Practitioner Psychologist in Wales

Are you an experienced Practitioner Psychologist who is passionate about making a meaningful difference to young people who have experienced significant adversity and social injustice? Are you skilled in working in attachment and trauma specialist approaches? Do you enjoy working with systems and delivering service development and innovation? Would you like to join a thriving, growing and welcoming community of Psychologists and Psychotherapists in CTMUHB?

We are pleased to invite applications for this new post to deliver specialist psychological care to boys aged 15‑17 who are looked after in Parc Prison. You would be part of a small multidisciplinary CAMHS in‑reach team and be a valued member of the wider Psychology and Psychotherapy Team in Children & Young People's Community Mental Health Services. Your work would also be supported by forensic psychology specialist colleagues in our FACS team. Your professional development would be supported as part of the Psychology and Psychotherapy Professionals Network across the Health Board.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will contribute to specialist psychology services provide psychological clinical leadership as part of the CTMUHB CAMHS provision into YPU, HMP Parc.
• This will include contributing to direct client assessments, formulations, intervention plans, consultations, research audit, and training.
• Part of the role will include advising and consulting on best practice in psychological risk assessment and selection of indicated risk assessment tools and risk management for young people and their systems, including the provision of advice and support to other professionals and carers.
• The post holder will work with young people who are at current risk of harming others and/or themselves.
• The post holder will join the HMP Parc YPU in‑reach team and will be a member of the Psychological Professions team within the CTM CAMHS service and the CTM CAMHS and Specialised Service Directorate.
• The post holder will work alongside other Practitioner Psychologists with professional leadership from the Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Children & Young People's Community Mental Health Services.

About us:

Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM) University Health Board, part of NHS Wales, serves a large population across a diverse and beautiful region, steeped in history and heritage. With nearly 13,500 staff, our health board is one of Wales's largest employers. Together, we are Team CTM; a workforce dedicated to offering excellent patient care and support to the 450,000 people across our three regions, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

CTM employees enjoy benefits including a leading pension, generous leave, flexible work, career growth, and access to ongoing learning and development. At CTM, you'll find a welcoming, team‑oriented workplace that values diversity and compassion, where you can take pride in your work and the difference it makes.

Job responsibilities:

Welsh Skills Desirable: This post is advertised as Welsh Desirable. This doesn't mean essential; while the candidate doesn't need to have skills in Welsh, we'll consider it an advantage when short‑listing and selecting candidates. This isn't fluency, just Speaking & Listening skills at Level 3 (equivalent to CEFR B2) or above.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications and/or Knowledge: Professional knowledge acquired through Degree, plus Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical or other relevant Applied Psychology (or its equivalent for those trained prior to 1996) as accredited by the BPS, or Doctorate in Forensic Psychology, accredited by the BPS, supplemented by short specialist courses, clinical supervision and further specialist training, experience.
• Relevant additional specialist training or knowledge and experience in forensic area.
• Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) registration as a practitioner psychologist.
• Clinical supervisor training for doctoral applied psychology trainees.
• Additional training in attachment related interventions with children and/or young people.
• Evidence of peer reviewed publications, presentations at conferences, or similar contributions.

• Experience: Experience of working as a qualified practitioner psychologist in an area relevant to this post. Relevant additional specialist training or supervised practice in therapeutic approach, to an accredited or equivalent level. Relevant additional specialist experience of delivering a consultation service. Evidence of competent and autonomous clinical practice, effective multi‑disciplinary working, and involvement in safeguarding and multiagency risk management approaches. Experience of utilising legislation relevant to services managing risk, safeguarding and sharing information between agencies e.g. Children's Act, Mental Health Act, Capacity Act. Experience in working with children and young people with attachment difficulties and trauma. Experience of teaching, training and professional and clinical supervision. Experience of working within CAMH service for clients with complex needs, in justice systems. Experience of offering a specialist CAMHS consultation service. Experience of CAMHS work contributing to multi‑agency approach to risk management. Experience of CAMHS work contributing to multi‑systemic/multi‑modal treatment interventions. Experience of forensic risk assessment and use of structured professional judgement tools. Experience of leading service change and development.

• Aptitude and Abilities: Open and enthusiastic approach to work and professional development. Reliable and diligent approach to professional and clinical work. Capable of both team and independent working. Ability to work with highly distressing clinical material. Ability to work with complex clinical material. Capable of recognising when limits of competence are being reached and able to request and make use of supervision. Ability to work independently and use distance supervision and support arrangements as necessary. Positive attitude to working with colleagues from different organisational contexts. Skills in delivering training and consultation. Well‑developed skills in all forms of communication – oral and written, sensitive information, and with various audiences. Ability to work in clinical and service contexts of high complexity and ongoing change.

• Other: Actively promote the relevant agendas including that of Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure with specific sensitivity to the challenges confronting the client group. Flexible approach to needs of the service and personable approach to working in a multi-disciplinary team. Able to work flexibly according to demands of the team and role. Enhanced DBS Check. Welsh language speaking/listening skills at Level 3 or above.

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.