An exciting opportunity has arisen within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for a HCPC Registered Clinical/ Forensic/ Counselling Psychologist to work as part of the SOLAR Service at HMP North Sea Camp. This opportunity is initially on a 12 month fixed term contract, 4 days a week. The SOLAR service is one of 5 Pathways Enhanced Resettlement (PERS) services that form part of the OPD (Offender Personality Disorder) Pathway in open prisons. PERS services aim to support individuals who are likely to have difficulties managing the transition from closed to open conditions, or from open conditions to the community, due to problematic personality traits.
We are looking for someone who will work as part of a small team with prison officers to deliver, develop and jointly lead the PERS model, comprising of keywork, emotional containment and provision of psychologically informed activities/ groups to individuals most at risk of recall to closed conditions as a result of their personality traits.
We are committed to working in partnership with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), both with Prison and Probation colleagues; this service is a joint enterprise so relies on collaborative working. The SOLAR service forms part of a wider network of OPD pathway services delivered as part of Offender Health services across HMP Whatton, HMP Gartree and community services in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
The successful post-holder will jointly provide clinical leadership for a team approach to supporting individuals to manage the transition to open conditions where personality traits and associated emotional or behavioural instability is likely to interfere with their ability to manage in open conditions. They will identify and assess individuals suitability for the service following a screening process and support the officers to engage the individuals agreeing to work with the service in keywork. The post holder will support with the development of ‘survival plans’/ formulations, and support the development of the psychologically informed management of anticipated hurdles. The post holder will provide supervision and consultancy to the team and other departments within the prison (i.e. the Offender Management Unit, Security, and Safer Custody) to develop skills and confidence in working with the individuals engaging with SOLAR.
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
We are supportive of flexible working arrangements and engagement with wider OPD pathway meetings, specifically the PERS Clinical Leads meetings for the sharing of good practice across the PERS services. Support, supervision and line management will be provided by the Consultant Psychologist. Whilst the contract is currently 12 months fixed term, there is work underway to align and remodel the staffing structure, so there may be opportunity for extension or for the role to be converted into a substantive post.
The post holder will provide clinical leadership to a small team of NHS and Prison staff to develop and deliver the SOLAR Service. They will work as part of a team to deliver the PERS model for individuals with difficulties arising from trauma and problematic personality traits and most likely to struggle in open conditions.
The post holder will contribute to and lead multi-disciplinary team discussions and decision making processes.
The post holder will be responsible for engaging with their own supervision and reflective practice and to support team members in offering supervision and reflective practice.
The post holder will work in partnership with the Custodial Manager and Head of Function to produce outcome data, audits and evaluation and to liaise with commissioners for performance review as required. They will also work collaboratively to support the development of awareness and psychologically informed working practices and culture within the prison environment.
The post holder will work with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Area Manager to support the development of the SOLAR service.
The post holder will liaise with the wider OPD pathway team at a national and regional level.
This advert closes on Thursday 10 Apr 2025
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .