19106 - Senior Registered Psychologist – Psychology Services – Youth Custody Services - HMYOI F[...]

Psychology Services for HMPPS Youth Custody Service (YCS) are recruiting two Senior Registered Psychologists to be based in HMYOI Feltham. This role is non-operational and focuses on providing specialist psychological support to boys in custody, with additional opportunities to work with adults at HMP Feltham B. The successful candidates will line-manage and supervise the practice of other staff, including trainee psychologists, and will work within a trauma-informed, evidence-based framework.

Overview

This role is a specialist position requiring significant experience, training, and personal development. The holder will excel in risk assessment and/or specialise in areas such as sexual offending. Responsibilities include delivering programmes, supervising, providing consultancy, and researching interventions.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Conduct full case reviews on complex cases and advise on sentence plans.
• Specialise in delivery of psychology services in settings such as therapeutic community wings or PIPEs.
• Lead, supervise and facilitate group sessions.
• Provide professional opinion to multi-functional teams on risk, parole and other reports.
• Develop strategies for sexual offending or indeterminate sentence assessment and intervention.
• Deliver and supervise complex programmes, e.g. healthy sex programme.
• Provide consultancy support to senior management and other colleagues.
• Conduct relevant research, including data gathering and analysis.
• Act as a professional witness in parole board hearings, multi-agency meetings and, where appropriate, as an expert witness in court proceedings for the Ministry of Justice.
• Manage and provide professional supervision to trainee forensic psychology staff.
• Provide supervision, training, mentoring and support to trainee psychologists and other staff such as intervention staff.
• Assist in national specialist tasks such as training on courses related to a specialist discipline.
• Coordinate or act as designated supervisor supporting a trainee toward chartered and registered status.
• Ensure staff development in accordance with competencies, gateways and policies.
• Lead on risk assessment and risk management of complex, vulnerable or high-risk offenders, including full range of risk assessments.
• Contribute to other offender management processes such as ACCT, self-harm and personality disorder assessments.
• Advising on complex cases across a range of sites and forums.
• Act as negotiation adviser where suitable.
• Maintain personal CPD, professional standards and HCPC registration.
• Provide psychological reports for convicted life-sentence offenders within required time frames.
• Ensure compliance with accreditation audit baselines.
• Line-manage trainee psychologists.

Civil Service Success Profile Criteria – Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Experience and Qualifications

• Professional background in Psychology.
• Experience providing clinical supervision.
• Completed relevant training in effective models of treatment and best practice.
• Likely to be a Chartered Psychologist and Full member of the appropriate division of the BPS.
• Two years post-registration experience at the point of taking up the post (minimum 18 months acceptable).

Technical Requirements

• Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and eligible to use a protected title.

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances

37 hour working week.

Additional Information – Working Arrangements & Further Information

The role offers hybrid working arrangements where business need allows, blending work from the base location, different MoJ sites, and/or from home. The position can be worked only within the UK.

Benefits

• Annual leave calculated pro-rata, with 9 bank, public and privilege holidays added to the leave allowance.
• Choice of two Civil Service pension schemes.
• Support for work-life balance, including flexible working options where business needs allow.
• Season ticket advance available after two months’ service.
• Access to staff development programmes and training.

Eligibility and Security Checks

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up the post. External candidates are subject to a 6-month probation; internal candidates subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS. Applicants must declare any membership of an organisation considered racist by HMPPS.

Nationality Rules

This role is open to:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
• Individuals with limited or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EU Settlement Scheme on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months for appointments to the same or similar roles.