23648 - Forensic or Clinical Registered Psychologist - Psychology Services - Womens - HMP Send

Ministry of Justice UK • National City, CA

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Women’s Estate Psychology Service (WEPS) provides core forensic psychology services, including complex risk assessments, therapeutic interventions, consultancy, training and research, as well as safety-related work in women’s prisons and during women’s transition back into the community. At HMP Send, the role includes core forensic and safety work, with a particular demand for parole risk assessments and other forensic work involving indeterminate-sentenced prisoners.

This is a non-operational, non-rotational, offender-facing position with line management responsibilities. The post holder works with prisoners, people on probation and staff to apply psychological expertise to reduce harm and reoffending. Work includes risk assessment, research, consultancy, staff training, and assessments and interventions for offenders. The post holder may also provide designated support and professional supervision to trainee psychologists.

The role is based at HMP Send in Woking. The MoJ may allow hybrid working where business needs permit; arrangements are agreed with the successful candidate and reviewed regularly. The position is permanent and is offered full time, with part-time, job-share and flexible working patterns also considered. Standard full-time hours are 37 per week, excluding unpaid breaks.

Requirements

• Professional background in psychology.
• Experience providing clinical supervision.
• Completed relevant training in effective treatment models and best practice.
• Qualified forensic or clinical psychologist with HCPC registration in place.
• Ability to fulfil the spoken aspects of the role confidently in English.
• Spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

• Provide authoritative professional advice on offenders’ targets, objectives and suitable locations within or between establishments.
• Provide professional opinions to teams preparing reports, including lifer and parole reports.
• Develop strategies and activity plans for areas of operation, such as organising programme assessments and assessments or interviews for people serving indeterminate sentences.
• Provide consultancy to colleagues, including senior management teams and other teams, on psychology services and outcomes.
• Conduct relevant research, including gathering and analysing data.
• Supervise trainee forensic psychology staff and provide training, mentoring and support to trainee psychologists and other staff.
• Provide designated professional supervision to trainees to support their development towards chartered and registered status.
• Develop staff against key competencies and gateways, and promote consistent application of policies and procedures affecting staff and prisoners.
• Lead risk assessments and associated risk management, and assess offenders’ risk of harm to themselves or others and risk of reoffending.
• May undertake Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) and self-harm assessments.
• May deliver programmes or oversee their quality and treatment management, particularly for complex programmes requiring qualified input.
• Provide specialist consultancy, for example on working with people convicted of sexual offences or people serving indeterminate sentences.
• Act as a negotiation adviser where appropriate and where competence has been demonstrated.
• Act as a professional witness in parole board hearings, multi-agency meetings and other formal settings; may also act as an expert witness in court proceedings for the Ministry of Justice.
• Maintain continuing professional development and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Benefits

• Annual leave entitlement, calculated on a pro-rata basis where applicable.
• Nine days (66 hours and 36 minutes) for bank, public and privilege holidays, added to annual leave allowance.
• Choice of two Civil Service pension schemes.
• Flexible working arrangements, subject to business needs and completion of a satisfactory probationary period.
• Season ticket advance eligibility after two months’ service.
• Training and development opportunities, including equality and diversity, challenging behaviour, suicide prevention and anti-bullying programmes.
• Opportunities to access promotion programmes and role-appropriate training.
• Security and diversity training and an individual induction programme.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed