Job summary
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Clinical or Forensic Psychologist to lead and clinically manage a Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE) within the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. As the Clinical Lead, you will shape a safe, enabling, and psychologically centred environment for individuals with complex personality needs who have recently been released from prison. The service is based within a Probation Approved Premises in Peterborough, supporting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.
This pivotal role involves overseeing PIPE service delivery, ensuring the integrity of the PIPE model, facilitating therapeutic group work, and contributing to national service development. You will provide clinical supervision, develop staff capability, and work closely with key stakeholders, including HMPPS, the NHS, and the wider OPD network. This is a fulfilling and dynamic role that helps shape a trauma-informed and relationally focused service.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will hold a strategic position as Clinical Lead for the PIPE service.
The post holder will be managing a wide range of complex dynamics within the environment and host organisation. This will require the post holder to take on a leadership role within the organisation, working effectively alongside operational and strategic leads for the service.
They will have a key role in maintaining a healthy psychosocial environment; ensuring that the unit adheres to the theoretical principles of the PIPE model. This will include design, delivery and oversight of the core components of the PIPE model, including group work and the management of group dynamics.
The post holder will manage the development of a positive and enabling milieu, ensuring that the delivery of psychosocial aspects of the PIPE service is compliant with policy and delivery arrangements. This will include ensuring the PIPE service maintains the standards set out for the Enabling Environment award.
The post holder will contribute to staff development by offering training, supporting and providing clinical supervision. They will also participate in individual and group (peer) supervision, provided in a central location by a Group Analytic Consultant each month. They will also attend the Clinical Leads Business Meeting along with other Clinical Leads.
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- To manage the delivery of the PIPE model in line with the PIPE service specification and national guidance; developing operational structures and approaches so that they are appropriately psychologically and psychosocially informed.
- To develop necessary psychosocial conditions required to support progression through the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, ensuring the service has a focus on the lived experience of service users.
- To develop and implement socially-creative, semi-structured activities within the PIPE in order to contribute to a healthy psychosocial environment. To ensure these sessions are responsive and adhere to principles of service user involvement and engagement.
- To develop a culture that promotes planned and psychologically informed responses from staff in relation to the host environment. This includes consideration of institutional dynamics and processes.
- To support and manage the referral and assessment process for those applying to the PIPE, ensuring any relevant population and criteria considerations are taken into account, and all decisions are documented. Also, to liaise with the national Clinical Development Lead for PIPEs where appropriate.
- To ensure that there is consistency and equity in approach from frontline members of the PIPE team, managing and mitigating the clinical impact of staffing structures, e.g. shift patterns or long absences.
- In conjunction with the Operational Lead to ensure the weekly programme of activities in the PIPE meet both clinical and operational requirements.
- To oversee the delivery of the structured and socially-creative groups and to develop further groups as the need arises.
- To ensure the unit maintains the recognised Enabling Environment award status, in conjunction with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
- To promote and support a culture of innovation and creativity in the approach to working within the PIPE framework.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
- To manage the delivery of the PIPE model in line with the PIPE service specification and national guidance; developing operational structures and approaches so that they are appropriately psychologically and psychosocially informed.
- To develop necessary psychosocial conditions required to support progression through the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, ensuring the service has a focus on the lived experience of service users.
- To develop and implement socially-creative, semi-structured activities within the PIPE in order to contribute to a healthy psychosocial environment. To ensure these sessions are responsive and adhere to principles of service user involvement and engagement.
- To develop a culture that promotes planned and psychologically informed responses from staff in relation to the host environment. This includes consideration of institutional dynamics and processes.
- To support and manage the referral and assessment process for those applying to the PIPE, ensuring any relevant population and criteria considerations are taken into account, and all decisions are documented. Also, to liaise with the national Clinical Development Lead for PIPEs where appropriate.
- To ensure that there is consistency and equity in approach from frontline members of the PIPE team, managing and mitigating the clinical impact of staffing structures, e.g. shift patterns or long absences.
- In conjunction with the Operational Lead to ensure the weekly programme of activities in the PIPE meet both clinical and operational requirements.
- To oversee the delivery of the structured and socially-creative groups and to develop further groups as the need arises.
- To ensure the unit maintains the recognised Enabling Environment award status, in conjunction with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
- To promote and support a culture of innovation and creativity in the approach to working within the PIPE framework.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (D.ClinPsych) or Forensic Psychologist Chartership; including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
Desirable
- Undertaken Post-Doctoral Specialised training related to Personality Disorders (e.g. Assessment and/ or Intervention).
- Psychological training relevant to the advertised post (e.g. Personality Disorder training, Risk Assessment training, Training with respect to Interventions for clients with Personality Disorders and/ or risk of harm to others).
- Undertaken accredited training in the supervision of Trainee Psychologists
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience of working as a Qualified Psychologist, at a specialist level, working within a Forensic/ Personality Disorder/ Mental Health Setting
- Experience of completing specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions across a range of care settings such as; outpatient, in-patient, community, primary care, forensic and residential settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course
- Experience of working with clients who present with the full range of clinical severity, across a range of care settings (e.g. community, out-patient, in-patient, secure hospital and/ or forensic settings).
- Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, (e.g. experience of working with challenging verbal, emotional and/ or behavioural presentations).
- Experience of work within a Multi-Disciplinary Team
- Experience of the application of Psychology within different contexts.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for the delivery of psychological care and treatment.
- Experience of the delivery of teaching, training and clinical supervision to others.
