Job summary
- Main area
- Adult & Specialist Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 310-ASMH-7261113-A
- Employer
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Parkside Police Station
- Town
- Cambridge
- Salary
- £29,970 - £36,483 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 09/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Assistant Psychologist MHTR
Band 5
Job overview
*Please note, previous applicants need not apply*
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Liaison and Diversion Service in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire for an experienced assistant psychologist to support in the delivery of Community Sentence Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTR) across Cambridgeshire.
The post holder will be predominantly based in Cambridge but is expected to travel across county when appropriate.
MHTR have now expanded out to offer all people over the age of 18.
You will be will be responsible for providing low intensity interventions (including assessment and manualised treatment) under the direction and supervision of a qualified Clinical Psychologist who will retain clinical responsibility for clinical work carried out, provided that the clinical work is within the care plan specified.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will also be responsible for assessing for the MHTR suitability and providing a recommendation to court via a report.
The recipients of the interventions are currently women individuals who have received a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, which includes a Mental Health Treatment Requirement, from Magistrates Courts in Cambridgeshire.
The successful candidate will be leading in promoting MHTR in the local area and liaise with colleagues in partner agencies eg, Court staff and probation. The post holder will also be responsible for the data collection and presentation to local and regional meetings and there will also be opportunities to attend and contribute to local and regional network MHTR meetings.
Working for our organisation
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share our vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.
Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
- To accept referrals in connection with the MHTR (Mental Health Treatment Requirement) using agreed service protocols and undertake protocol based psychological assessments of clients applying psychological tests, including self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with clients, and others involved in the client’s care, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
- To write summary treatment reports for the service regarding service user treatment outcomes.
- To assist in the formulation and delivery of care plans involving the psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s problems, under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
- To collate and report audit data in order to meet the audit requirements of the service
*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website
Person specification
Education/qualifications
Essential criteria
- An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology
- Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society
Desirable criteria
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working as an Assistant Psychologist/Research assistant
- Experience of applying psychology in direct work with others
- Experience of working as part of a team
- Experience of working with people that may at times have the potential to respond to staff with hostility and aggression and being able to respond to hostility and aggression in a professional manner
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients, carers and colleagues in a way that addresses psychological resistance
- Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information in reports, letters and other health correspondence to clients and their referrers
- Ability to apply existing psychological knowledge to a mental health context
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in forensic mental health Services
- Experience of working with individuals with physical and mental health issues
- Experience of working with service users who are involved in the Criminal Justice System, including people who may have committed violent and / or sexual offences
- Commitment/interest in working with people and experience of working closely with people in either an employed or voluntary capacity
- Understanding of current NHS/Social Care policies/practices relating to mental health
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
- Ability to communicate sensitive information and psychological concepts to non-psychologists and people in distress
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health difficulties
- High level skills in the collection and analysis of complex data and data collection protocols
- High standard of report writing
Desirable criteria
- An understanding of psychology applied to health and social care
- Skills in assessment of risk
- Skills In the use of psychological assessment
- Experience of completing service evaluation
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential criteria
- Understanding of risk assessments
- An understanding of psychology applied to adult mental health problems
- IT literate including expertise in using Microsoft Office Professional applications, Word, Powerpoint and Excel, and Statistical packages such as SPSS
- Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of equality and diversity issues and the ability to integrate into employment, policies and practices
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently work as agreed and managed at regular intervals
- Ability to interact and develop an understanding of knowledge of personality issues
- Well presented, socially confident and approachable
- Self-motivated, committed and open to new ideas and experiences
- Ability to organise and prioritise workloads
Desirable criteria
- An understanding of the criminal justice system
- An interest in developing a career as a professional psychologist
Physical Requirements
Essential criteria
- Routine and regular use of computer
- Post holder must be able to travel within the locality to meet the needs of the service and to Trust sites across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire therefore must be independently mobile
- Flexible approach to working hours and practices
Other
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable commitment to continuing professional development
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sam Craft
- Job title
- Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01733 317560
- Additional information
Holly Wale
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