Trainee Forensic Psychologist - Forensic Psychological Services

E P U T; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity for a Trainee Forensic Psychologist to join a multidisciplinary team at a low secure unit in Chelmsford. The role involves providing psychological services, assessments, and treatments to adults with severe mental health difficulties. Candidates should have relevant training and experience in forensic psychology and be able to work autonomously within professional guidelines.

Benefits

Excellent training and CPD opportunities

Season Ticket Loans

NHS discounts

Annual leave schemes

Salary Sacrifice schemes

Qualifications

• Further training in psychopathology, psychometrics, and psychological therapies required.
• Current enrollment in a professional training course for HCPC registration.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervised psychological services to service users detained under the Mental Health Act.
• Conduct specialist psychological assessments and deliver psychological interventions.

Skills

Psychopathology

Psychological Therapies

Risk Assessment

Cultural Contexts

Education

Professional Training Course for Practitioner Psychologist

Tools

HCR-20v3

RSVPv2

SARA

Job description

Employer heading

Band 6

About Us

EPUT provides community health, mental health, and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Bedfordshire, Essex, and Suffolk. Also:

• We are among the largest employers in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across over 200 sites.
• We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex, Suffolk, and northeast Essex.

EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). A new leadership team was established at the Trust in 2020.

Our vision and values

Our Vision: To be the leading health and wellbeing service in mental health and community care.

Our Purpose: We care for people every day. What we do together, matters.

Our Values:

• We Care
• We Learn
• We Empower

Our strategic objectives:

• Deliver safe, high-quality integrated care services.
• Enable each other to be the best we can.
• Work with partners to improve our services.
• Help our communities thrive.

Our services include:

• Mental Health Services
• Community Health Services
• Learning Disabilities Services
• Social Care

Find out more about our services in our service directory.

Job overview

Band 6 Trainee Forensic Psychologist - Fixed Term Contract up to March 2026

An exciting opportunity for a Trainee Forensic Psychologist to join our multidisciplinary team at Edward House in Chelmsford, Essex, on a fixed-term contract up to March 2026. Edward House is a 20-bed male Low Secure Unit for adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.

Main duties of the job

Provide supervised psychological services to service users detained under the Mental Health Act at Edward House, as part of the forensic psychological service at EPUT. Offer specialist psychological assessments, treatments, advice, and consultation to non-psychologist colleagues and carers. Work autonomously within professional guidelines and the framework of team and Trust policies. Utilize research skills for audit, policy, service development, and research within psychology services.

The role is within the wider Forensic Psychological Services Department, which includes clinical, counselling, and forensic psychologists, trainee psychologists, assistant psychologists, and psychology undergraduate students. EPUT's Secure Services operate across Essex, Bedfordshire, and Luton, with video conferencing facilities to support departmental communication.

Working for our organisation

EPUT seeks motivated staff who share our values of Care, Learn, and Empower. We offer benefits such as:

• Excellent training and CPD opportunities
• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts
• Annual leave schemes
• Opportunities to work bank shifts and gain experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work

We support flexible working from day one and welcome applications from overseas candidates, providing guidance and a buddy system to help settle into the UK.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES CLINICAL

• Conduct specialist psychological assessments of inpatients on forensic wards, interpreting complex data from various sources, including tests, self-report measures, observations, and interviews. Ensure the safe use of assessment equipment.
• Formulate and implement plans for psychological treatment and management based on evidence-based practice.
• Deliver highly specialized psychological interventions for patients, families, and groups, adjusting formulations as needed.
• Evaluate treatment options considering complex historical and developmental factors.

Please see the full 'Job Description' and 'Person Specification' attachments for complete details.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Further training in psychopathology, psychometrics, neuropsychology, psychological therapies, and lifespan development psychology, accredited by HCPC.
• Current enrollment in a professional training course leading to qualification as a practitioner psychologist eligible for HCPC registration.
• Knowledge of forensic psychology models, offending theories, risk assessment (including SPJ approaches), and offence-related therapy theories.

Skills/Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience working with diverse client groups and presenting problems, maintaining professionalism in challenging situations.
• Ability to teach and train using complex multimedia materials.
• Experience applying psychology across different cultural contexts.
• Experience administering and interpreting risk assessments (e.g., HCR-20v3, RSVPv2, SARA).

Desirable criteria

• Experience providing clinical supervision in forensic mental health or learning disability settings.
• Experience in service development initiatives.

Personal qualities

Essential criteria

• Ability to build effective relationships within teams and with professionals.
• Team player, inspirational, negotiator of mutually beneficial solutions.
• Confident, approachable, organized, and able to prioritize workloads.

Desirable criteria

• Personal experience of mental health issues.

Please note:

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Applications should be written by the applicant. Using AI programs may result in rejection, but support for application writing is available if needed for disabilities.

Professional References: Provide references with business contact details covering the last three years. Personal references are not accepted.

Initial DBS check costs are the applicant's responsibility and will be deducted from the first salary.

Applications for Job Share are welcomed.

Equal Opportunities Employer: We encourage applications from people with mental health experience and those with disabilities. For accessible application formats, contact the Recruitment Department.

Vacancies may close early; check your email regularly. If you haven't heard within three weeks of the closing date, your application was unsuccessful.

We are committed to safeguarding children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and all staff must undertake safeguarding training.

Covid Vaccination: While not mandatory, vaccination is encouraged. Contact us for more information or to book a vaccination.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020, requiring a Disclosure and Barring Service check.