Job summary
The Adult Forensic Psychology Service provides recovery-focused psychological care to mentally disordered offenders across mental health and personality disorder pathways in in-patient and community settings.
Secure care services are part of an exciting and ambitious CEDAR project which will see the development of Sycamore, a new purpose-built secure hospital on the Northgate site, providing an integrated centre of excellence for those requiring secure mental health, learning disability and personality disorder services and due to open in 2023.
Main duties of the job
This post is split (0.5 wte in each) between two parts of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway. The OPD pathway strategy (2015) provides a framework for the whole-pathway joint commissioning of services for prison officers, probation (National Probation Service/NPS) staff and service users in prisons, secure hospitals and the community, to facilitate work with offenders screened as having personality difficulties and presenting high risk. A unique aspect of this strategy is that NHS mental health services staff (psychologists, doctors and mental health nurses) and HMPPS/NPS professionals work in genuine partnership to deliver formulation based management and interventions.
Oswin Unit, currently based in Bamburgh Clinic, St Nicholas Hospital (moving to Northgate in Spring 2023), comprises 11 medium secure beds for those requiring periods of hospital care as part of their main OPD prison pathway. A new development of an OPD community partnership Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) based in Ozanam House Approved Premises, Newcastle upon Tyne, will provide residential transitional support to clients managed by the National Probation Service (NPS) and moving from prison back to the community. The PIPE model includes a joint leadership model, consistent with the partnership philosophy, between an NHS Clinical Lead (a senior psychologist) and an Operational Lead (from the St Vincent DePaul society who operate Ozanam House under contract from the NPS).
About us
We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.
The Psychology Team works within multi disciplinary and multi agency teams across the secure care pathway.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This Higher Assistant Psychologist will support the Senior Psychologists in both of these services in providing detailed assessment and formulations and the post-holder will complete psychological interventions under supervision. You will work closely with the multidisciplinary team, enabling staff to feel confident in working with psychological formulations and supporting them through training in understanding psychological principles. You will also have the opportunity to co-facilitate therapeutic groups with clinical staff and will be involved in direct work with the service users/residents.
Service specific training
Training in administration and scoring of risk-relevant psychometric tools (including structured professional judgment tools such as HCR 20 v3 and SRA/SARN) would be advantageous and further training in post is available.
Breakaway training/refresher training are requirements for these posts.
Additional skills and competencies and duties required to fulfil the role.
Clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams, experience of working with people with mental health problems/personality disorder/or other disabilities. Experience of working with forensic populations is desirable.
Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant is essential for Band 5 Higher Assistant Psychologist posts.
Please find attached job description for full details.
Advertising date : 7th February 2023
Closing date : 14th February 2023
We welcome your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This Higher Assistant Psychologist will support the Senior Psychologists in both of these services in providing detailed assessment and formulations and the post-holder will complete psychological interventions under supervision. You will work closely with the multidisciplinary team, enabling staff to feel confident in working with psychological formulations and supporting them through training in understanding psychological principles. You will also have the opportunity to co-facilitate therapeutic groups with clinical staff and will be involved in direct work with the service users/residents.
Service specific training
Training in administration and scoring of risk-relevant psychometric tools (including structured professional judgment tools such as HCR 20 v3 and SRA/SARN) would be advantageous and further training in post is available.
Breakaway training/refresher training are requirements for these posts.
Additional skills and competencies and duties required to fulfil the role.
Clinically related administration, conduct of audits, collection of statistics, and development of audit and/or research projects, teaching and project work.
Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams, experience of working with people with mental health problems/personality disorder/or other disabilities. Experience of working with forensic populations is desirable.
Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant is essential for Band 5 Higher Assistant Psychologist posts.
Please find attached job description for full details.
Advertising date : 7th February 2023
Closing date : 14th February 2023
We welcome your application.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Upper 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology
- Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Experience as an assistant/research psychologist.
- Knowledge of evidence based practice
Desirable
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
- Experience with client group relevant to post.
- Experience of psychometric test administration and interpretation.
- Experience of providing individual or group interventions
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers and colleagues.
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health / cognitive impairment / disability context.
- Computer literate, including use of databases & data analysis, e.g. SPSS for Windows.
- Demonstrates graduate level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology.
- An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare.
Desirable
- A high standard of report writing
Personal Characteristics
Essential
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact appropriately with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals by supervisor.
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Able to manage own stress in difficult conditions and to identify when additional personal support may be necessary.
Desirable
- A desire to explore a career in applied Psychology.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Upper 2nd class honours degree, or higher, in psychology
- Eligibility for graduate membership of British Psychological Society
Desirable
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Paid or unpaid work with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Experience as an assistant/research psychologist.
- Knowledge of evidence based practice
Desirable
- Experience of paid work in direct care provision.
- Experience with client group relevant to post.
- Experience of psychometric test administration and interpretation.
- Experience of providing individual or group interventions
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- High level of communication skills (written and oral), including an ability to communicate and work in highly emotive circumstances.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to clients, carers and colleagues.
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health / cognitive impairment / disability context.
- Computer literate, including use of databases & data analysis, e.g. SPSS for Windows.
- Demonstrates graduate level knowledge and experience of research and research methodology.
- An understanding of psychology applied to healthcare.
Desirable
- A high standard of report writing
Personal Characteristics
Essential
- An ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.
- An ability to interact appropriately with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently with work agreed and managed at regular intervals by supervisor.
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Able to manage own stress in difficult conditions and to identify when additional personal support may be necessary.
Desirable
- A desire to explore a career in applied Psychology.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
