Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Assistant Psychologist to join the South London Men's Mental Health Requirement (MHTR) service for six months. MHTR services aim to provide an alternative to short custodial sentences, by providing individuals on community sentences access to mental health treatment which addresses the underlying cause of their offending. These are primary care services which deliver direct, short-term psychological interventions to service users.

Please note: as well as DBS checks, successful applicants will also be expected to undertake HMPPS security vetting.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will contribute to the delivery of a psychology-led service that provides court-ordered psychological interventions to men in the community as an alternative to short custodial sentences. The role includes assessing service users to determine suitability for the service, independently holding a caseload and providing interventions to service users across South London (under supervision). The postholder will also provide outreach to staff in courts and probation offices in South London, to ensure they are up to date with MHTRs and are aware of the service. The postholder will be expected to liaise with professionals from a number of agencies including mental health services, probation, and the courts. The postholder will be able to access training appropriate to the role and there will also be opportunity to get involved in research and audit activity.

Please note that travel across South London will be required as part of the role. The team base is located in London Bridge at the following address:

• 7 Holyrood Street, SE1 2EL

If you require further information, please contact:
Dr Iona Monastesse: iona.monastesse3@nhs.net

About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people living in South East London and Kent and to people in prison. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,000 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
We're Kind
We're Fair
We Listen
We Care

Job responsibilities

• To screen and assess for eligibility for Mental Health Treatment Requirements.
• To support assessment and treatment interventions undertaken by the service.
• To undertake direct and indirect clinical work that is managed and goals agreed and reviewed through regular supervision by a qualified applied HCPC registered Psychologist.
• To liaise with a range of services (including health, social care and voluntary agencies) relevant to the working area.
• To undertake projects relating to service development and evaluation.
• To set up databases, spreadsheets and using advanced IT skills in evaluation audit and research.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:
All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:
Proof of right to work documentation
Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID
Proof of address documentation
Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:
5 years address history will be needed.
Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.
Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.
In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants
If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website ( http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential

• Honours degree at 2:1 or above in Psychology, or equivalent. Eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartership with the BPS

Desirable

• Further post graduate training in relevant area of professional psychology, health and social care practice, and / or research design and analysis

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working with people with disabilities, in a health or mental health setting and or work with people with complex needs
• Experience of group work and individual therapeutic contact

Desirable

• Experience of working within the criminal justice, forensic mental health services or IAPT
• Experience of the use of psychometric tests
• Experience of using a trauma informed approach

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential

• Relevant clinical and research skills
• An understanding of the social determinates of health inequalities and relevant psychological theory and practice
• Ability to work independently and know when to ask for and use supervision, identifying when there is need for advice and using supervision at agreed intervals

Effort & Environment
Essential

• Ability to tolerate and remain calm in the face of high levels of emotional distress and emotional demands

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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).