Senior Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/ Forensic/ Counselling)

CPFT; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) seeks a Senior Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/Forensic/Counselling) for a 22-month fixed-term contract in FCAMHS, Peterborough. The post focuses on MBT research delivery and high-level assessments for children and young people, with opportunities for trainee placements and regional collaboration.

The role involves supervising a psychology assistant, coordinating with a multidisciplinary team, and supporting service development

Qualifications

• Postgraduate/Doctorate level qualification enabling practice as HCPC-registered psychologist.
• Current HCPC registration in clinical/forensic/counselling psychology.

Responsibilities

• Deliver MBT research pathway in line with Good Clinical Practice.
• Supervise a research assistant and report to Clinical Lead and National team.
• Provide specialist psychological assessments for complex cases involving children/young people and families.
• Lead service development projects and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Clinical psychology

Forensic psychology

Psychoeducation

Research coordination

MBT training

Leadership supervision

Education

Postgraduate/Doctorate in clinical/forensic/counselling psychology

HCPC registration

Job description

Senior Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical/ Forensic/ Counselling)

Band 8a

Main area Mental Health - Child and Adolescent Grade Band 8a Contract Fixed term: 22 months (31/03/2028) Hours Part time - 30 hours per week Job ref 310-MCYPF-8185778

Site City Care Centre Town Peterborough Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 07/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

22 Month Fixed Term Contract

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit a Senior Practitioner Psychologist on Fixed term/ Secondment contract to join our community Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (FCAMHS). The FCAMHS community team base is in Peterborough and there is also a second base in Cambridge. The service is regional covering the East of England region (Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire).

This dynamic service will work in partnership with wider agencies to ensure integrated care provision across health, social care, education and youth justice to optimise the outcomes for children/young people who present with high risk and/or concerning behaviours and where mental health and/or neurodevelopmental concerns are suspected. The job will involve a mixture of advice and consultation and direct assessment work.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for the everyday delivery of our Mentalization-Based Therapy research pathway. Working closely with a research assistant, the postholder will insure the delivery of the research is in-line with Good Clinical Practice standards and adherent to the research protocol. They will responsible for supervising the assistant and reporting to the service Clinical Lead, and National team.

The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary team and will have the support of a Senior Leadership Team that includes a Consultant Psychologist and Consultant Psychiatrist. The postholder will have the opportunity to be part of psychology networks across the Trust and a specialist forensic peer supervision group. The post holder can offer Trainee Psychologist placements.

The post holder will provide a highly specialist psychology service to children/young people and their families/carers. The post holder will provide specialist psychological assessments for children/young people with highly complex presentations and psychological consultation to other professionals involved in their care. The postholder will also be expected to undertake service development projects and research as agreed with the Psychological Therapies Lead and Senior Leadership Team.

Working for our organisation

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.

All appointments are subject to the successful completion of a probationary period.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

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

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

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

• To develop the local engagement with a large-scale RCT MBT trial.
• To support the recruitment of participants to be involved in the RCT.
• To train in and deliver MBT as part of the RCT therapies delivery team.
• To monitor, document and adhere to the research trial protocol, alongside supporting others to do so.
• To provide specialist psychological assessments of children who are referred to the service, based on appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex psychological data from a variety of sources, including psychometric tests, self-report measures, rating scales, structured observations and semi-structured interviews, with children/young people, family members/carers and others involved.
• To provide appropriate bio-psycho-social formulations, consultation and advice based upon analyses of the range of available complex psychological information concerning children/young people who are referred to the service and their particular risks.
• To exercise autonomous clinical responsibility on occasion for implementing a range of psychological interventions with children/young people, their families/carers, adjusting, interpreting and reformulating the psychological models as appropriate on the basis of feedback, monitoring and follow up.
• To complete specialist structured risk assessments, drawing on highly specialist knowledge of forensic factors.
• To supervise, on occasion where appropriate, the delivery of highly complex psychological interventions as part of multi-disciplinary care planning.
• To communicate highly confidential and personal information obtained through assessment, formulation, therapy and interventions, to the child themselves, other involved professionals, their relatives/carers, and referring agents. To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, making judgements concerning what information to report and how and when to convey it, in the best interests of the child.

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

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

• Postgraduate/Doctorate level qualification, qualifying the postholder to work as a clinical, forensic or counselling psychologist.
• Current HCPC registration as a clinical, forensic or counselling psychologist
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Training in forensic risk assessment.
• Trained in clinical supervision and the supervision of trainees.

Experience

• Relevant post-qualification clinical experience of working as a HCPC registered psychologist.
• Experience of specialist, highly complex assessment, formulation and treatment of patients with mental health difficulties and their families/carers across settings including community, outpatient and other settings.
• Must be able to assertively engage with vulnerable people with complex needs, and manage uncertainty and risk situations.
• Experience of working with cases where there are significant safeguarding concerns.
• Experience of training/clinical supervision of assistant psychologists and trainee psychologists.
• Experience of working with children and adolescents.

Skills & Abilities

• Have skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, formulation, intervention and management in work with patients and their families.
• Be able to integrate psychological theories and outcome data with clinical practice.
• Be able to positively advocate for patients and professionally represent the underlying issues and needs of the patient group.
• Be able to cope with stressful interpersonal situations including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems including challenging behaviour, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
• Have a high level of ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex highly technical and clinically sensitive information to children/young people, their carers/families and a wide range of lay and professional persons within and outside the NHS.
• To complete forensic risk assessments, formulations and management plans.
• Knowledge of lifespan developmental psychology, models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, and two or more distinct psychological therapies.
• Knowledge of clinical caseload management within a team setting.
• Knowledge of the impact of trauma and neglect.
• Evidence-based practice relevant to the role.
• Working knowledge of professional systems involved in working with adolescents both in health and criminal justice settings.
• Knowledge of relevant mental health, criminal justice and welfare legislation and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the patient group and their care.

Other

• Ability to travel independently around the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area meeting required timescales. A full driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential.

Here at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) we are dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion. We deliver many of the NHS services that are provided outside of hospital and in the community such as physical, mental health and specialist services.

We are a health and social care organisation, offering a wide range of services, including:

• Integrated physical and mental health services for adults and older people;
• Specialist mental health and learning disability services;
• Children’s community services in Peterborough;
• Ground-breaking research

We strongly encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people and members of our ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ communities. For further information about our positive equality, diversity and Inclusion work, please visit https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/equalityanddiversity .

CPFT is looking to build upon its pool of temporary workers with Temporary Staffing Services (TSS). You will be asked at interview if you would be willing to register with TSS. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to take on additional hours that are flexible around your personal circumstances.

Please be advised that in line with the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List, 2020 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust currently are unable to accept applications from overseas candidates whose country of residence is classed as a ‘Red List’ country.

Applicants who require entry into the UK will be required to provide a valid police certificate from the relevant authority from each country (except the UK) where the applicant has been present for 12 months or more, 10 years before the date of visa application, while aged 18 or over.

If you are successful at interview you will be subject to pre-employment checks, including a DBS (if appropriate), references and Occupational Health. To ensure a smooth process please bring all identity documents to your interview. A list of required identity documents will be attached to your interview invitation.

All communications will be sent to you via TRAC Systems. By applying for this post you are agreeing to CPFT transferring the information contained in this application to TRAC. If you are made an offer, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.