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Job summary

Main area
Forensic Psychology
Grade
Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 22.5 hours per week
Job ref
395-PP126-25
Employer
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Bethnal Green Health Centre
Town
London
Salary
£64,455 - £74,896 per annum pro rata (plus HCAS)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
14/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust logo

Principal Psychologist

Band 8b

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to jointly lead and develop a newly commissioned North East London (NEL) men’s Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) service to reduce custodial sentences and improve the wellbeing of men in the criminal justice system with mental health needs. This NEL service is jointly provided by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) and East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT). 

 

Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs) were introduced by the Criminal Justice Act in 2003, recognising that for many individuals who offend, mental health and substance misuse issues underpin their offending behaviour. Treatment requirements offer courts an alternative to short custodial sentences and aim to prevent reoffending by addressing underlying vulnerabilities and improving quality of life. This service aims to increase the use of primary care treatment requirements as part of a community sentence, offering psychologically informed interventions. The MHTR Service will also provide the courts with information and confidence to sentence to robust and effective treatment requirements.

Main duties of the job

NELFT are looking for two 0.6 WTE B8b Clinical or Counselling Psychologists to lead the service across North East London; with the posts operating as a jobshare across the NELFT and ELFT catchment. NELFT and ELFT are recruiting to the two 0.6 WTE posts simultaneously and interested applicants are encouraged to apply to both positions. There are equivalent posts being recruited in North West London via CNWL and South London via Oxleas. We expect the clinical leads and services to work closely together, to ensure that courts across London are covered throughout the year.

The role will be responsible for operational service delivery across all courts in NEL. The successful candidates will hold a small complex clinical caseload and be responsible for supervision of the clinical team. 

The posts are being advertised by both NELFT and ELFT and candidates will be considered for both posts at interview. Both Trusts support flexible working and applications for secondments to this substantive role will be considered. We hope to recruit a staff team reflective of the population we serve and welcome applications from those with protected characteristics, including minoritised ethnic groups. Candidates will be considered for all NLFC posts at interview (CNWL, NELFT and ELFT).

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

  • We are kind. 
  • We are respectful.
  • We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. 

Starting with Us

NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust.  All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment.  As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes.  The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 p.a. pro rata for part time).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,192 to a maximum of £2,011 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please contact us if you would like to know more: Dr Rachel Smith (Professional Lead for Forensic Psychology, NELFT) [email protected]  07944 206 081; Dr Phil Minoudis (Head of Forensic PD Psychology, ELFT) [email protected] 07961 474 117

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·     -  To lead on the development and implementation of the Men’s MHTR service and hold management oversight and clinical supervision of the team

·      - To oversee and be responsible for quality and performance, including quarterly reporting to commissioners.

·   -    To work as a jobshare with other service lead and work alongside partners to deliver the service across London.

·      - To have oversight and sign off of court directions, including covering sign of court directions for NLFC colleagues during periods of leave.

·       -To liaise and ensure working relationships with key stakeholders

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Practitioner Psychologist, HCPC, Doctorate
  • further post-doctoral/post-qualification specialist training including training in clinical supervision
  • training is risk assessment
Desirable criteria
  • Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology
  • Accredited therapist in evidence-based treatment for client group

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of specialist psychological assessment, risk management and treatment of service users with significant mental health difficulties who offend across the full range of care settings, including outpatient, community, and inpatient settings
  • variety of service user groups
  • Significant experience of inter-agency working
  • Experience of developing and delivering training.
  • Significant management and supervision experience.
Desirable criteria
  • management experience
  • service development experience

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Risk, CJS, mental health, research methods, legislation
Desirable criteria
  • knowledge difficult to treat groups

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Assessment, communication, consultation
  • challenging behaviour, violence, complex situations
  • management of people

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Employers for CarersApprenticeships logoAge positiveDisability confident employerHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionTop 10 Employer 2023

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure consideration.

If you require any additional support during the application process please contact [email protected]. We are happy to make reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment journey.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rachel Smith
Job title
Professional Lead for Forensic Psychology
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07944 206 081
Additional information

Dr Phil Minoudis (Head of Forensic PD Psychology, ELFT) [email protected] 07961 474 117

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