Job summary
- Main area
- Specialised/Forensic Services
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- 12 months (fixed term)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (hybrid working possible)
- Job ref
- 267-FS7775180
- Employer
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Oxford and Bicester Probation Offices
- Town
- Oxfordshire
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum/pro-rata (plus RSU allowance £1446 per annum/pro-rata)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist - OPD Pathway (Fixed Term)
Band 8a
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 an experienced psychologist interested in working with people whose early traumatic experiences have contributed to high-risk offending behaviours?
Thames Valley Integrated Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway are looking for an experienced Clinical, Counselling or Forensic Psychologist to join our team on a 12 month fixed term contract. This role is most suited to a Band 8a but we will consider applications from newly qualified psychologists.
We are jointly commissioned by the NHS and Probation Service and are responsible for providing psychological input into Probation teams including case identification and pathway management for high-risk, high harm people on probation with personality difficulties/ experiences of early life trauma. We are looking for a proactive, approachable clinician who is passionate about multi-agency working, formulating complexity, and providing direct and indirect input to a stigmatised and marginalised population.
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 shifts are 7.5 hours, week days only, with core working hours generally being 9am to 5pm. However, we understand the importance of a work-life balance, so are open to discussions about compressed hours.
Main duties of the job
The Integrated OPD Pathway Service includes staff from several disciplines including administrators, assistant, clinical, counselling and forensic psychologists, occupational therapy assistants, probation officers and a probation service officer. Please refer to the organisational chart which details how the team works together.
You will be responsible for:-
- providing psychological consultations to Offender Managers/Probation Practitioners (OM/PPs), Approved Premises staff and other professionals working with the person on probation
- working closely with the Enhanced Intensive Intervention and Risk Management Service (E-IIRMS) to identify people on probation who are eligible for direct psychosocial interventions and psychological therapy
- conducting joint work sessions with people on probation and OM/PPs as pre-engagement/motivational work prior to a referral to E-IIRMS; to deliver a brief intervention; to demonstrate a technique or approach to OM/PPs; to explore an unusual presentation; or observe relational dynamics with a view to deepening an understanding of the risk issues
- developing and delivering training and reflective practice for Probation teams and Approved Premises staff, with support from our wider department reflective practice supervision space
- supervising other psychologists working within your geographical area
- for those who are interested, there may be an opportunity to maintain a small therapy caseload (with E-IIRMS)
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East 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”
At Oxford Health we offer a range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing.
- 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 may apply)
- Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We sit within the Forensic Mental Health Psychology team, who work in inpatient and community settings. The whole department meets monthly for a business meeting, CPD groups and reflective practice. Our psychology department is proud of the diversity of therapeutic approaches utilised in our work, where support, supervision and CPD is prioritised.
Although the Integrated OPD Pathway Service covers the whole of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, this role is based within Oxfordshire. You will be responsible for providing direct and indirect psychological input into the Oxford and Bicester Probation offices and two Approved Premises in Oxford city, Clarks House and 112 Abingdon Road.
Please refer to the job description and person specification for a detailed explanation of the responsibilities of this role
Please be aware that we have a strong emphasis on co-production and service user involvement. It is common for a service user to be on the interview panel alongside an NHS and Probation Lead for the service.
The role requires Ministry of Justice enhanced vetting. Further details of this process are attached.
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Post qualification training in specialist area of clinical work, relevant to a forensic population
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated difficulties.
- Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism, and to reflect on and manage own emotions and those of others, when faced by highly distressing material, problems, and circumstances (e.g. when dealing with family breakdown, sexual abuse) on a frequent basis.
- Ability to work independently, reliably, consistently and with initiative in circumstances where has discretion to work within defined team/Trust policies, service principles, professional codes of practice and other appropriate parameters and to determine how objectives agreed with manger are best achieved.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group-based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Dr Stephanie Hunter
- Job title
- Clinical Lead of OPD & E-IIRMS
- Email address
- [email protected]
- 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
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