Principal Clinical/Forensic/Counselling Psychologist FCLDT

Job summary

We are seeking to recruit a part-time Principal Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist (Band 8b) to join our recently established Forensic Community Learning Disability Team (FCLDT).

The role will involve a combination of direct and indirect work to support adults with learning disabilities and forensic needs in the community. The FCLDT sits within our Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT) which aims to support service users to successfully transition from inpatient environments into appropriately supported community settings.

The post holder will work across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire and will have very close links with local Learning Disability teams and Local Authorities from each geographical area.

Main duties of the job

The role involves direct assessment, formulation and intervention work with service users, as well as supporting other professionals to work in an effective, formulation-driven and evidence-based way in order to manage risk and improve health outcomes.

The post will involve delivering training and supporting the psychological thinking within the team. There will also be a requirement for consultations to support other services with risk formulations and management plans.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application you are encouraged to read the "candidate guide to making an application" which is attached to all roles. Please include details around qualifications (including years these were gained particularly if we need to assess for clinical roles that these are still valid) and ensure that the supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses the essential criteria found in the JD.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount
• Pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply)
• Staff networking and support groups

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide an experienced psychological service to people with learning disabilities who have forensic needs and/or have accessed care via a secure pathway as part of the Forensic Community Learning Disability Team (FCLDT) covering Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire (BOB).

The FCLDT, which sits within the forensic services Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT), supports the reduction of hospital use and seeks to improve the quality of life, health and well-being of service users with a diagnosis of learning disability who are at risk of being admitted to secure services or are being discharged to the community from secure settings.

The post holder will be an experienced clinical/counselling/forensic psychologist holding doctoral level professional qualifications, who will ensure the clinical leadership and systematic provision of this highly specialist multilevel service specialising in working with individuals with a learning disability and a forensic need, that is cost-effective, culturally appropriate and based on best clinical and professional practice and that meets Trust and Directorate objectives, national strategic, and policy guidelines, commissioner requirements and user and carer needs and expectations. To thereby help understand, prevent and ameliorate psychological distress and disorder, work towards risk reduction and risk management, and improve the quality of life, mental health and well-being of users of this service.

The core element of the post is to provide case identification, case consultation, case formulation, joint working, and workforce development. The post holder will also have additional responsibility for:

Leading the strategic thinking about services delivered to individuals with a Learning Disability with a forensic need in the community in the BOB area, notably identifying need, promoting inter-agency working to support this cohort, collating information about services (and pathways within services) available.

Link to the FIND (Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental) Service, Forensic Community Mental Health team, secure establishments, and the Criminal Justice agencies to enable early intervention and support in preventing revictimization within systems.

Develop the pathway for the eligibility process of the service and lead on developing pathway interventions that meets the needs of this cohort.

Support the wider strategic development for this cohort.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral level training in clinical, counselling or forensic psychology, or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996, as accredited by the British Psychological Society, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology
• Post-doctoral training in one or more highly specialist areas of psychological practice.

Knowledge

Essential

• Highly developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training, and supervised experience during a substantive period as a qualified psychologist.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies with people with in specific 'difficult to treat' groups (e.g. personality disorder, offending behaviour challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities etc).

Experience

Essential

• Assessed experience of specialist and highly specialist psychological assessment and treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, day services and inpatient settings.
• Experience of risk assessment, risk communication and risk management.

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.