Senior Clinical Psychologist — Dublin South East / Wicklow

at  TUSLA

Location: Dublin South East / Wicklow.
Other
Salary: See Description for Details
Closing Date: 25/11/2024 12:00 PM
Recruitment Start: 24/10/2024
Permanent

JOB SUMMARY

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is responsible for a range of statutory functions including provision of child protection, alternative care, specified regulatory services and a range of family support services. The Agency has commenced a major improvement programme with significant focus on Practice, Culture and Structure.
The Agency currently has responsibility for a budget of circa €1.2billion and delivers its services through over 5,500 people in 259 locations across the Country.

The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Parenting, Family Support and Early Help Services
• Alternative Care
• Birth Information & Tracing and Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

Further information is available on http://www.tusla.ie

EDUCATION & TRAINING

• Attend mandatory training programmes
• Be informed of advances in professional knowledge and practice
• Keep abreast of best practice as outlined by the Psychological Society of Ireland
• Participate in continuous professional development initiatives and ensure compliance with statutory registration requirements when required.
• In collaboration with the Senior / Principal Psychologist and Principal Social Worker attend training courses as informed by service requirements and career and personal development planning
• Attend and engage in clinical and line management supervision effectively and in a reflective capacity.
• Support the education of those in post graduate professional psychology training
• Participate in the learning and practice education of students on placement from the MDT team.
• Provide trainings as warranted.

PURPOSE OF ROLE

The staff appointed to these roles will be assigned to work with children in care in a specified TUSLA area, working as part of multi-disciplinary team(s) delivering a co-ordinated service to children, young people and their families.
The purpose of the post is to participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team within the Social Work Department to provide a psychology service to young people and their families who are in the care of Tusla.
The post holder will work collaboratively with a variety of services to assess and understand the therapeutic needs of young people and their families in the care of Tulsa and respond with interventions that are timely, proportionate, needs led, evidence based and in partnership with the young people and their families. Other key stakeholders could include An Gardai Siochana HSE primary care, Disability services, CAMHS, Schools, PHN’s, GP’s, Adult mental health, substance misuse services and other community and voluntary organisations.
The senior psychologist will be responsible for the delivery of the psychological interventions in line with Tusla policies and within established professional guidance, standards and policy.
The role of psychology in TUSLA is based on the scientific evidence of the impact of accumulated Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on emotional stability, mental health and daily self-care and living skills immediately, and for the rest of the children’s lives. Family disruption and break down, exposure to violence and subjection to abuse are major traumatic events meriting psychological assessments, supports and interventions. These are aimed to alleviate immediate suffering at family crisis points, (re-)stabilise positive developmental pathways in the re-settling periods and provide restorative therapy when an equilibrium has been re-established. The target group of TUSLA psychology services are children and young people whose safety in their family of origin was compromised to such an extent that alternative care had to be implemented. Training, consultation and support for current carers, guardians and support care staff are included as vital parts of the internal TUSLA psychology services. Internal TUSLA psychology services are specific to the issues directly linked to jeopardising a child’s place in his/her family (e.g. sexual abuse and offending, exposure to violence) and to the ramifications of in-care experiences (loyalty conflicts between family of origin and care family, being subject to court decisions, stigma of not living with one’s family etc.). In providing for a holistic, all- encompassing service and for provision and smooth transition into aftercare/adulthood, close co-operation with other health care providers in primary care, mental health and disability is of paramount importance. The TUSLA psychology service takes the role of an essential secondary service provider in the care pyramid with referral protocols up and down to specialised services of mental health/disability and generic services of primary care.