Assistant Psychologist - Thames Valley Integrated OPD
Band 5
Main area Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Grade Band 5 Contract 12 months (fixed term; can be offered as a secondment opportunity) Hours
* Full time
* Flexible working
37.5 hours per week Job ref 267-FS7277329
Site Oxford Probation Office and Slough or Reading Probation Office Town Oxford, Slough, Reading Salary £29,970 - £36,483 plus an RSU allowance of £1,446 per annum | pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 26/06/2025 23:59
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.
We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.
We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Good luck and we hope to hear from you.
Job overview
Are you passionate about working with people whose early traumatic experiences have contributed to high-risk offending behaviours?
Do you want to be supported in your professional development within an encouraging, supportive and experienced team?
The Thames Valley Integrated Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway Service are recruiting for two proactive, flexible and relational Assistant Psychologistswho are passionate about multi-agency working and providing direct and indirect input to a stigmatised and marginalised population.
The service works across the Thames Valley and the two role are based within Probation Offices in both Oxford and Berkshire. One role will cover the Oxford and Reading office; the other will cover the Oxford and Slough office. The ability to travel independently between sites within the Trust is essential for this role. There is the opportunity to work from home 1 to 2 days a week.
Co-production and collaboration is really important to us and central to our team ethos and we believe that diversity in teams helps improve trust and respect between staff and encourages typically excluded groups to engage with us. If you have any protected characteristics or are from a BAME background, then we are particularly keen to receive an application from you.
Our psychology department is proud of the diversity of therapeutic approaches utilised in our work and the supportive and nurturing environment that we have created. Come and join us!
Main duties of the job
The Integrated OPD Pathway Service is jointly commissioned by the NHS and Probation Service and consists of Core OPD and Enhanced Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Service (EIIRMS).
OPD is a consultation service that provides psychological input to Probation teams, working with people on probation with personality difficulties/ experiences of early life trauma and EIIRMS works directly with clients providing psychologically informed, psychosocial interventions.
Our clients present with high levels of need and risk; most are transitioning from custody to the community and we work closely with the person’s Probation Practitioner and other community organisations involved with the client. In this role, you will work across both parts of the service.
Our team consists of staff from several disciplines including administrators, assistant, clinical, counselling and forensic psychologists, health and skills facilitators, probation officers, a probation service officer, a social worker and a team lead.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast 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”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* Supporting the Thames Valley Integrated OPD Pathway Service in undertaking case identification and the appropriate triage of high risk, high need people on the Probation caseload
* Facilitating case consultations with Probation Officers and developing psychological formulations under supervision.
* Delivering psychosocial interventions to the Enhanced Intensive Intervention & Risk Management Service (EIIRMS) users, with multi-disciplinary and multi-agency team members.
* Supporting the evaluation and governance of the service by assisting in clinically related administration, the collection and reporting of data for commissioning and other such quality improvement needs.
* Participating in activities of the wider forensic psychology team e.g. continuing professional development opportunities.
Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties.
We sit within the Forensic Mental Health Psychology team, who work in inpatient and community settings and this provides you with a unique learning opportunity. The whole department meets monthly for a business meeting, CPD groups and reflective practice. There is also a dedicated Assistant Psychologists group who meet monthly.
Please note that you will be required to successfully complete an Enhanced Level 1 Vetting with HMPPS/Ministry of Justice in order to access the HMPPS systems. Enhanced Level 1 clearance is valid for 5 years.
Person specification
Training and Qualifications
* An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
* Post-graduate training relevant in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Knowledge and Skills
* High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
* High degree of organisational skills, ability to adjust priorities
* Presentation, training and facilitation skills
* Knowledge of Criminal Justice System structure and procedures
* Experience of audit procedures
Experience
* Previous experience as an Assistant Psychologist.
* Experience of working with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
* Experience of working in forensic settings or with people with offending histories
* Experience of working with difficult to engage populations, particularly individuals with interpersonal difficulties and/or diagnosed personality disorders
* All new starters have a thorough induction process, both local and Trust wide, which aims to create a positive supportive working environment allowing new employees to learn key elements of their role over a reasonable timescale.
* Appointment to this post is subject to the trust receiving satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study. Please ask your referees to respond promptly to reference requests.
* We’re advocates of flexible working and many of our roles offer a range of employment options to help you balance your work and personal life.
* Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
* We are ambitious in our pursuit of excellence, driven by the belief that a fair, just and fully inclusive organisational culture enables our teams to deliver the best quality of care and services possible and we work hard to ensure that our diverse workforce reflects the communities that we serve.
* We welcome applications from all sections of the community, are an Equal Opportunities employer with a number of internal networking groups to support our employees and where possible will always look to make reasonable adjustments in order that you can fulfil the role to recognise your full potential. All our employees are committed to demonstrating through their behaviour our core values – safe, caring and excellent.
* We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
* Oxford is a world-renowned centre of excellence for research. Oxford Health works closely with the University of Oxford department of Psychiatry and the Department of Primary care, has a Biomedical Research Centre dedicated to improving mental health and the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at the Warneford site. The Trust also hosts the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) which carries out applied research that directly impacts patient health and wellbeing
Employer certification / accreditation badges
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name Stephanie Hunter Job title Clinical Lead of OPD and Enhanced IIRMS Email address stephanie.hunter@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk Telephone number 07918 221778 Additional information
At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.
Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application. However, please be aware that we will stop accepting applications after we have received 50 to allow us to give enough time to shortlisting and considering applications.
If you are considering a career change and don’t know which role would be suitable for you, please visit the NHS careers website to discover which of our 350 roles might be right for you.
All of our current vacancies can be found on our careers site and if you are interested in a role but unsure if it might be the right move for you, please do get in touch with the named contact listed at the bottom of the vacancy. This will give you the opportunity to have an informal discussion about your suitability prior to making a formal application.
If you have any general queries about applying for roles, need any support completing your application, or an alternative method to apply or have a query regarding an upcoming event then please do contact us at careers@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
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