Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist Behaviour Support Practitioner

The closing date is 02 October 2025

Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Behaviour Practitioner to work with adults with learning disabilities in the community in Chichester, West Sussex.

We provide a range of psychological assessments and interventions for people with learning disabilities and their networks, with local specialist expertise and interests in Systemic approaches, Mindfulness, CBT, Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) approaches, Neuro-affirmative approaches; EMDR, Attachment and Trauma Informed approaches, Dementia assessments and Neuropsychological Assessments. You would be actively involved in delivering PBS as part of the behaviour support and mental health in learning disabilities pathways.

You will be joining a large established team of Psychologists, Family Therapists and Behaviour Support Practitioners based in West Sussex, and work closely with a range of multidisciplinary health and social care colleagues. Service provision is clustered around three community learning disability teams, together with an Enhanced Support service.

We have strong links with both local Doctorate training courses in clinical psychology and with the Tizard and national networks. We have an active research agenda and work closely with service users and carers to support service delivery.

Main duties of the job

As a Behaviour Practitioner in our team you will work primarily with people presenting with difficulties around their mental health and/or behaviour that challenges. You will be working in a variety of community settings, with individuals, groups, families and staff teams, providing behavioural assessment, formulation, interventions predominantly using a positive behaviour support approach. You will work within a close multi disciplinary team and some work will be joint with other disciplines. You will have the opportunity to help run PBS clinics within the service with other behaviour practitioner colleagues.

You will be contributing to the management of a team caseload of clients with complex needs, you will assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions, which will be delivered mainly in the home or community setting. You will be expected to support multi-disciplinary core assessments within the team.

You will receive regular supervision from a clinical psychologist alongside access to specialist PBS supervision. You will need to be associate level registered with the Uk-SBA and this will be supported. There will be training, research and service development and innovation opportunities within the post.

About us

Sussex Partnership is a successful and well-respected Foundation Trust. It has a large, well-established psychological therapies department with close links with Sussex University and good links with carer and service user local organisations. We have a thriving learning disability and psychology speciality with around 20 learning disability psychological practitioners in West Sussex alone. We meet quarterly as a pan Sussex group of psychology learning disability practitioners CPD events. There is specialist practice supervision/ development eg a specialist systemic practice group, PBS supervision, and neuropsychological supervision. The learning disability and neurodevelopmental service is innovative and dynamic, and there is strong tradition of research, service development and learning opportunities across the Sussex region. You will be part of a service that strives for clinical excellence and aims to support its staff to feel valued and actively participate in relevant service developments. The CQC rated the trust outstanding for caring and good overall.

We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home-working, part time hours, flexible start/finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.

Date posted

18 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

354-LD-20304

Job locations

Durban House

Durban Road

Bognor Regis

PO22 9RE

Job description

Job responsibilities

REQUIREMENTS

In order to be a successful Senior Behaviour Practitioner in our team you will:

Have a degree/ Diploma in ABA (such as allow candidate to apply for associate Level

Registration with the UK-SBA)

- Significant experience in delivering positive behaviour support approaches including assessments and interventions of clients across the full range of care settings
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced and varied role
- Experienced working within a mental health/ learning disability setting
- Experienced working with people with learning disabilities who present with behaviour that challenges
- Experience in delivering training

The post will be based in Bognor/Chichester but will require work across West Sussex at times. You will need to be able to travel in a timely manner by car and/or public transport where necessary.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Job description

Job responsibilities

REQUIREMENTS

In order to be a successful Senior Behaviour Practitioner in our team you will:

Have a degree/ Diploma in ABA (such as allow candidate to apply for associate Level

Registration with the UK-SBA)

- Significant experience in delivering positive behaviour support approaches including assessments and interventions of clients across the full range of care settings
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced and varied role
- Experienced working within a mental health/ learning disability setting
- Experienced working with people with learning disabilities who present with behaviour that challenges
- Experience in delivering training

The post will be based in Bognor/Chichester but will require work across West Sussex at times. You will need to be able to travel in a timely manner by car and/or public transport where necessary.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree/Diploma in Applied Behaviour Analysis (such as to allow candidate to apply for Associate Level Registration with the UK-SBA).
CPD
Post Basic Courses / Study Days

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

Significant period of previous experience of working with people with a learning disability
Professional knowledge has been acquired through degree/diploma and supplemented by specialist
Significant period of previous experience of working with people who present challenging behaviour
Experience of supervising staff
Excellent verbal and written skills

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree/Diploma in Applied Behaviour Analysis (such as to allow candidate to apply for Associate Level Registration with the UK-SBA).
CPD
Post Basic Courses / Study Days

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

Significant period of previous experience of working with people with a learning disability
Professional knowledge has been acquired through degree/diploma and supplemented by specialist
Significant period of previous experience of working with people who present challenging behaviour
Experience of supervising staff
Excellent verbal and written skills

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).