Position overview

The Canberra Health Services (CHS) Division of Allied Health provides a range allied health services.  A strong emphasis is placed across all sections on accessible and timely care, delivered to a high standard of safety and quality.  This is underpinned by the Division’s commitment to research and training. The Division works in partnership with professional colleagues, consumers, and a range of government and non-government service providers to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.

An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced Psychologist to join the friendly and supportive Acute Allied Health Services Psychology team in the Division of Allied Health. Our team consists of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Health Psychology and General Psychology positions. We work closely with our multidisciplinary colleagues and have a pivotal role in promoting client centred outcomes across the inpatient and outpatient settings.

The successful applicant will provide high quality psychology assessment and intervention as part of the Allied Health team providing services to a range of teams within the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, including the paediatric wards, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and outpatient settings. This position will report to the Psychology Manager.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Under limited direction of the psychology manager, you will provide clinical services, clinical leadership and supervision within the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, including the paediatric wards, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and outpatient settings. You will:

1. Provide a high level of specialised skilled clinical assessments and interventions to Canberra Health Service clients including liaising with carers and other service providers to facilitate effective service provision, in accordance with organisational policies and procedures, professional practice and ethical standards.
2. Demonstrate leadership and exercise independent professional judgment and employ innovative problem-solving skills to manage complex cases where principles, procedures and techniques require expansion, adaptation or modification.
3. Provide leadership and clinical oversight of the Paediatric Psychology team, facilitate stakeholder in-services and meetings, and oversee the completion of clinical and administrative data collection and evaluation to a high standard.
4. Liaise with the patient, carers, multi-disciplinary team members and key internal and external stakeholders: to enhance and establish effective and collaborative partnerships to ensure positive client outcomes.
5. Provide leadership in the ongoing development of the service, including quality improvement, policy development, evaluation and review and contribute to research to support evidence based practice.
6. Actively participate in supervision, provide clinical supervision and specialist training to staff and students as required, promote professional development and participate in performance management for self and others.
7. Responsibility to ensure staff compliance with local and territory plans, legislation, and CHS policy, effective access and discharge procedures, incident and complaints management, and operation and strategic planning.
8. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

Displays skills across the eight core psychology competencies (AHPRA Psychology board, 2025)

• Competency 1: Applies and builds scientific knowledge of psychology to inform safe and effective practice
• Competency 2: Practises ethically and professionally
• Competency 3: Exercises professional reflexivity, deliberate practice and self-care
• Competency 4: Conducts psychological assessments
• Competency 5: Conducts psychological interventions
• Competency 6: Communicates and relates to others effectively and appropriately
• Competency 7:  Demonstrates a health equity and human rights approach when working with people from diverse groups
• Competency 8:  Demonstrates a health equity and human rights approach when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, families and communities

Displays organisational competencies in line with the ACT health professional work-level standards, including:

• Manage and prioritise own clinical caseload and have general oversight over the caseload of P1-3s.
• Provide supervision to P3s and other psychology staff as needed within the team.
• Accept and demonstrate responsibility for leading professional development, service improvement, quality improvement activities and research activities.

Qualifications

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications (or equivalent) in psychology.
• General registration with the Psychology Board of Australia, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• AHPRA Psychology Board approved supervisor.

Desirable

• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience working professionally as a psychologist.

Desirable

• A minimum of two years’ experience working with paediatric populations
• 5+ years’ experience working as a psychologist in an acute inpatient setting
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Demonstrated expertise in clinical leadership and governance within paediatric psychological services, including the delivery of evidence-based assessment and intervention and the ability to ensure high standards of clinical governance, risk management and the safety and quality of service delivery.
2. Proven ability to provide professional leadership through fostering a culture of reflective practice, learning, and clinical excellence, with experience in provision of training and supporting staff and higher degree students to build capability through clinical supervision, in accordance with Psychology Board of Australia requirements.
3. Proven strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement demonstrated through the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external service providers, and the ability to coordinate and manage a team of staff.
4. Demonstrated ability to lead service development, including contributing to policy development, service planning, applying data and research to inform evidence-based practice, with proven experience designing and implementing innovative quality improvement initiatives.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.