Mental Health Practitioner (Forensic)

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in the UK is looking for a Mental Health Practitioner (Forensic) to provide specialized assessments and care planning within their Forensic Community Psychiatry Service. Key responsibilities include managing complex cases and collaborating with health and justice partners to ensure effective risk management. Candidates must have professional registration and relevant experience in psychiatric care. Flexibility for independent travel and a valid UK driving license are required for this role. Join a compassionate team focused on recovery-oriented practice.

Qualifications

• Experience working with service users with acute psychiatric disorders.
• Experience managing a caseload effectively.
• Background in supervising staff and providing mentorship.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist mental health practitioner assessment and care planning.
• Manage complex cases and coordinate tailored interventions.
• Collaborate with health and justice partners for effective risk management.

Skills

Communication Skills

Risk Assessment

Flexible Work Prioritization

Therapeutic Intervention Skills (CBT, DBT)

Education

Current professional registration with an approved professional body

Evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Training relevant to Practice

Specific training in psychological approaches

Job description

Mental Health Practitioner (Forensic)

The closing date is 05 January 2026

Join Our Forensic Community Psychiatry Service!

We provide specialist assessment and treatment for people with mental illness and/or intellectual disability living in the community who pose, or could pose, a significant risk of serious harm to others. Many of our service users have a history of serious violent offending. Our focus is on safe risk management and supporting recovery.

Our team works with compassion at its core, ensuring high-quality care for both service users and staff. We're looking for someone who shares this ethos—embedding compassion, collaboration, and recovery-oriented practice in everything they do.

As a key member of our multidisciplinary team, you'll work closely with health and justice partners, local authorities, and voluntary organisations. Strong communication and relationship-building skills are essential to promote shared vision, high standards of care, and effective risk management.

In this role, you'll manage complex cases, lead comprehensive assessments, and coordinate tailored interventions. Your expertise will help shape outcomes and make a real difference in people's lives.

If you're ready for a challenging, rewarding role where your specialist knowledge truly matters, we'd love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

• To work within the Forensic Psychiatry Community Service to provide specialist mental health practitioner assessment and care planning.
• To take a lead role in the care planning process, take on care co ordination responsibilities and work within the Care Programme Approach ensuring that Service and Trust policies are adhered to.
• To take a lead role and work with those people who have more complex and challenging needs across the caseload.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website.

About us

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

• To develop practice within the teams in the assessment of health and wellbeing needs.
• Working closely with the Consultant Forensic Psychiatrists, act as a central link in the ongoing management of complex cases for the team.
• To provide specialist knowledge and advice to other agencies for the purposes of public protection.
• To provide written reports in respect of Mental Health Tribunals as required.
• To act as a social supervisor for those people who remain subject to mental health act restrictions whilst living out of hospital.
• Take part in the evaluation of the care of individuals at review meetings, case conferences, ward rounds etc.
• To attend and contribute to team meetings, providing specialist professional advice and support to staff regarding the management of individual service users and their programmes of care.
• Where professionally appropriate may be responsible for the safe transport and administration of medicines in accordance with Trust policy, legal requirements and NMC guidance, administers intramuscular injections.
• To provide specialist clinical advice across the Trust as required.
• To liaise with community services; statutory and non- statutory and inpatient services.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

• Current professional registration with an approved professional body
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Training relevant to Practice
• Specific training in psychological approaches.

Experience

• Significant previous experience of working with service users with acute psychiatric disorders and complex mental health needs.
• Experience of managing a caseload.
• Experience of supervising staff and providing mentorship.
• Experience of working with service users with Forensic histories.
• Experience of working with service users diagnosed with intellectual disability and or neurodevelopmental disorders.

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to undertake assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of treatment plans.
• Ability to prioritise work demands and be flexible.
• Proven skills in undertaking risk assessments and management plans.
• Effective communication skills both verbally and written, including IT literacy.
• An understanding and commitment to the principles of recovery and social inclusion.
• Knowledge and skills related to a particular therapeutic intervention such as CBT, DBT, CFT, family work.

Knowledge and Understanding

• Thorough understanding of care planning and the Care Programme Approach (CPA).
• Knowledge of physical healthcare needs.
• Commitment to and understanding of evidence-based practice.
• Understanding of the legislation relating to menta health care including - Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Act, Care Act, Children's Act, Equality Act 2010.
• Awareness of safeguarding issues and responsibilities under relevant legislation.
• Knowledge of the role of the MOJ and other criminal justice agencies.

Physical Requirements

• To be able to travel independently between locations as and when required.
• Routine and regular use of IT equipment.

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.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust