Job summary
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) is looking for a number of candidates for Assistant Psychologist roles, working part-time (3 days a week) for a fixed term of 6 months. This is part of the Health Education England provision for Paid Opportunities for Aspiring Clinical Psychologists.
Heath Education England (HEE) plans to improve equity of access and inclusion for entrants to Clinical Psychology training for groups who are currently under-represented. Part of the NHS Long Term Plan is to improve diversity in the workforce to better represent the users that it supports.
These posts, funded by Health Education England, are intended to give opportunities to develop initial clinical experience for aspiring clinical psychologists who would otherwise be excluded from entering the profession through unpaid work experience (e.g. from voluntary or honorary Assistant Psychologist roles).
Main duties of the job
Successful applicants will work under the supervision of a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Clinical Psychologist to gain experience to support future career development within clinical psychology. There will be opportunities to meet as a cohort of staff, to engage with the Trust's existing Assistant Psychologists' group, and to meet with current Trainee Clinical Psychologists on placement in the Trust.
Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.
*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website
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
1. To support the psychology team and wider team in psychological assessment, care provision, planning, and delivery of evidence-based interventions, under the supervision of a Practitioner Psychologist.
2. To provide psychological interventions and maintain a clinical caseload under supervision.
3. To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.
4. As required, to support the team in delivering, managing, and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.
5. To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
6. To assess and manage risk within an appropriate psychological framework.
7. To work with other staff to assess and review service users care in preparation for multidisciplinary treatment reviews.
8. To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary and psychology meetings.
9. To participate in the services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
10. To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities
1. To support the psychology team and wider team in psychological assessment, care provision, planning, and delivery of evidence-based interventions, under the supervision of a Practitioner Psychologist.
2. To provide psychological interventions and maintain a clinical caseload under supervision.
3. To assist the psychology team in the development of individual or group clinical materials or training materials, such as the development of treatment manuals and group interventions.
4. As required, to support the team in delivering, managing, and evaluating other psychological interventions, such as psychology groups.
5. To act in a manner that supports a psychologically informed framework for the service.
6. To assess and manage risk within an appropriate psychological framework.
7. To work with other staff to assess and review service users care in preparation for multidisciplinary treatment reviews.
8. To attend and contribute to appropriate multi-disciplinary and psychology meetings.
9. To participate in the services delivery of accessible and acceptable services to diverse local communities.
10. To ensure that service users are appropriately consulted about relevant aspects of their care and are empowered to express their views in a responsive environment.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Graduated with at least a Second Class Psychology undergraduate degree
- Entitlement to Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society
- Applicants must not be currently salaried or post graduate trainees in a university programme
- Applicants have not studied and are not currently studying a Masters' degree* (MSc 4 year combined undergraduate and postgraduate degree is accepted. MSc as a conversion from a non-psychology undergraduate degree is accepted). *see guidance document
Experience
Essential
- Applicants must NOT have been employed as an Assistant Psychologist, Research Assistant, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) or similar / equivalent role. (Very brief - less than 4 weeks - paid roles can be disregarded)
- Lived experience of membership with a group/ identity that is currently underrepresented within Clinical Psychology
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with complex needs
- Experience of completing research projects or audits
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental or physical health problems or disabilities
Other
Essential
- Demonstrate an interest in a career in Clinical Psychology
Criteria relating to financial exclusion
Essential
- Shows evidence of one or more of the following; receiving Free School Meals (FSM) and/or family received Income Support during school years (or similar governmental income support). Received additional bursaries, grants, or awards to attend university (beyond standard student loan). Received Income Support during undergraduate degree.
- Shows evidence of some or more of the following; first generation in family to attend university. Been in Care or a Care Leaver. Estranged from family before age 19. Currently caring for someone with additional needs (e.g., disability, physical or mental health problems, substance misuse). Experienced significant time out of education due to illness or other responsibilities. Grew up in an area with low engagement in higher education (e.g., POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2).
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- Graduated with at least a Second Class Psychology undergraduate degree
- Entitlement to Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society
- Applicants must not be currently salaried or post graduate trainees in a university programme
- Applicants have not studied and are not currently studying a Masters' degree* (MSc 4 year combined undergraduate and postgraduate degree is accepted. MSc as a conversion from a non-psychology undergraduate degree is accepted). *see guidance document
Experience
Essential
- Applicants must NOT have been employed as an Assistant Psychologist, Research Assistant, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) or similar / equivalent role. (Very brief - less than 4 weeks - paid roles can be disregarded)
- Lived experience of membership with a group/ identity that is currently underrepresented within Clinical Psychology
Desirable
- Experience of working with people with complex needs
- Experience of completing research projects or audits
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work in settings in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental or physical health problems or disabilities
Other
Essential
- Demonstrate an interest in a career in Clinical Psychology
Criteria relating to financial exclusion
Essential
- Shows evidence of one or more of the following; receiving Free School Meals (FSM) and/or family received Income Support during school years (or similar governmental income support). Received additional bursaries, grants, or awards to attend university (beyond standard student loan). Received Income Support during undergraduate degree.
- Shows evidence of some or more of the following; first generation in family to attend university. Been in Care or a Care Leaver. Estranged from family before age 19. Currently caring for someone with additional needs (e.g., disability, physical or mental health problems, substance misuse). Experienced significant time out of education due to illness or other responsibilities. Grew up in an area with low engagement in higher education (e.g., POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2).
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).
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).
