Job summary
A new role has arisen within the Secure Care and Offender Health (SCOH) division of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSMHFT), to extend Offender Personality Disorder Pathway services, with a new Enhanced Support Service based at HMP Drake Hall. HMP Drake Hall is located in the rural area of Eccleshall, between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, within easy commuting distance from north Birmingham, Staffordshire, Shropshire and south Cheshire. It is a closed prison with capacity for around 340 adult women, making it one of the largest women's prisons in the UK. It specialises in rehabilitation, reintegration and resettlement, and has a small open unit for 25 women.
We are recruiting for permanent Band 8A Practitioner Psychologist to launch the ESS service with support from the ESS Clinical lead at HMP Foston Hall. ESS will work intensively with people in prison in a collaborative manner to develop motivation to facilitate better settlement, improved psychological wellbeing and in the long term, access to sentence planning services. It will also include working directly with staff to increase understanding and appropriate management of the people in prison from a psychologically informed perspective.
One of the joys of working within SCOH is the access to model-specific supervision, in addition to individual supervision, management supervision and group reflective spaces. Model specific supervision includes CBT (including ACT), CAT, DBT, EMDR, and CFT.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will work within HMP Drake Hall, leading the day-to-day delivery of the ESS service. It will involve managing referrals into the service, undertaking clinical assessments and interventions as required and developing case formulations and support plans, in conjunction with other professionals involved. The successful candidate will need exceptional communication skills as well as an empathic and non-judgemental attitude towards the individuals within the service and within the prison environment. You will also need to be resilient and be able to work and make decisions in both an independent and collaborative manner. The successful candidate will have some experience of working with adults with personality disorder and challenging behaviour, in addition to those with other psychological difficulties, neurodiversity and complex needs and risks. Working autonomously and supporting other disciplines will be key responsibility.
If you are ready for the next stage of your career progression, and able to compassionately challenge systems and staff to be better, hold integrity and also connect with the people around them, we hope that you speak to us and apply.
About us
Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.
Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people's lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical/forensic psychology completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including forensic contexts with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
Desirable
- Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' clients.
- oExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge
Essential
- Skills commensurate with doctoral level training in the formulation of problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with complex presenting problems. Able to deliver established/evidenced based psychological therapy to fidelity.
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging.
- Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific 'difficult to treat' groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
Personal
Essential
- Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated disabilities
- Is a 'team player' and has demonstrated ability to work and deliver to team and organisational objectives
Other
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Awareness and understanding of the purpose and mechanisms of clinical governance and an ability to employ such mechanisms to maintain and improve standards of clinical practice
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical/forensic psychology completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists
Experience
Essential
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including forensic contexts with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
Desirable
- Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' clients.
- oExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.
Knowledge
Essential
- Skills commensurate with doctoral level training in the formulation of problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with complex presenting problems. Able to deliver established/evidenced based psychological therapy to fidelity.
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging.
- Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific 'difficult to treat' groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
Personal
Essential
- Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated disabilities
- Is a 'team player' and has demonstrated ability to work and deliver to team and organisational objectives
Other
Essential
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Awareness and understanding of the purpose and mechanisms of clinical governance and an ability to employ such mechanisms to maintain and improve standards of clinical practice
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
