About this role
Job summary
We are looking for an experienced and compassionate senior psychological professional to join us as Professional Lead for the Psychological Professions in our Forensic Health Services. This is a significant leadership role within the Specialist Division, offering the chance to shape a pathway, a culture and a system, while working alongside committed colleagues who are ambitious about the contribution of psychological professions to forensic care. The role will provide strategic leadership across low and medium secure inpatient services, Forensic Outreach Services, the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway and Mental Health Treatment Requirement services. The majority of services are in Sussex, with some extending into Surrey, and all are part of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Provider Collaborative. The post may also be asked to consult and advise on Forensic CAMHS services.
The role is open to practitioner psychologists, psychological therapists and psychotherapists who meet the requirements of the relevant attached job description and person specification. We would warmly welcome applications from candidates who can bring senior clinical credibility, professional leadership experience and a strong commitment to developing psychologically informed services for people with forensic histories or at risk of offending.
Main duties of the job
Working as a core member of the Forensic Health Services leadership team, and in close collaboration with the Director of Psychological Professions and senior operational and clinical colleagues, you will bring a distinctive psychological voice to service development, risk governance, culture change and partnership working. You will help ensure that formulation-driven practice, evidence-based interventions and compassionate, trauma-informed approaches are embedded across forensic pathways, in line with the Trust strategy and the Psychological Professions strategic priorities for 2025-2030.
You will provide professional leadership, and where appropriate line management, to registered and unregistered psychological professionals across forensic inpatient, community, outreach and specialist pathway services. A central focus will be strengthening supervision, professional development, workforce planning, recruitment, clinical governance, service improvement, research, audit and evaluation so that psychological professions are supported to improve access, outcomes and quality of care for service users, carers and families.
About us
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental services across diverse coastal, rural and urban communities, with strong links to partners across health, social care, probation and criminal justice. Within Forensic Health Services, you will be joining committed multidisciplinary teams and senior leaders who want the psychological professions to be visible, valued and influential in improving care. Together, we are working to strengthen reflective, compassionate and inclusive approaches for people who may present with complex mental health needs, offending histories, trauma and risk.
Job description Job responsibilities
Provide strategic and professional leadership for psychological professions across Forensic Health Services, with a Trust-wide focus on forensic psychological practice and contribution to the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Provider Collaborative where appropriate.
Work as part of the divisional leadership team and with senior professional leads for nursing, allied health professions and medicine to support safe, effective and sustainable services, bringing a clear psychological voice to business planning, transformation, service development and partnership working.
Lead systems for professional governance, supervision, appraisal, continuing professional development, job planning and standards of professional practice for psychological professionals across forensic pathways.
Provide senior professional advice on psychological professions governance and professional standards where required.
Support robust supervision, reflective practice and psychologically safe systems that promote compassionate, trauma-informed and inclusive care for both service users and staff.
Shape service and policy developments that strengthen psychologically informed forensic care across secure, community, outreach and specialist pathways, including partnership with probation, criminal justice, social care, commissioning and voluntary sector colleagues.
Lead inclusive recruitment, workforce planning and professional development approaches that support a skilled, sustainable and diverse psychological professions workforce, aligned to transformation programmes and future service needs.
Champion inclusive and culturally sensitive psychological practice, ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded through supervision, CPD, recruitment, service development and divisional action planning.
Foster staff and team wellbeing through supportive supervision, wellbeing conversations, clear role expectations, access to CPD and opportunities for psychological professionals to connect through communities of practice and peer networks.
Provide expert consultation and advice on complex forensic psychological care, formulation, risk, service design and professional practice.
Lead and contribute to audit, research, teaching, training, service evaluation and routine outcome measurement, using evidence, psychological theory and high-quality data to inform continuous improvement and innovation.
Hold a specialist clinical caseload and maintain advanced clinical credibility within your area of psychological practice.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Post-graduate doctoral level training in applied psychology [or its equivalent for those trained before 1996 or outside the UK] as approved by the HPC, including specifically models of psychopathology, clinical psychometrics, two or more distinct psychological therapies and lifespan developmental psychology. Post doctoral training in one or more additional specialised areas of psychological practice relevant to the specific Care Group/Service. HPC Registered as a practitioner Psychologist
Desirable
Pre-qualification training and qualifications in research methodology, staff training and/or other fields of applied psychology.
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 Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address The Firs
The Drive
Hellingly
BN27 4ER
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)