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Job summary

Main area
Psychological Professions
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
395-PP133-25
Employer
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Bethnal Green Health Centre
Town
LOndon
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 per annum (plus HCAS)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
06/11/2025 23:59

Employer heading

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust logo

Practitioner Psychologist/Psychological Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 7

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work within a newly commissioned pan-London Men’s Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) service to reduce custodial sentences and improve the wellbeing of men in the criminal justice system with mental health needs.  Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) were introduced by the Criminal Justice Act in 2003, recognising that for many individuals who offend, mental health and substance misuse issues underpin their offending behaviour. Treatment requirements offer courts an alternative to short custodial sentences and aim to prevent reoffending by addressing underlying vulnerabilities and improving quality of life. This service aims to increase the use of primary care treatment requirements as part of a community sentence, offering psychologically informed interventions and advice. The MHTR Service will also provide the courts with information and confidence to sentence to robust and effective treatment requirements.

North London Forensic Collaborative is the largest forensic Provider Collaborative in England and is a partnership between forensic services within five NHS Trusts including: North London NHS Foundation Trust - Lead Provider; Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust; East London NHS Foundation Trust; North East London NHS Foundation Trust and West London NHS Trust.

Main duties of the job

This band 7 post will be hosted by North East London NHS Foundation Trust as part of a team that will work across the whole of North East London. Some of the posts in the team are hosted by NELFT and some ELFT.

North London Forensic Collaborative are looking for three 1.0 WTE band 7 Psychologists or Psychological Therapists. NELFT is recruiting to one of these posts which will be responsible for assessing for suitability and making recommendations for MHTRs across North East London; and for delivering short-term psychological interventions for those that are sentenced to an MHTR. There are two equivalent posts being recruited to via CNWL and we expect the services to work closely together to ensure that there is consistency in the MHTR service being offered across London.

The successful candidates will hold a clinical caseload and be responsible for supervision of the senior Assistant Psychologist team. We hope to recruit a staff team reflective of the population we serve and welcome applications from those with protected characteristics, including minoritised ethnic groups. Candidates will be considered for all NLFC posts at interview. All trusts support flexible working and applications for secondments to this substantive role will be considered.

We welcome applicants who are newly qualified or are approaching qualification who are enthusiastic and dedicated to working in this field, with or without prior experience in secure or forensic services.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

  • We are kind. 
  • We are respectful.
  • We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. 

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust.  All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment.  As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes.  The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Inner London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 20% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £5,415 to a maximum of £8,465 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Assessment of men prior to sentencing to consider suitability for an MHTR
  • Providing short-term psychological interventions for those that are sentenced to an MHTR
  • Liaison with stakeholders including probation colleagues and court staff
  • Supervision of prequalified staff including trainees and assistant psychologists
  • Involvement in service research, audits and development
  • The postholder will supervise pre-qualified psychological therapists including assistant psychologists

Please see attached document for full Job Description and Person Specification.

 

Anticipated interview date: Tuesday 18th November.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • HCPC Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist or registered as psychological therapist
  • Registered with prof body
Desirable criteria
  • CPD: training in working with people with trauma presentations, research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
  • Training in more than one psychological therapy.

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Assessment including risk assessment
  • Working with range of client groups across the lifespan, with a range of complexity and challenge
  • Interventions with complex groups
  • Experience of delivering brief, primary care, CBT interventions or equivalent
  • MDT working
  • Teaching and training
Desirable criteria
  • own lived/living experience
  • knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies.
  • legislation in relation to the client group and mental health
  • application of psychology in different cultural and specialist contexts.
  • forensic experience
  • co production
  • supervision experience
  • multicultural contexts

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Research experience
  • Knowledge of forensic assessment
  • understanding of the current context of service provision within the NHS.
  • Knowedge of intervention with this client group

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Communication including training others
  • Working with challenging groups
  • Willingness to work flexibly to meet demands of contracts, commissioners and other stake-holders to provide high-quality and effective care
  • Anti racist and anti discriminatory

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Employers for CarersApprenticeships logoAge positiveDisability confident employerHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionTop 10 Employer 2023

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.

Application numbers

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

If you require any additional support during the application process please contact [email protected]. We are happy to make reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment journey.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rachel Smith
Job title
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07944 206 081
Additional information

Please contact us if you would like to know more: Dr Rachel Smith (Professional Lead for Forensic Psychology, NELFT) [email protected]  07944 206 081 or Dr Phil Minoudis (Head of Forensic PD Psychology, ELFT) [email protected] 07961 474 117

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