84135 - Senior Registered Psychologist - Psychology Services - Directorate of Security- HMP Woodhill

£46,549 - £55,862
3
12 Months
East Midlands
Milton Keynes
HM Prison Woodhill, MK4 4DA
SEO
Band 8
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time
Psychology

Applicants must have passed their probationary period before applying for other roles within Psychology Services Group.

HMP Woodhill has recently been issued with an Urgent Notification by HMIP.  In response to this, detailed and comprehensive plans have been put in place to support the establishment to improve.  Psychologists are central to these plans and are integrated in a clinical-operational model within the prison. 

This approach enables us to be heavily involved in a variety of clinical work alongside our operational colleagues.  Qualified psychologist posts at HMP Woodhill allow professionals to have a high degree of autonomy and to pursue areas of skill and interest within the prison and within the wider HMPPS estate.  Training, further career development and work life balance is strongly supported. 

 If you would like to know more about these posts, please contact Claire.Monich@Justice.gov.uk

Overview of the job

This is a non-operational offender facing job.

Summary

The job holders covered by this job description are usually categorised as specialists in their field or those whose role requires significant additional experience, training and personal development.

The job holder will largely excel in the area of risk assessment or be a specialist in a specific area such as working with those convicted of sexual offending. At this level the jobholder may have responsibility for the key specialist tasks involved in the delivery of a programme or related individual case management which would also entail overseeing the quality of delivery and supervision. They will also provide direction and support for other supervisors. This is a non-operational and non- rotational job.

The job holder will be working with complex individuals and staff and applying their experience and competence in the area of psychology to reduce the risk of harm and re-offending by undertaking complex risk assessments , conducting research, providing consultancy and delivering training for staff and interventions (individual and group).

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Conducts full case reviews on difficult cases and offers authoritative advice on next steps relating to sentence plan
• Specialises in delivery of psychology services in settings such as therapeutic community wings or PIPEs
• Lead and supervise and facilitate group sessions
• Offers professional opinion to multi-functional teams conducting offender reports e.g. risk reports, parole reports on high risk or vulnerable offenders
• Develops and/or strategies such as sexual offending or indeterminate sentence assessment and intervention strategy
• Delivers and supervises (treatment management) the delivery of more complex programmes e.g. healthy sex programme
• Provides consultancy support to colleagues such as Senior Management Team (SMT) in relation to psychology services and outcomes
• Conducts relevant research including data gathering and analysis
• 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
• Responsible for managing and providing professional supervision to trainee forensic psychology staff
• Provides supervision, training, mentoring and support to trainee psychologists and where relevant other staff such as interventions staff
• Assist in national specialist tasks such as training on courses related to their specialist discipline
• Provides professional supervision to support a trainee in developing through the key steps towards chartered and registered status. This may be as a coordinating or designated supervisor
• Ensures 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 offenders
• Leads on risk assessment and resulting risk management of complex, vulnerable or high risk offenders. Will be competent to undertake the full range of risk assessments including the more complex risk assessments. Gives feedback of the assessment to the individual and other stakeholders
• Contributes to other offender management processes (usually with more complex cases in work such as Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) assessments and self-harm or personality disorder assessments)
• Provides consultancy role to wider team on their specialist activity. Visit a range of sites/forums to advise on complex cases
• Act as a negotiation adviser where suitable and competence has been demonstrated
• Manage own Continued Professional Development (CPD) requirements and maintains professional standards
• Ensure they maintain their professional Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration
• Provide a psychological contribution to the work of areas of the wider service provision (such as a therapeutic community or regime activity)
• Provide psychological reports when requested for those convicted of a life sentence and to submit within the appropriate time framework
• Responsible for relevant accreditation audit baselines as detailed in the audit document
• Line management of trainee psychologists

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.

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Experience

Possess a professional background in Psychology Experience in providing clinical supervision

Completed relevant training in effective models of treatment and best practise

They are likely to also be a Chartered Psychologist and Full member of the appropriate division of the BPS if the post requires it.

Technical requirements

The job holder will be a Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and eligible to use a protected title.

Licences
The job holder will be a Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and eligible to use a protected title

Professional memberships
The job holder will be a Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council and eligible to use a protected title

Languages
Spoken and Written English

Working Arrangements & Further Information

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 working hours for this post are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Benefits

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-rata 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. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

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

-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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. 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.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

To be confirmed

29/02/2024, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com.

Please quote the job reference - 84135.

Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC)
Please note the successful applicant will need to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Security Check for this post.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
CV
Statement of Suitability - 250 word limit

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Developing Self and Others
Leadership
Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

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 are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.