Forensic or Clinical Registered Psychologist - Psychology Services - Midlands Directorate (Ref: 91514)

The Midlands Psychology Service is currently recruiting Registered Forensic Psychologists to work at a variety of establishments across the region. The region includes 17 Young Adult/Adult Male category C, D and Reception establishments that provide opportunities for the completion of psychological assessment and intervention work with individuals with a wide range of offending behaviour, personality presentations and responsivity factors. Registered Psychologists are able to work across a number of different establishments to both utilise existing skills and to build knowledge and skill in less familiar areas of Forensic Practice.

The Midlands team benefits from a vast array of expertise that is accessible to all through regional training events and regular peer supervision sessions, allowing opportunities for CPD to support successful candidates to venture into new areas of practice. The Midlands Psychology Service also offers evidence-based consultancy to all 17 establishments in relation to safety, supporting IPP’s and those who screen into the OPD pathway, alongside supporting staff to increase awareness, knowledge and skill in a variety of areas including neurodiversity, gender minority and the impact of trauma.

Overview Of The Job

This is a non-operational offender facing job.

Summary

The job holder will be working with prisoners, people on probation and staff and applying their competence in psychology to reduce the risk of harm and of re- offending by undertaking a range of work including risk assessment of prisoners, conducting research, providing consultancy and delivering training for staff and assessment and interventions for offenders. This is non-operational and non rotational offender facing job.

This job holder will be able to provide designated support and supervision to trainee psychologists.

Responsibilities, Activities And Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Offer authoritative professional advice on targets and objectives for relevant offenders and advise on the best location for those offenders (both within the establishment or relocation to another category establishment)
• Offer professional opinion to teams conducting reports e.g. lifer reports, parole reports
• Develop strategy and plans of activity for some areas of operation e.g. manages the organisation of relevant programme assessments or manages assessment and interviews those with an indeterminate sentence
• Provide consultancy support to colleagues such as the SMT or other teams in relation to psychology services and outcomes.
• Conduct relevant research including data gathering and analysis
• Responsible for providing supervision to trainee forensic psychology staff
• Provide training, mentoring and support to trainee psychologists and other staff (e.g. interventions staff).
• Can be required to provide professional (designated) supervision of trainee’s e.g. professional Supervision to ensure that a trainee is able to develop through the key steps towards chartered and registered status.
• Ensure staff are developed in accordance with key competencies and gateways and ensuring consistency across the team in the application of policies and procedures affecting staff and prisoners
• Lead on risk assessment and resulting risk management
• Participate in risk assessment of offenders to determine their risk of harm to self, others and the risk of reoffending. May undertake Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) and self-harm assessments.
• Can be required to deliver and/or oversee the quality of programmes (treatment management). These will be of the more complex type requiring such qualified input
• Provide consultancy role on specialist area e.g. Working with those convicted of Sexual Offending Strategy or Indeterminate Sentenced Prisoners (ISP) Strategy
• Act as a negotiation adviser where suitable and competence has been demonstrated
• Act as a “professional witness” in parole board hearings, multi-agency meetings, and other formal settings where psychology input is required. May also act as expert witness in respect of court proceedings for Ministry of Justice.
• Maintain own Continued Professional Development (CPD) and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  
  

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.