Experiences of Newly Qualified Clinical Psychologists working within Multi-Disciplinary Teams in CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).
2 Introduction
You are being invited to take part in a study. Before you decide whether to do so, it is important that you understand the research that is being done and what your
involvement will include. Please take the time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Do not hesitate to ask us anything that is not clear or for any further information you would like to help you make your decision. Please do take your time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. The University’s
regulations governing the conduct of studies involving human participants can be accessed via this link:
http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/secreg/upr/RE01.htm
Thank you for reading this.
3 What is the purpose of this study?
The purpose of this study is to explore experiences of Newly Qualified Clinical
Psychologists (those within the first two years of work following their qualification), within Multi-Disciplinary teams within CAMHS services in England.
4 Do I have to take part?
It is completely up to you whether or not you decide to take part in this study. If you do decide to take part you will be given this information sheet to keep and be asked to sign a consent form. Agreeing to join the study does not mean that you have to complete it.
You are free to withdraw from this study at any time up to two weeks after your interview has been completed. This time limit has been set due to the impact a later
withdrawal may have on the potential completion of the study, due to only 6-8 participants taking part in the study and being included in the analyses.
For the purposes of this research, a Newly Qualified Clinical Psychologist is defined as one who has not been practicing (in the NHS) for two years or more. This is because the British Psychological Society recommends that Clinical Psychologists who are able to provide supervision to others should have at least two years of experience following their qualification. Therefore you will not be able to participate if you are a Clinical
Psychologist who has been working in the NHS for more than two years. 6 How long will my part in the study take?
If you decide to take part in this study, you will only be required to take part in a single 1- hour long interview.
7 What will happen to me if I take part?
During this interview, you will be asked about your experiences of your role as Clinical Psychologist in the NHS. This interview will be audio-recorded, and your interview transcribed, in order to be used as part of a wider qualitative data analysis.
8 What are the possible disadvantages, risks or side effects of taking part? Questions may bring up emotionally charged previous experiences of your work, however you will be free to pause the interview, or discontinue it if you feel this is necessary.
9 What are the possible benefits of taking part?
You may be able to share information which may be of benefit to future trainee and qualified Clinical Psychologists, as well as their trainers and employers, in the future. 10 How will my taking part in this study be kept confidential?
Only the Student and supervisors will have access to participants' personal data, via consent forms which will be stored in a locked box at the Student’s home. The audio recording of the interview will not reveal any personally identifiable information; all interviews will be coded against the consent forms.
Your interview will be transcribed by either the student or a transcription service. If a transcription service is used to transcribe your interview, a signed non-disclosure / confidentiality agreement from the service will be gained prior to giving them the
recording. Further to this, all names and identifiable information will be removed from the transcripts by the researcher and kept securely and separately from the transcripts. Results will be reported in a thesis for the purpose of gaining a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Due to the qualitative nature of the methodology, direct quotations from transcripts may appear in the final paper, and there may be a small chance that those that know you may identify you; however, all efforts will be made to reduce this
possibility. The thesis will be held at the University of Hertfordshire Learning Resource Centre and will be accessible to interested parties.
Audio material from the interview will be recorded and stored. This coded data will be kept on the student’s personal computer.
12 What will happen to the data collected within this study?
12.1 The data collected (audio interview and transcript) will be stored electronically, in a password-protected environment, for a maximum of 5 years, after which time it will be destroyed under secure conditions;
12.2 The data collected (consent form) will be stored in hard copy by the student in a locked cupboard for a maximum of 5 years, after which time it will be destroyed under secure conditions;
12.3 The data will be anonymised prior to storage.
12.4 The data will be transmitted only to the supervisory team.
13 Will the data be required for use in further studies?
You are consenting to the re-use or further analysis of the data collected in a future ethically-approved study;
The data collected (audio interview and transcript) will be stored electronically, in a password-protected environment, for a maximum of 5 years, after which time it will be destroyed under secure conditions;
The data collected (consent forms) will be stored in hard copy by the Student in a locked cupboard for a maximum of 5 years, after which time it will be destroyed under secure conditions.
14 Who has reviewed this study? This study has been reviewed by:
The University of Hertfordshire Health and Human Sciences Ethics Committee with Delegated Authority
The UH protocol number is: LMS/PGR/NHS/02699 15 Factors that might put others at risk
Please note that if, during the study, any medical conditions or non-medical
circumstances such as unlawful activity become apparent that might or had put others at risk, the University may refer the matter to the appropriate authorities.
16 Opt-in to receive final publication
Participants can opt to be sent a copy of the results, in the form of a final publication, on the Participant Consent Form. Therefore, as in point 12.2 above, your consent forms
(which will include your email address) will be stored as a hard copy by the Student in a locked cupboard for a maximum of 5 years, after which time it will be destroyed under secure conditions. I would expect you to receive the results in the form of the final peer- reviewed article, between January and December 2019.
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
If you would like further information or would like to discuss any details personally, please get in touch with me, in writing, by phone or by email: [email protected]
Although we hope it is not the case, if you have any complaints or concerns about any aspect of the way you have been approached or treated during the course of this study, please write to the University’s Secretary and Registrar.
Thank you very much for reading this information and giving consideration to taking part in this study.
Appendix I