Band 8a Clinician (Approved Premises Lead) - Bristol

We are looking to recruit a Band 8a Clinician into the Specialised PD Probation Service at AWP. Specialised PD, otherwise known as OPD, is a large, community-based, multidisciplinary team that has developed innovative approaches to working with high-risk offenders with Personality Disorders. These service users are seen by the National Probation Service in Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and OPD covers the caseload within these areas.

As a service, we cover Probation Offices based in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, Swindon, Chippenham, Salisbury, Gloucester, and Cheltenham. In addition, we cover three male and one female Approved Premises in Bristol, and one male Approved Premises in Gloucester.

We support a hybrid working model where we encourage staff to work from home 40% of the working week, and in an office space for 60% of their working week. Each staff member has an allocated geographical area with a central office in that area. Though this post is based primarily in Bristol, there will be occasional travel to other areas covered by OPD, or for training, conferences, or external meetings.

Right to Work in the UK: This position is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application, as the organisation is unable to support sponsorship for this post.

Note: This post is fixed term, but we will accept secondments from internal applicants.

To support the delivery of community OPD by providing leadership to the part of the service covering the Approved Premises, delivering case triage and identification, case reviews, case consultations, developing formulation, designing and delivering training, providing advice and consultation to other professionals, and contributing to the research within the team. The post will also involve direct work with service users who are now residing in the community and would involve providing psychological assessment and psychological interventions.

In addition, the post holder will be required to regularly assist in clinically related administration, conduct of audits, delivery orders, collection of statistics and development of audit and/or research projects.

The post holder would be expected to work independently according to a plan agreed with the professionally registered clinical and operational lead for the area/service and within the overall framework of the team’s policies and procedures.

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

To provide specialist advice and consultation on service users’ formulation, psychological management, and pathway planning to other non-psychologist colleagues.

To use specialist psychological knowledge and skills to contribute to the more effective management of probation service users by the various agencies involved within and outside of the Probation Service.

To clinically supervise registered and unregistered clinical staff.

To contribute to audit, research, policy, and service development within the area served by the Offender Personality Disorder Service

Management

Day-to-day operational management of staff.

Caseload supervision.

Represent the service at specialist meetings as requested.

The co-ordination of small-scale projects as requested, including evaluation of the service.

Please see attached Job Description file for a full list of duties and responsibilities.