the THRIVE model of care. This is a PAN Dorset post working out of Wareham and Bournemouth.
Working alongside the CAMHS Head of Service, Deputy Head of Service and senior operational colleagues, you will play a pivotal role in shaping service delivery, supporting our highly skilled multidisciplinary workforce and driving continuous improvement across Dorset.
This is a highly influential role combining clinical expertise, operational leadership, workforce development and service innovation.
Main duties of the job
This role aligns with Dorset's THRIVE approach, ensuring children and young people receive the right support at the right time, with a strong focus on collaboration, shared decision-making, prevention, early intervention and enabling young people to achieve their goals. You will play a key role in supporting engagement and helping young people access the networks and resources they need to thrive.
The post holder will have a passion for system wide working, be able to foster strong multi-agency partnerships, working collaboratively with health, social care, education, voluntary sector and community partners to improve outcomes and create a seamless experience for families. You will provide expert psychological leadership, consultation and supervision to multidisciplinary colleagues, supporting evidence-based practice and a psychologically informed culture across the system.
The role requires a strategic and operational leader who can drive service development, influence system-wide change and ensure equitable access to support for children and young people. The successful candidate will combine advanced clinical expertise with excellent relationship-building skills, a commitment to innovation and a passion for collaborative working to deliver high-quality, responsive and person-centred care.
Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of. Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check.
Working for our organisation
At Dorset HealthCare we’re on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We’re a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.
We do things differently here – it’s one of the reasons the CQC rated us ‘outstanding’ in 2019. It’s also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you’re looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.
Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.
We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application. However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate’s individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience. If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety. If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.
As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact dhc.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working as a qualified Clinical Psychologist for a minimum of five years post-qualification, with significant experience across children, young people and/or family mental health.
- Experience of professional leadership of qualified and pre-qualified clinical psychologists.
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of adopting a preventative and/or working in early help services for CYPF
- Evidence of working across partner agencies, specifically local authority and education partners
Additional requirements
Essential criteria
- Must be capable of the clear articulation and interpretation of the role of the profession of clinical psychology based upon a good understanding of the framework of government and national professional policy.
Knowledge Skills and Training
Essential criteria
- Skills in the use of complex and highly specialist methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
- Awareness of the Thrive framework and specifically able to evidence/reference working in a Thrive informed manner.
Knowledge Skills and Training
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (or its equivalent for those who trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the British Psychological Society, (conferring eligibility for graduate membership) including specific models of psychopathology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Post-doctoral accreditation in one or more additional specialised models of psychological therapy e.g CBT, CAT, DBT
- Skills in developing plans and structures to facilitate the flexible undertaking of complex activities across service and agencies.
At Dorset HealthCare we want to offer all our staff the opportunity to work flexibly, putting health and wellbeing first, whilst continuing the delivery of excellent patient care. Flexible working looks different for everyone and we welcome applicants to discuss flexible working opportunities with the recruiting manager.
What working for us will provide:
- 27 days of annual leave, rising to 33 over ten years (for staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions)
- Excellent NHS pension scheme
- Health and wellbeing services
- Flexible working options, including family-friendly hours
- Free training and one-to-one career coaching to reach your career goals
- Preceptorship programme for newly qualified nurses and AHPs
- Access to nine staff networks – have a voice and transform our Trust
- Relocation costs where applicable
- Salary sacrifice scheme opportunities – including childcare vouchers, car lease and cycle scheme, home technology equipment, and buying annual leave
- NHS discounts to save on your shopping, gym membership and more
Visit our careers website to learn more about our culture, staff stories, benefits, development programmes and opportunities.
What you need to do:
Before applying for this post, please do ensure that you have read the job description and person specification requirements. If you think you have everything we're looking for, then we'd love to hear from you, alternatively if you would like more information about the role please do not hesitate to contact us.
Regrettably, we are not able to offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you attempt to apply for a role that we do not offer sponsorship for, you will receive notification of this at the time of starting your application and you will not be able to proceed. At this point, we wish to thank you for your interest in working for us and apologise we cannot take your application any further.
Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Further guidance can be found on the gov.uk website. It is vital that you provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
Name: Clare Young
Job title: Consultant Clinical Psychologist | Clinical Lead
Email address: clare.young2@nhs.net
Telephone number: 07342 067790