Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for an assistant psychologist to work as part of our SOLAR Service at HMP North Sea Camp. The SOLAR service is one of 5 Pathways Enhanced Resettlement (PERS) services that form part of the OPD (Offender Personality Disorder) Pathway in open prisons. PERS services aim to support individuals who are likely to have difficulties managing the transition from closed to open conditions, or from open conditions to the community, due to problematic personality traits.

We are looking for someone who can work within our Schema Therapy informed service at HMP North Sea Camp, to support the delivery of the service including 1:1 key work appointments, development and delivery of psychologically informed and socially creative groups, and supporting with the identification and management of likely difficulties for the individuals working with the service.

The Trust also delivers Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) pathway services jointly with HMPPS both in the community and within custody, including a Therapeutic Community (TC) at HMP Gartree, a specialist treatment service (ACORN) at HMP Whatton, Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Services (IIRMS) and the community consultation service (CORE) in the community across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, in addition to the SOLAR Service. 

Main duties of the job

·         Assist with the identification of individuals with likely problematic personality traits and associated behavioural or emotional instability likely to interfere with their ability to manage in open conditions.

·         Under supervision assist with the development of ‘survival plans’/ case formulations for individuals accessing the service to identify potential triggers/ setbacks and establish management strategies for the individual and the staff team supporting them.

·         Support the delivery of keywork appointments, focusing on specific areas identified in the survival plan to assist with risk assessment and management.

·         Support the development and delivery of psychologically informed groups (i.e. ‘understanding personality’, managing disclosure, emotion management) and socially creative groups (i.e. quiz groups, current affairs discussions, arts and craft groups).

·         Assist with workforce development: Staff training and development underpins the effective delivery of the offender personality disorder strategy to enhance confidence and relational ways of working.

·         Engage meaningfully with clinical supervision.

·         Assist with clinically related administration, service development, audits and research.

·         Work within Trust policies and procedures and within those set out by HMP North Sea Camp

Working for our organisation

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment.