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 in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across more than 200 sites.
We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex and Suffolk and north east 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 the provision of 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
We will deliver safe, high quality integrated care services.
We will enable each other to be the best that we can.
We will work together with our partners to make our services better.
We will help our communities to thrive.
Our services
Mental Health Services
Community Health Services
Learning Disabilities Services
Social Care
Find out more about the services we offer in ourservice directory.
Job overview
Band 6 Trainee Forensic Psychologist - Fixed Term Contract up to March 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Trainee Forensic Psychologist to join our multi-disciplinary 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
To provide a psychology service under supervision to service users detained under the Mental Health Act at Edward House as part of the forensic psychological service at EPUT. To offer specialist psychological assessments and treatments, as well as advice and consultation on the psychological care of service users to non-psychologist colleagues and to non- professional carers. To work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team’s and Trust’s policies and procedures. To utilise research skills for audit, policy and service development and research within the areas covered by psychology service.
The role sits within the wider Forensic Psychological Services Department which comprises clinical, counselling and forensic psychologists, trainee psychologists, assistant psychologists and psychology undergraduate placement students. EPUT's Secure Services operate across Essex, Bedfordshire and Luton. Video conferencing facilities between sites are also used to assist departmental communication.
Working for our organisation
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who share our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. EPUT offer a range of benefits and development including:
• Excellent Training and CPD opportunities for career development • Season Ticket Loans • NHS discounts for staff • Buying and Selling annual leave scheme • The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas • Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
Day One Flexible Employer, the Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment.
As well as applicants from the UK, we encourage overseas candidates to apply for this role. We welcome diversity within our organisation. We can offer guidance for candidates coming from overseas about settling into working in the UK and we have a programme to provide a ‘buddy’ for you, i.e. a member of the Psychological Services Directorate who has also emigrated to join us at EPUT and can guide you through as you settle into your new home. We understand that, as an overseas candidate, you will have gone through excellent training in your country of origin and we encourage you to join us.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES CLINICAL
To provide specialist psychological assessments of inpatients on the forensic wards based upon the appropriate use, interpretation and integration of complex data from a variety of sources including psychological and neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct and indirect structured observations and semi- structured interviews with clients and others involved in the client’s The post- holder will also be responsible for the safe use of any equipment used during assessments (e.g. test batteries).
To formulate and implement plans for the formal psychological treatment and/or management of a client’s mental health problems, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s problems and employing evidence based practice.
To be responsible for implementing a range of highly specialised psychological interventions for people on the forensic unit; families and groups, within and across teams, adjusting and refining psychological formulations drawing upon different explanatory models and maintaining a number of provisional hypotheses.
To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the individual, family or group.
Please see full 'Job Description' and 'Person Specification' attachments for full details of the role.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
Further training including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology as accredited by HCPC.
Current enrolment on a professional training course leading to qualification as a practitioner psychologist eligible for registration with the HCPC
Knowledge of models of forensic psychology, including theories and models of offending, risk assessment (including Structured Professional Judgement approaches), and knowledge of theories of offence related therapy
Skills/experience
Essential criteria
Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, presenting problems that reflect the full range of clinical severity including maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, verbal abuse and the threat of physical abuse.
Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
Experience of the application of psychology in different cultural contexts.
Experience in the administration and interpretation of Structured Professional Judgement risk assessments (including the HCR-20v3, RSVPv2 and SARA).
Desirable criteria
Experience of providing clinical supervision to staff carrying out group and individual work with forensic mental health or forensic learning disability patients.
Experience of initiating and taking an active role in service-development
Personal
Essential criteria
The ability to create and maintain effective relationships within the clinical team and with a range of professionals.
Team Player, inspirational to others, ability to negotiate ‘win win’ situations.
Confident and approachable.
Ability to organise and priortise workloads
Desirable criteria
Personal experience of mental health problems.
Please note -
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
Important Professional References
Make sure that as a part of your application you have professional references with business contract information covering your last three year employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.
As a newly appointed employee you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post, the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.
Applications for Job Share are positively welcomed.
Equal Opportunities Employer
Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email [email protected] and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.
The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.
Covid Vaccination
Although Covid vaccinations are no longer a mandatory requirement within the NHS we continue to encourage and support the vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against Covid19. The safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for us at EPUT.
If you would like to book a Covid vaccination or would like more information please contact us by emailing [email protected] .
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
