Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Band 7/8A Practitioner Psychologist Preceptorship - OPD Pathway

The closing date is 21 October 2025

Job summary

1 1.0 WTE Permanent vacancy for Band 7/8A Practitioner Psychologist in CAMEO, Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Service, based at HMP Foston Hall

1.0 WTE Permanent vacancy for Band 7/8A Practitioner Psychologist in AFFIRM, Community CORE OM, Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Service, based in the West Midlands

***We would consider full and part-time roles, with candidates working in one of these services, or being split across both services***

0.8 WTE 12-month fixed term (maternity cover) Band 7/8A Practitioner Psychologist vacancy in AFFIRM, Community CORE OM Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Service

CAMEO is a specialist, intensive day treatment personality disorder service for high-risk women with complex needs. The service offers a range of psychological interventions, aiming to alleviate distress for the individual, improve emotional regulation and reduce levels of risk.

AFFIRM are a team of committed psychologists working in partnership with specialist probation practitioners to provide consultancy, formulation, training, and supervision to community probation staff throughout the Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire. The team support staff to work with complex, high-risk people on probation with trauma histories and personality difficulties in a psychologically informed way, with the aim of building robust therapeutic relationships, increasing engagement, and reducing the risk of future harm to self and/or others.

Main duties of the job

Both services sit within the Secure Care and Offender Health directorate of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation NHS Trust, meaning that candidates would be part of, and supported by, a large group of psychological practitioners working across NHS and Criminal Justice System settings.

For both posts, we welcome applications from people interested in working with complex presentations, balancing clinical need with risk management. A core part will be to work alongside colleagues from a range of disciplines sharing psychological knowledge and consistently improving the psychological mindedness of services. We are looking for people from a range of diverse backgrounds with an interest in working with and enhancing the lives of people who have experienced adverse life experiences and have a history of offending behaviour.

About us

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.

Details

Date posted

02 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £62,682 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

436-7495339

Job locations

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA


Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Please note this advert is part of a broader recruitment drive in BSMHFT Secure Care and Offender Health. If you are applying for more than one post, please make this clear in your personal statement.

Job description

Job responsibilities

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

Please note this advert is part of a broader recruitment drive in BSMHFT Secure Care and Offender Health. If you are applying for more than one post, please make this clear in your personal statement.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • 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

Essential

  • 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.

Desirable

  • Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' clients.
  • oExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Knowledge

Essential

  • Skills commensurate with doctoral level training in the formulation of problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with complex presenting problems. Able to deliver established/evidenced based psychological therapy to fidelity.
  • 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 providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.

Desirable

  • 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).

Personal

Essential

  • 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

Other

Essential

  • 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
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • 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

Essential

  • 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.

Desirable

  • Experience of working therapeutically with 'difficult to treat' clients.
  • oExperience of the application of clinical psychology in different cultural contexts.

Knowledge

Essential

  • Skills commensurate with doctoral level training in the formulation of problems from a psychological perspective and in the implementation of highly specialist psychological therapies, interventions and management techniques that are appropriate for use with complex presenting problems. Able to deliver established/evidenced based psychological therapy to fidelity.
  • 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 providing consultation and advice from a psychological perspective to members of other professional and non-professional groups.

Desirable

  • 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).

Personal

Essential

  • 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

Other

Essential

  • 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

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).

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.

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA


Employer's website

https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA


Employer's website

https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Admin Manager

Sarah Drumm

sarah.drumm@nhs.net

01213013110

Details

Date posted

02 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £62,682 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

436-7495339

Job locations

Ardenleigh

Birmingham

B24 9SA


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)