Clinical Practitioner
Southwark Council
Join Southwark’s Clinical Service for Children and Families
Every child and young person deserves a good start in life. But for some children, these formative years aren’t going as well as we’d hope – and that’s where Children’s Social Care comes in. We’re there to try and get things back on track for children, young people and their parents and we have opportunities for suitably qualified mental health staff to be a key part of this crucial work.
Southwark is a large, ambitious and progressive council with a ‘can do’ attitude and enviable reputation. As a Council, we are successful, passionate and forward-thinking. We are committed to our ‘Fairer Futures for All’ promise which ensures that our residents and businesses are central to everything we do. If you want to make a difference at a local level, apply to Southwark Council today.
What You'll Be Doing
The posts are suitable for UK registered therapists and mental health professionals such as systemic therapists, practitioner psychologists or those with equivalent qualifications.
You’ll provide clinical assessments and interventions to the most vulnerable children and their families and provide consultation and clinical expertise to colleagues. Analysing complex clinical data, you will monitor the effectiveness of the interventions being offered to each child, and the reports you produce will be used to assist with making the right decisions for children in care proceedings.
A satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level is required.
We can offer you quality clinical supervision, resources, training and support to do the job well - our CPD offer in previous years included training in EMDR, AIM3 assessments, ADOS/ADI-R training, as well as access to Southwark’s Professional Qualifications Scheme. Our approach engenders a shared sense of accountability, reflective space and support.
What We're Looking For
We’re looking for Clinical Practitioners to focus on working with Social Work Teams, and direct work with children and families. You will be working within a systemic framework providing clinical expertise to assist social work staff to manage risk and improve outcomes for children, young people, and their families.
We’re looking for UK-registered therapists and mental health professionals—such as clinical psychologists, systemic therapists, or those with equivalent qualifications—who are passionate about making a difference.
These roles have the scope to transform the lives of every child, adolescent, parent and carer you come into contact with. You will therefore need to have a solid grasp of a range of interventions and a proven record of working systemically to create change for children and families.
We are particularly keen to meet applicants with skills in working with adults as well as with children, and who have skills in psychometric assessments.
Southwark as a borough is committed to actively anti-racist practice with children and families and creating an anti-racist working environment and we are particularly keen to attract applicants who will improve the extent to which our workforce represents the population we serve and who will support our aim of diversity of life experience within our staff team with all the benefits this brings.
We welcome applicants who:
- Hold a recognised therapeutic qualification and are registered with a relevant body (e.g. UKCP, BACP, BABCP, NMC or HCPC).
- Are experienced working systemically with children and families
- Are committed to trauma-informed, anti-discriminatory, and inclusive clinical practice.
- Show confidence in working collaboratively with professionals from a range of backgrounds to support positive change.
Additional Information
Recruitment Timetable
- Closing Date: 29/06/2026
- Interviews: 13/07/2026
This is a fixed term post for two years.
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Please note that Southwark Council is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.
Benefits
- Clinical Practitioners (Grade 11): £50,175 - £57,495 per annum
- This role receives a 10% Registered Mental Health Professional payment supplement which is subject to annual review and continuation.
Additional benefits include:
- Flexible and home working options
- Local government pension scheme
- Family-friendly policies
- Access to a wide range of staff benefits
Please note that if you are a current NHS staff member and are successful at interview and offered the role, your continuous service dates will be transferred to this position (subject to confirmation during pre-employment checks)
Working for Southwark Council – Southwark
There are shift enhancements for out of hours and weekend working associated with this post.
Benefits include: 29 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays, competitive pension scheme and excellent support for learning and development.
Contact Us
For informal discussions, please contact:
Dr Katy Agnew, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Service Manager, Assessment and Intervention
📧 katy.agnew@southwark.gov.uk
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