Principal Clinical/ Forensic/ Counselling Psychologist FCLDTinOxfordinOxfordPUBLISHED FRI 29 NOV 2024

We are seeking to recruit a part-time Principal Clinical/Counselling/Forensic Psychologist (Band 8b) to join our recently established Forensic Community Learning Disability Team (FCLDT).

The role will involve a combination of direct and indirect work to support adults with learning disabilities and forensic needs in the community. The FCLDT sits within our Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT) which aims to support service users to successfully transition from inpatient environments into appropriately supported community settings.

The post holder will work across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire and will have very close links with local Learning Disability teams and Local Authorities from each geographical area.

The role involves direct assessment, formulation and intervention work with service users, as well as supporting other professionals to work in an effective, formulation-driven and evidence-based way in order to manage risk and improve health outcomes.

The post will involve delivering training and supporting the psychological thinking within the team. There will also be a requirement for consultations to support other services with risk formulations and management plans.

About us

The post holder will provide an experienced psychological service to people with learning disabilities who have forensic needs and/or have accessed care via a secure pathway as part of the Forensic Community Learning Disability Team (FCLDT) covering Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire (BOB).

The FCLDT, which sits within the forensic services Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT), supports the reduction of hospital use and seeks to improve the quality of life, health and well-being of service users with a diagnosis of learning disability who are at risk of being admitted to secure services or are being discharged to the community from secure settings.

The post holder, will be an experienced clinical/counselling/forensic psychologist holding doctoral level professional qualifications, who will ensure the clinical leadership and systematic provision of this highly specialist multilevel service specialising in working with individuals with a learning disability and a forensic need, that is cost-effective, culturally appropriate and based on best clinical and professional practice and that meets Trust and Directorate objectives, national strategic, and policy guidelines, commissioner requirements and user and carer needs and expectations. To thereby help understand, prevent and ameliorate psychological distress and disorder, work towards risk reduction and risk management, and improve the quality of life, mental health and well-being of users of this service.

The core element of the post is to provide case identification, case consultation, case formulation, joint working, and workforce development. The post holder will also have additional responsibility for:

Leading the strategic thinking about services delivered to individuals with a Learning Disability with a forensic need in the community in the BOB area, notably identifying need, promoting inter-agency working to support this cohort, collating information about services (and pathways within services) available.

Link to the FIND (Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental) Service, Forensic Community Mental Health team, secure establishments, and the Criminal Justice agencies to enable early intervention and support in preventing revictimization within systems.

Develop the pathway for the eligibility process of the service and lead on developing pathway interventions that meets the needs of this cohort.

Support the wider strategic development for this cohort.