NSLHD - Visiting Medical Officer - Psychiatry - Child Youth and Family

An exciting opportunity is available for a Psychiatrist to join as a key member of the Brighter Beginnings teams, part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District Child Youth and Family Community Health Service.

You'll work alongside experienced colleagues, playing an essential role in advising and guiding the most appropriate early intervention for children and their families. Our teams are passionate and driven to provide the best possible care and, with your psychiatric expertise, can better address the social-emotional, behavioural and trauma-related challenges that lead to mental health presentations in later life.

Applications are accepted via eCredential only, to apply click here

Position Classification: Visiting Medical Officer

Contract type: Sessional

Work Hours: up to 8 per month

Duration: until 30 June 2026

Who we are :

We are a health service that touches thousands of lives across the Northern Sydney Local Health District, together as a team of like-minded people. We are passionate, driven and have the skills and knowledge to care for our patients whilst creating the best services possible. Our teams have meaningful, interesting and rewarding work everyday. We challenge and nurture each other, sharing our knowledge and experience so that we can deliver better care for everyone. There's a real sense of belonging here because we value and respect our patients, employees, and teams' voices. You'll feel a real privilege being a trusted caregiver in our patients, their families, their carers, and our communities' lives.

About the Role

This is an exciting and innovative role for a Child Psychiatrist to work with a highly skilled and dedicated team of Community based child health professionals working to optimise child health and wellbeing. You will provide clinical consultation and support services within NSLHD to Community Paediatricians, Child and Family Health Nurses and Allied Health professionals who assess and manage children with developmental-behavioural and social-emotional issues. The focus is on younger children and early intervention to prevent later mental health presentations. You will also undertake joint consultation and assessment with paediatric staff if indicated. You will report to both the Child Youth and Family Clinical Director and CYMS Clinical Director and will be an integral part of the community-based Child Youth and Family multi-disciplinary team.

The position will be part of Child Youth and Family (CYF) Community Health paediatric team, reporting operationally to the CYF Clinical Director. This includes daily clinical operations such as defining appropriate consultation criteria, defining when and where joint consultations may occur, attendance at appropriate team meetings, scheduling and leave approvals. For specialist psychiatry, the role will report professionally to the Child Youth Mental Health Service Clinical Director.     

This includes professional guidance and supervision regarding management of complex cases, regular case supervision and professional guidance and mentoring. Feedback from the team and staff with whom the child psychiatrist works, and initial and annual performance appraisal will be done together by both the Clinical Director and Child Youth Mental Health Service Clinical Director/their delegate.

Purpose of the Position

The position will ensure coordinated mental health and community paediatric service delivery to children, young people and families supported by Community Paediatricians in NSLHD. The role ensures safe and appropriate care for children and young people with developmental and mental health care needs.  

The position will provide clinical consultation services within NSLHD and will contribute to the teaching and training of medical students, graduates and other health care professionals and to research, evaluation and quality improvement activities within NSLHD.

Provide specialist child psychiatry clinical consultation, management and treatment of patients within the Primary and Community Health Paediatric Service, which is part of the broader Child, Youth and Family Health Service within Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD).

This care will be provided within the scope of practice endorsed by the NSLHD Medical and Dental Appointments Advisory Committee (MDAAC).

This position is temporary with the possibility of extension based on performance, funding and need.

Selection Criteria

1. MBBS or equivalent, currently registered or eligible for registration with the Medical Board of Australia. Applicants must have Fellowship of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP) or be eligible for registration with the Medical Board of Australia. Applicants expecting to be awarded their Fellowship within 3 months may be considered.
2. Consistently demonstrates behaviours that reinforce the CORE Values of our organisation; Collaboration, Openness, Respect and Empowerment. Demonstrates these behaviours with all stakeholders; colleagues, direct reports, as well as our patients and consumers, and those that care for them
3. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and experience in the assessment and treatment of children and young people with co-morbid mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions including developmental disability, complex ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.
4. Demonstrate high level of skills in managing complex mental health problems in children and young people with neuro developmental conditions, in a multidisciplinary context and willingness to conduct joint assessments with Paediatricians.
5. Extensive experience with a wide range of treatment methods including psychotherapeutic approaches, and the use of psychotropic medications for children and young people including those with neurodevelopmental conditions.
6. Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to engage and negotiate with a wide range of people and teams including working with and engaging consumers and carers.
7. Demonstrated experience and commitment to teaching, continuing education, research and quality improvement in a multidisciplinary context. Advanced skills in supportive consultation at the individual, group and service level.
8. Preparedness to be adaptable to the needs of the child, their family, and the changing requirements of the position.

Need more information? 

  1) The requirements of the position can be viewed via the Position Description 

  2) For assistance with your application please refer to the eCredential guide

3) To view the Scope of Clinical Practice for this position click here

For role related queries or questions contact Dr Karen Zwi on or email.

This is a NSW Health Category A position which requires immunisation and screening for certain diseases. The full list of requirements are outlined in the NSW Health OASV Policy (Page 11) You will be required to complete the OASV Undertaking/ Declaration Form and TB Assessment Tool during the recruitment process. Please upload this with your application along with any other vaccination evidence that you may have.

Applications Close: 2 October 2025

Please Note: NSW Health does not require or accept the 'Fit2Work badge' offered as an option in eCredential.