Band 7/8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist – Secure Services

Band 7/8a Specialist Clinical Psychologist – Secure Services

Band 7/8a

Main area Secure Care and Offender Health – Health and Justice Vulnerability Service Grade Band 7/8a Contract Permanent Hours Part time – 22.5 hours per week Job ref 436-8157763

Site Ardenleigh Town Birmingham Salary £49,387 – £64,750 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 13/08/2026 23:59 Interview date 21/08/2026

Please note that this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Job overview

0.6 WTE – Health & Justice Vulnerability service – primary Mental Health Treatment Requirement

Band 7 candidates are also encouraged to apply for a preceptorship post

Due to service expansion, our psychology-led primary care MHTR team is seeking a creative and dedicated practitioner psychologist to join us as we continue to offer community-based alternatives to short term sentences that make a significant impact on peoples’ lives.

The successful candidate will join a partnership that truly values the impact of psychological work with clients and in systems; Focussing on delivering evidence-based short term interventions for common mental health difficulties, our interventions are bespoke with the client at the centre of all we do, supporting them to move towards the things that matter in their lives which In turn reduces re-offending risk.

The successful candidate will be joining a large and diverse psychological therapies team within the SCOH division, consisting of clinical, forensic and counselling psychologists, arts therapists, specialist psychological practitioners and assistant psychologists. The division is committed to investing in staff and you will have opportunities for training, supervision, mentoring and career development. We are keen that work is a positive experience for our staff and acknowledged that working within offender health can be challenging. Therefore, access to a range of support offers, reflective practice and supervision is available.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will have a community base in Erdington, B24 9SA however will be required to work from partner bases such as women’s centres, probation premises and court all of which are served by excellent public transport links should the applicant choose not to drive. Duties will include undertaking brief assessments for pMHTR suitability, collaborative formulation and delivering interventions. Evaluating our pathway and clinical effectiveness is ongoing and you will lead on this, supported by the clinical lead. There are Supervision and management opportunities as well as leadership in the wider HJVS service which includes working with staff with lived experience.The successful candidate will need exceptional communication skills as well as an empathic and non-judgemental attitude towards service users and the criminal justice system. You will also need to be resilient and be able to work and make decisions in both an independent and collaborative manner. Experience of working within the criminal justice system with clients with psychological difficulties, neurodiversity and trauma will be highly beneficial.

Working for our organisation

Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.

Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information about the main responsibilities please view the attached job description and person specification.

• Satisfactory completion of a British Psychological Society accredited Doctoral Level postgraduate professional training course in clinical/forensic psychology completion of which includes the study of models of psychopathology, psychometric and neuropsychological assessment, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
• Eligibility for entry onto the Register of Chartered Psychologists

Experience

• Experience of specialist psychological assessment and individual and group based treatment of clients across the full range of care settings, including primary and secondary/ specialist care and inpatient/residential, outpatient and community team settings.
• Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, including forensic contexts with clients of all ages across the lifespan and of wide-ranging presenting problems that reflect the full spectrum of clinical complexity and severity.
• At least 2 years post qualification experience, and formal training in supervision, enabling the post holder to independently supervise psychology trainees in accordance with relevant criteria adopted by local University Psychology Training Courses criteria.

Knowledge

• Well developed theoretical and practical knowledge of the field of clinical psychology, consistent with doctoral level professional training and further post qualification study, training and supervised experience during a minimum of 18 to 24 months as a Specialist Clinical/Forensic Psychologist.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to empathically, sensitively and effectively communicate clinical and condition related information to clients, their families, carers and professional colleagues (within and outside the NHS) that is extremely complicated or technical; extremely sensitive and potentially distressing to the recipient; or that is extremely contentious or challenging.
• Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment commensurate with doctoral level training, including specialist clinical interviewing, behavioural observation, complex psychometric testing and specialist neuropsychological testing.
• Skills in providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups
• Awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and of the service issues arising within a multicultural urban area.
• Knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised psychological therapies in specific ’difficult to treat’ groups (e.g. personality disorder, challenging behaviour, dual diagnoses, people with additional disabilities etc).
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and DoH policy and implementation guidelines in relation to mental health in general and the client group with which this post is concerned.

Personal

• Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated disabilities
• Is a ‘team player’ and has demonstrated ability to work and deliver to team and organisational objectives
• Ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

Other

• Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
• Awareness and understanding of the purpose and mechanisms of clinical governance and an ability to employ such mechanisms to maintain and improve standards of clinical practice

Our Trust is committed to treating individuals fairly and ensuring they have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, even if this means doing things differently for different people sometimes. We are working hard to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity within Birmingham and Solihull and that our services meet the needs of all diverse service users and carers.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. As part of the selection process you may be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, however all cases of criminal record history are dealt with on a case by case basis.

Please note, if applicable for your role you will be required to cover the cost of your DBS certificate. This will be deducted from your salary over 3 months. You will also be required to sign up to the DBS Update Service before commencement with the Trust. The Trust will reimburse this. You will be contractually obliged to maintain your subscription.

All successful applicants will be required to complete the Trust’s induction programme. The Fundamental (Statutory and Mandatory) training will be in an e-learning format. You will be required to complete training modules online (approx. 9-14 hours depending on post) by the end of your second week with us.

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, please ensure that you check if this role meets the eligibility criteria for sponsorship. Non UK /Republic of Ireland candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The minimum salary threshold for a Health and Social Care is £25,000 and for the Skilled Worker route is £38,700. If the starting salary for this role is below this, we will not be able to provide sponsorship.

Relocation expenses may be reimbursed subject to eligibility. The policy provides for reimbursement up to £8,000.

Please note – if you are applying for a role within Police custody, due to Police Vetting requirements you must have been a UK resident for the last years.

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.

Name Louise Pearson Job title Principal Clinical Psychologist Email address louise.pearson12@nhs.net Telephone number 0121 301 4593

For an informal discussion please Louise Pearson MHRT Clinical Lead or Danielle Tierney Health & Justice service manager

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