Please note that this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a compassionate and motivated Band 7/8a Practitioner Psychologist to join our forensic community service.
Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) is a specialist forensic community mental health team based in South Birmingham and covering the West Midlands area. The aim of the service is to contribute to the successful transition of adult service users with significant risk histories and mental health difficulties out of secure inpatient services and support their continued recovery and risk management in the community. The Psychological Therapies team within FIRST is made up of practitioner psychologists, an art psychotherapist, a specialist psychological practitioner, and assistant psychologists.
As a psychologist within FIRST, your role will involve providing assessment and interventions on an individual basis to service users in inpatient settings (as part of in-reach work to support their transition) and community settings, as well as opportunities to deliver some group interventions. Therapeutic work is focused on areas that contribute to maintaining successful discharge and ongoing recovery in the community, including managing risks and mental illness and adapting to life out of secure care.
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We are currently increasing our consultation offered to other community services, such as local CMHTs, so there will also be scope to contribute to this type of consultation and liaison work. You will have opportunities within FIRST to supervise and manage others, as well as contributing to training, service development, audit and evaluation.
We acknowledge that working within forensic services can be challenging, so you will have access to a range of wellbeing support, including team reflective practice and wellbeing spaces. One of the many benefits of working in our Secure Care and Offender Health division is being part of a large and diverse group of practitioner psychologists across a variety services, with regular opportunities to come together to share good practice and collaborate within strategic working groups. There is access to a range of model-specific supervision in addition to individual supervision. Within the directorate there are also colleagues trained in Compassion Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy and Narrative Therapy. This offers individuals the opportunity to hone their therapeutic skills and develop practice relating to service need. As a forensic service, we balance interventions for mental health with offending needs, incorporating structured clinical judgement tools as routine practice within our work. If you are new to forensic practice, we will help to support your knowledge and skills development, so you feel confident in your work.
Working for our organisation
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.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.
Psychology recruitment )
Our Trust is committed to treating individuals fairly and ensuring they have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, even if this means doing things differently for different people sometimes. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Birmingham and Solihull and that our services meet the needs of all diverse service users and carers.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. As part of the selection process you may be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, however all cases of criminal record history are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Please note, if applicable for your role you will be required to cover the cost of your DBS certificate. This will be deducted from your salary over 3 months. You will also be required to sign up to the DBS Update Service before commencement with the Trust. The Trust will reimburse this. You will be contractually obliged to maintain your subscription.
All successful applicants will be required to complete the Trust's induction programme. The Fundamental (Statutory and Mandatory) training will be in an e-learning format. You will be required to complete training modules online (approx. 9-14 hours depending on post) by the end of your second week with us.
If you are successful at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process we may contact you via email to advise you of the interview details. Please ensure you access your email account from which you applied regularly once the position has closed. Our selection process may involve more than one interview or assessment.
Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, please ensure that you check if this role meets the eligibility criteria for sponsorship. Non UK /Republic of Ireland candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK - GOV.UK ). The minimum salary threshold for a Health and Social Care is £25,000 and for the Skilled Worker route is £38,700. If the starting salary for this role is below this, we will not be able to provide sponsorship.
Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK )
Relocation expenses may be reimbursed subject to eligibility. The policy provides for reimbursement up to £8,000.
Please note - if you are applying for a role within Police custody, due to Police Vetting requirements you must have been a UK resident for the last years.