Principal Psychologist (Clinical or Forensic)

Safer Connections Service – Supporting young people with Harmful Sexual Behaviour

£54,495.00 to £64,811.00: (with market supplement) up to £72,311.00 (depending on experience)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Principal Psychologist to join our Safer Connections Service. This newly configured service supports children and young people (7 to 17 years), open to Birmingham Children’s Trust, who present with harmful sexual behaviour. The team adopt a multi-agency approach, supporting Early Help, Safeguarding, Children in Care and Youth Justice Services; delivering bespoke and tailored interventions and programmes of education and support.

We are looking for a Principal Psychologist, with significant experience of clinical leadership, service development, and working from a trauma informed, systemic and developmentally sensitive perspective. This new role will work alongside the operational team manager to provide clinical leadership for the ongoing development and delivery of this service in accordance with the evidence base and current best practice guidance.

Previous experience working with children and young people with presentations relating to harmful sexual behaviour would be beneficial. However, we are also keen to hear from psychologists from other specialties with strong skills in complex formulation, assessing and managing risk, supporting teams (leadership, consultation, training), and the ability to look beyond behaviour.  Experience working with children and young people who have histories of early adversity, social care or youth justice involvement, childhood trauma and or significant attachment disruption would also be desirable.

The successful candidate will:

• Support the development and delivery of this new service with an emphasis on innovation, psychologically informed practice, working to the best available evidence base, undertaking routine service evaluation and clinically relevant research as appropriate.
• Lead on the development of risk screening and management planning and support the escalation of mental health concerns and partnership working where appropriate.
• Support the professional network around the child/young person; providing psychological consultation, developing shared formulations of complex needs/presentations, contributing to safety plans, developing and delivering teaching/training and clinical supervision of others.
• Carry out specialist assessments, formulation and deliver psychological interventions to children, young people, families &/or caregivers.

Birmingham is a ‘super diverse’ city and a broad range of diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds represented in our workforce and in those we support. We are keen to hear from candidates with a commitment to anti-discriminatory and culturally sensitive practice.

If you are a team player, with strengths in multi-agency and partnership working, who is passionate and experienced in developing and delivering high quality and effective services for this population, we would love to hear from you.  Working in Children’s Social Care can be pressured and emotionally challenging at times but can also be very rewarding. In 2025, Birmingham Children’s Trust won ‘Most Supportive Social Work Organisation’ at the national Social Work Awards. We will provide you with access to training, regular clinical, professional and management supervision, and on-going support. You will also have opportunities to link with other psychologists across the Trust for peer support. 

In order to be considered for this role please include a supporting statement and CV demonstrating how you meet the competencies required as outlined in the attached person specification.  

For more information, or an informal discussion about the role, please contact Lee Vince, Therapeutic & Emotional Support Service (TESS) and Safer Connections Service (SCS) Head of Service on [email protected] or Dr Marie Kershaw, Consultant Clinical Psychologist: [email protected] 

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship

• We pay your Social Work England registration fee
• We pay your DBS application fee and reimburse your update service fee
• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Early finish every Friday!
• Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme which gives you the chance to drive a brand-new car for an affordable fixed monthly amount as part of a salary sacrifice initiative. With no deposits or credit checks required a range of all-inclusive driving packages
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns, to support the needs of the Trust and to ensure a positive work/life balance for our employees
• You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounted gym memberships with Pure Gym and Nuffield Health

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.