- Able to demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision
Desirable
- Experience of assessing and treating clients across a range of forensic/ community personality disorder and/ or prison setting
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Lived experience of mental health
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Knowledge of Psychological Theories and Models which relate to this client group.
- Specialist knowledge of working with this client group
- Knowledge of risk assessments relating to this client group.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and implications for both clinical practice and professional management.
- Well-developed knowledge of Psychological theories of Personality Disorder development
- Good understanding of other professionals' theoretical perspectives of this service user group, in addition to appreciation of their differing experiences of working with these clients
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration in addition to the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
- Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning, planning and caseload management for self and others, to include time- management.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Able to communicate complex, highly technical and / or clinically sensitive information including contentious and highly distressing information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance
- Skills in providing consultation and supervision to other professional and non-professional groups
- Advanced IT and keyboard skills
Desirable
- High level of knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies related to this client group.
- psychologically with Personality Disordered Offenders, using specific psychological models such as Schema, DBT, MBT, CBT for Personality Disorders.
- Specialised risk assessment skills which relate to this client group
- Skills to impart Psychological knowledge and approaches with non-psychology colleagues, taking an empowering, rather than an instructive stance.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Interpersonally calm and able to defuse difficult, volatile situations.
- Able to tolerate ambiguity and to take decisions in situations of incomplete information.
- Ability to exercise appropriate levels of self-care and to monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.
- Good organisational skills
- Motivated towards personal and professional development with a strong CPD record.
Other
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to organise and implement self-directed travel between working offices across the region and to attend national meetings.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling effective working within the Multi-Disciplinary Team.
- Ability to contain and work with high levels of distress from clients.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology (D.ClinPsych) or Forensic Psychologist Chartership; including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics and neuropsychology, two or more distinct therapies and lifespan developmental psychology.
- Registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with HCPC.
Desirable
- Undertaken Post-Doctoral Specialised training related to Personality Disorders (e.g. Assessment and/ or Intervention).
- Psychological training relevant to the advertised post (e.g. Personality Disorder training, Risk Assessment training, Training with respect to Interventions for clients with Personality Disorders and/ or risk of harm to others).
- Undertaken accredited training in the supervision of Trainee Psychologists
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience of working as a Qualified Psychologist, at a specialist level, working within a Forensic/ Personality Disorder/ Mental Health Setting
- Experience of completing specialist psychological assessments, formulations and interventions across a range of care settings such as; outpatient, in-patient, community, primary care, forensic and residential settings.
- Experience of working with a wide variety of client groups, across the whole life course
- Experience of working with clients who present with the full range of clinical severity, across a range of care settings (e.g. community, out-patient, in-patient, secure hospital and/ or forensic settings).
- Experience of maintaining a high degree of professionalism in the face of highly emotive and distressing problems, (e.g. experience of working with challenging verbal, emotional and/ or behavioural presentations).
- Experience of work within a Multi-Disciplinary Team
- Experience of the application of Psychology within different contexts.
- Experience of exercising full clinical responsibility for the delivery of psychological care and treatment.
- Experience of the delivery of teaching, training and clinical supervision to others.
- Able to demonstrate further specialist training/experience through having received a minimum of 50 hours clinical supervision
Desirable
- Experience of assessing and treating clients across a range of forensic/ community personality disorder and/ or prison setting
- Experience of working within a multicultural framework.
- Lived experience of mental health
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Knowledge of Psychological Theories and Models which relate to this client group.
- Specialist knowledge of working with this client group
- Knowledge of risk assessments relating to this client group.
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and implications for both clinical practice and professional management.
- Well-developed knowledge of Psychological theories of Personality Disorder development
- Good understanding of other professionals' theoretical perspectives of this service user group, in addition to appreciation of their differing experiences of working with these clients
- Doctoral level knowledge of research design and methodology, including complex multivariate data analysis as practiced within the field of clinical psychology
- Evidence of continuing professional development as recommended by the HCPC.
- Formal training in supervision of other psychologists.
- Skills in the use of complex methods of psychological assessment, intervention and management, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration in addition to the use of highly developed analytical and judgement skills.
- Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning, planning and caseload management for self and others, to include time- management.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Able to communicate complex, highly technical and / or clinically sensitive information including contentious and highly distressing information to service users, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance
- Skills in providing consultation and supervision to other professional and non-professional groups
- Advanced IT and keyboard skills
Desirable
- High level of knowledge of the theory and practice of at least two specialised psychological therapies related to this client group.
- psychologically with Personality Disordered Offenders, using specific psychological models such as Schema, DBT, MBT, CBT for Personality Disorders.
- Specialised risk assessment skills which relate to this client group
- Skills to impart Psychological knowledge and approaches with non-psychology colleagues, taking an empowering, rather than an instructive stance.
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Interpersonally calm and able to defuse difficult, volatile situations.
- Able to tolerate ambiguity and to take decisions in situations of incomplete information.
- Ability to exercise appropriate levels of self-care and to monitor own state, recognising when it is necessary to take active steps to maintain fitness to practice.
- Good organisational skills
- Motivated towards personal and professional development with a strong CPD record.
Other
Essential
- Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of complex multi-media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional and academic settings.
- Ability to organise and implement self-directed travel between working offices across the region and to attend national meetings.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling effective working within the Multi-Disciplinary Team.
- Ability to contain and work with high levels of distress from clients.
- Ability to contain and work with organisational stress
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
