CYP Principal Clinical Psychologist Crewe

CYP Principal Clinical Psychologist

The closing date is 24 September 2026

Job summary

We are seeking an enthusiastic, compassionate and forward thinking Principal Clinical Psychologist to join our well established CYPMHS service, working with children and young people aged 0-18 across our Crewe and Winsford footprint.

This is a senior clinical leadership role for an experienced psychologist who is passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families with complex emotional and mental health needs. You will provide expert psychological assessment, formulation and intervention, alongside strategic clinical leadership, supervision and service development.

Our service is ambitious, values psychological thinking at its core and is committed to continuous learning, innovation and compassionate care. You will work closely with skilled and motivated colleagues, influence service delivery at a locality and system level and play a key role in shaping high-quality, evidence-based practice aligned with national priorities.

This role offers the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to young people's lives, while working within a supportive, reflective and values-driven organisation that actively invests in CPD, professional development and psychological leadership.

If you are motivated by complexity, collaboration and meaningful impact, this is a role where your expertise will be valued, your voice heard and your leadership will matter.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking applicants with experience of, or a strong interest in, working with children and young people aged 0-18 who present with a range of mental health difficulties, often alongside additional psychological needs such as neurodiversity, trauma and complex risk. Applicants should demonstrate enthusiasm, compassion and optimism, with a clear commitment to improving outcomes and quality of life for children, young people and their families.

The successful candidate will provide specialist psychological assessment, including complex formulation at individual, family and systemic levels, delivering evidence-based psychological interventions both directly and indirectly. The role includes providing clinical supervision, consultation multidisciplinary colleagues.

The post holder will work within an integrated, innovative and psychologically minded CYPMHS team, where psychological approaches are highly valued and central to service delivery.

About us

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

Employer details

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Across two sites- Crewe and Winsford
Mill Street
Crewe
CW2 7AR
United Kingdom

Employer's website: https://www.cwp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/

Details

Date posted: 10 September 2026

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8b

Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year per annum pro rata

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 373-CYP1576-A RR

Job locations: Across two sites- Crewe and Winsford
Mill Street
Crewe
CW2 7AR
United Kingdom

Person Specification

Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and nonprofessional groups.
• Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology.
• Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
• Knowledge of attachment theory
• Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the BPS.
• Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.

Desirable

• Well-developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific difficult to treat groups (e.g. personality disorder, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of highly specialised psychological therapies and assessment methodologies.

Qualifications

Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Registered with the Health Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist

Desirable

• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice. Post-qualification specialist training in particular psychotherapeutic approaches e.g. cognitive analytic psychotherapy, dialectical behaviour therapy.

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of working as a qualified clinical psychologist for a minimum of four years with 2 years at a highly specialist level.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course and presenting with the full range of clinical severity across the full range of care settings including outpatient, community, primary care, in patient and residential care settings severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse
• Specialist experience in the area of complex needs mental health.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and treatment, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of teaching, training and/or professional and clinical supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of representing psychology within the context of multidisciplinary care
• Experience of assessing and treating clients across the full range of care settings.
• Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
• Experience of working within a multicultural framework.

Trust Values

Essential

• Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C's: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)

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 contact details

Operational Team Manager
Stephen Peake
stephen.peake@nhs.net
01270253841

Supporting documents

Privacy notice: Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)

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.

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).