Senior Systemic Family Therapist
Job Description
Job summary
Please note that this vacancy is currently only open to applications from employees of Sheffield Children's Hospital
Our Sheffield Eating Disorders Assessment and Treatment Team, based at Centenary House, is looking for a family therapist to compliment our specialist team.
We offer a very supportive team with a strong focus on MDT working. Our team consists of a team lead, paediatric medical lead, clinical nurse specialists, senior practitioners and specialist dietitian.
Informal visits and enquiries are strongly encouraged.
Main duties of the job
To provide specialist advice and consultation on systemic formulations and practice to colleagues.
The role will include some aspects of working from home, participating in assessment clinics that are held twice a week as part of an MDT. In this role, you will be required to hold a caseload and provide evidence based treatment to children who present with an Eating Disorder.
You will support the staff team and be an effective team member whilst working on your own initiative. You will supervise other staff members as required. You will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively supporting and liaising with other health and social professionals and agencies.
About us
At Sheffield Children's, our purpose is clear: to provide healthier futures for children and young people. Our three strategic aims are:
- Outstanding Patient Care
- Brilliant Place to work
- Leaders in Children's Health
We work successfully with local, regional, and national partners to provide physical and mental healthcare across acute and community settings. Many of our clinicians are amongst the best in their field, recognised nationally and internationally for their expertise.
As well as having enormous pride in what we do, we are a friendly, welcoming, and motivated NHS Trust who are guided by our CARE values: Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. Our nearly 4000 colleagues live these values, ensuring kind and compassionate care that makes patients and their families feel safe and at home.
As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2026, we remain committed to enhancing our reputation in children's health leadership, improving the experiences of both patient and colleagues, and focusing on our communities and population health.
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the Job Description and Personal Specification for full details.
Inclusive Recruitment & Selection
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and accurate data capture is an important part of that to ensure we are supportive and representative. Our aim is to ensure that all applicants can see themselves in the available categories on our application form, but we recognise that some of our data capture fields are not inclusive. We have flagged this with our system provider to ask for change.
We offer encouragement and active support to applicants with additional needs, including those from ethnic minorities, with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you wish to adjust any aspect of the recruitment process or wish to find out more about our recruitment & selection processes, please get in touch with our Recruitment Manager: [email protected]
We are continually reviewing our recruitment & selection process to support the long-term aim of Sheffield Childrens being a champion of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. If you have any ideas for improvement, please get in touch with Catherine Gilbert at [email protected]
Trust Values
The Trust is committed to providing great quality patient care and keep children, young people and families at the heart of what we do by following our CARE values:
- Compassion leading by kindness and showing empathy, understanding and respect
- Accountability striving to do the right thing and owning responsibility
- Respect value differences, tackling inequality and fostering a culture of inclusion
- Excellence delivering a high-quality standard of care
Person Specification
Qualifications & Training
Essential
- First post-graduate qualification in appropriate mental health/social welfare profession e.g. social worker/nurse/psychologist or AFT agreed
- Masters' qualification in Systemic Psychotherapy
- Eligible for UKCP registration.
- Further training in Systemic Supervision
Desirable
- Leadership training
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with children, young people andtheir families in a hospital/paediatric psychology setting
- Some experience of working with different service usergroups.
- Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and threat of physical abuse
- Experience of working in a family therapy team
- Experience of delivering supervision
Desirable
- Experience of conducting research
- Experience of managing others / leading within a team
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
- Skills in using complex methods of specialist systemic assessment, intervention and clinical management in arrange of contexts frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration and maintaining a restricted position for long periods
- Ability to exercise autonomous responsibility making clinical judgements in highly complex, challenging and emotive situations interpreting Trust policies and working within professional guidelines
- Able to work both independently and within a multi -disciplinary team
- Ability to provide specialist advice and consultation on systemic formulations and practice to colleagues in other disciplines.
- Well -developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
- Knowledge of research design, methodology and data analysis and ability to conduct research projects and audit.
- Skills in liaison with other agencies and in providing consultation to other professional and non -professional groups. Broad knowledge of relevant theories and practice in child development and child protection, including relevant legislation in the field of mental health, children and families.
- Ability to work in complex situations, to manage risk and deal sensitively with stress
- Knowledge of ethical issues and commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
- Ability to maintain high standards of recordkeeping, including electronic data entry and recording
- Skills in presentation and ability to use a variety of multi-media materials
- Able to use supervision effectively
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive material and challenging behaviour.
Desirable
- Knowledge of CAMHS policies and guidelines
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Centenary House
Heritage Park, 55 Albert Terrace Road
Sheffield
S6 3BR
