General Information

Ministry of Justice; Stoke-on-Trent; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Ministry of Justice seeks an experienced clinical psychologist to work with prisoners, offenders and staff, applying psychological expertise to reduce risk and re-offending. You will supervise trainee psychologists and provide consultancy, research, and training across the service.

The role involves risk assessment, programme development and high standards of professional practice, with hybrid working arrangements and opportunities to contribute to policy and service improvement.

Qualifications

• HCPC registered clinical psychologist with Chartered status.
• Experience providing supervision to trainee staff and developing training programmes.
• Strong background in risk assessment, offender psychology, and research methods.

Responsibilities

• Offer authoritative professional advice on targets and objectives for offenders and advise on location for those offenders.
• Provide consultancy support to teams in relation to psychology services and outcomes.
• Conduct relevant research including data gathering and analysis.
• Lead on risk assessment and risk management for offenders.
• Deliver and supervise training for staff and trainee psychologists.
• Act as professional witness in parole board hearings or other formal settings as needed.

Skills

HCPC registration

Clinical supervision

Strategy development

Research methods

Training delivery

Job description

The job holder will be working with prisoners, people on probation and staff and applying their competence in psychology to reduce the risk of harm and of re-offending by undertaking a range of work including risk assessment of prisoners, conducting research, providing consultancy and delivering training for staff and assessment and interventions for offenders. This job holder will be able to provide designated support and supervision to trainee psychologists. This is non-operational offender facing job with line management responsibilities. This role is non-rotational.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

• Offer authoritative professional advice on targets and objectives for relevant offenders and advise on the best location for those offenders (both within the establishment or relocation to another category establishment)
• Offer professional opinion to teams conducting reports e.g. lifer reports, parole reports
• Develop strategy and plans of activity for some areas of operation e.g. manages the organisation of relevant programme assessments or manages assessment and interviews those with an indeterminate sentence
• Provide consultancy support to colleagues such as the SMT or other teams in relation to psychology services and outcomes
• Conduct relevant research including data gathering and analysis
• Responsible for providing supervision to trainee forensic psychology staff
• Provide training, mentoring and support to trainee psychologists and other staff (e.g. interventions staff)
• Can be required to provide professional (designated) supervision of trainee's e.g. professional Supervision to ensure that a trainee is able to develop through the key steps towards chartered and registered status
• Ensure staff are developed in accordance with key competencies and gateways and ensuring consistency across the team in the application of policies and procedures affecting staff and prisoners
• Lead on risk assessment and resulting risk management
• Participate in risk assessment of offenders to determine their risk of harm to self, others and the risk of reoffending. May undertake Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) and self-harm assessments
• Can be required to deliver and/or oversee the quality of programmes (treatment management). These will be of the more complex type requiring such qualified input
• Provide consultancy role on specialist area e.g. Working with those convicted of Sexual Offending Strategy or Indeterminate Sentenced Prisoners (ISP) Strategy
• Act as a negotiation adviser where suitable and competence has been demonstrated
• Act as a "professional witness" in parole board hearings, multi-agency meetings, and other formal settings where psychology input is required. May also act as expert witness in respect of court proceedings for Ministry of Justice
• Maintain own Continued Professional Development (CPD) and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks. Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS' Flexible Working policy. If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years.

Level of security checks required DBS Enhanced.

Key Behaviours and Skills

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others, Possess a professional background in Psychology
• Experience in providing clinical supervision
• Completed relevant training in effective models of treatment and best practise

Technical Requirements

• Qualified and registered clinician with the HCPC

Salary

• The national salary range is £54,148, London salary range is £57,580.

Benefits and Working Conditions

• Annual Leave: The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro‑roa basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.
• Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays: You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment.
• Pension: The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
• Work Life Balance: HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so.
• Season Ticket Advance: After two months' service, you'll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer‑period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work.
• Childcare Vouchers: For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.
• Training: HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes. There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts. All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles.

Eligibility & Equality

• All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.
• All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation.
• Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.
• All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist.
• As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace.
• MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
• Diversity & Inclusion: The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans: The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces. For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans Redeployment Interview Scheme Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder. An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order.

• To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [e-mail])
• To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ([e-mail])
• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)