HCPC Registered Senior Practitioner Psychologist

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Stafford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Stafford is seeking an experienced HCPC Registered Senior Practitioner Psychologist to join their Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team. The role includes delivering evidence-based psychological services, supervising staff, and providing consultations within multi-disciplinary teams. Candidates should have post-graduate qualifications, be HCPC registered, and experienced in mental health risk assessment. This position plays a vital part in supporting individuals discharged from forensic services within the community.

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Training and support

Collaborative team environment

Qualifications

• Experience working with severe mental health problems presenting serious risk.
• Training for clinical supervision post-qualification.
• Experience in a multi-disciplinary team environment.

Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist psychological services to service users supported by FIRST.
• Provide consultations to professionals regarding risk management.
• Conduct assessments and planned interventions.

Skills

Expert psychological assessment

Team collaboration

Crisis response

Communication skills

Education

Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical, Forensic or Counselling psychology

Currently registered with HCPC

Job description

Go back Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

HCPC Registered Senior Practitioner Psychologist

The closing date is 02 January 2026

The Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) has an exciting vacancy for an HCPC Registered Senior Practitioner Psychologist within our established multi-disciplinary community team.

We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Senior Clinical, Forensic or Counselling Psychologist to join our Principal and Consultant Psychologists in the Forensic Psychological Service. This role will expand psychological provision within FIRST, supporting people discharged from forensic inpatient services. We want someone passionate about improving lives and committed to delivering a high-quality, psychologically informed service and discharge pathway.

FIRST works closely with other forensic services in the West Midlands as part of the REACH OUT provider collaborative. MPFT's FIRST supports men and women from the northern West Midlands through safe, effective transitions to the community and preventing re-admissions to secure care. The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary team supporting these transitions.

The Senior Practitioner Psychologist will provide and develop evidence-based psychological services for people with complex mental health and offending behaviour, working collaboratively with families/carers. Responsibilities include consultation, clinical supervision, and supporting staff to enhance psychological well-being. Participation in an out-of-hours on-call rota for crisis response may be required.

Main duties of the job

The FIRST Senior Practitioner Psychologist will:

• Deliver highly specialist psychological services to service users supported by FIRST, ensuring a high-quality community forensic service.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and consultation to professionals on interventions, risk management and care pathways for service users in forensic inpatient and community settings.
• Communicate complex information confidently and effectively.
• Offer specialist psychological assessment, individual and group therapy for complex presentations.
• Supervise and support psychologically informed care delivered by other staff.
• Plan and deliver training for MPFT and partner organisation staff.
• Undertake and share audit, service evaluation and research.
• Demonstrate high-level communication skills and the ability to work independently.
• Work across forensic inpatient wards, community services, residential placements and custodial settings, attending in person for assessments, treatment or meetings within the northern West Midlands and nationally.

About us

Come and work with us at our award-winning NHS Trust, leading the way for trying new and better ways of working to help improve life for our local communities.

We have around 9,000 staff who provide physical and mental healthcare, support for people with learning disabilities, and adult social care across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. We also run regional and national services, including help for new parents (perinatal care), eating disorders, forensic services, sexual health, and support for people in prison with mental health, drug, or alcohol problems.

We offer great career development for both clinical and non-clinical roles, with ongoing training and support to help you learn and grow.

We are 'United in our Uniqueness' and committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome and can be themselves, no matter their background or identity. We want our staff to feel supported and valued, and we aim to build a team that reflects the communities we serve. Together, we can make sure every voice is heard, and every difference is respected.

Please note, we may be required to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications

Please be aware that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in completing application forms will be monitored to ensure fairness and transparency. If you have used AI you must state this in your application.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for the roles.

To work with service users, staff and families/carers within FIRST, and the Forensic Directorate, across a range of community and inpatient settings as appropriate (including service users home; health and mental health premises; social care and probation offices, third sector housing providers; acute, rehabilitation and secure inpatient environments).

To work with service users and staff in prisons, special hospitals and other secure facilities as required.

To routinely work with service users who have been perpetrators and/or victims of offences that cause serious harm and/or who show behaviour that is severely challenging services. This includes behaviour that may be violent and/or cause sexual harm.

To provide highly specialist psychological assessments for service users of FIRST and the Forensic Directorate, both written and verbal, based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi-structured interviews with service users, family members and others involved in the service users care.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training Essential

• Post-graduate doctoral level training in Clinical, Forensic or Counselling psychology (or its equivalent), as accredited by the BPS
• Currently registered with HCPC and eligible for chartered status with the British Psychological Society
• Post qualification training for role of clinical supervisor.
• Experience of working as a qualified psychologist with people with severe and enduring mental health problems who present a serious risk of harm to others
• Post-doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice.
• Post- qualification training for role of clinical supervisor (e.g. STAR for DClinPsy Trainees).

Experience

• Experience of face-to-face work with people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties and a history of behaviour that presents a risk of harm to others
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and representing psychology within the context of multi-disciplinary care.
• Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for clients' psychological care and intervention, both as a professionally qualified care coordinator and also within the context of a multidisciplinary care plan.
• Experience of delivering teaching and/or training, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
• Experience of co-production with service users or carers, of training, quality improvement or other service initiatives.
• Experience of working with third sector and/or supported housing providers.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration
• Skills in the assessment, formulation, treatment and management of people who present a serious risk of violent or sexually harmful behaviour in hospital and community settings.
• Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
• Skills and knowledge relevant to the implementation of trauma informed practice in mental health services.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust