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Job requirements
Essential
11 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Other
Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.
- Skills
High level interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to work and effectively communicate complex or sensitive information in highly emotive and emotionally charged settings involving conflict and significant personal distress.
- Skills
An awareness and understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with mental health problems and disabilities and of contemporary issues in the field
- Skills
An awareness and understanding of the differential needs of people from black and minority ethnic communities and from other minority groups and of the service issues arising within a multi-cultural urban area.
- Skills
Awareness of boundary issues between professionals and between clients and psychologists.
- Personal
Ability to interact and to build and sustain relationships with people with mental health problems and associated disabilities
- Personal
Adaptable and able to work flexibly when required (e.g. in the light of changing service priorities) such as some evenings and/or weekends
- Personal
Capacity for tolerating frustration, change and high levels of demand with an ability to work effectively under pressure.
- Experience
Experience of work with people with mental health problems or disabilities, or other relevant problems or disabilities (e.g. learning disabilities, organic impairment).
- Qualifications
An upper second class honours degree or higher in psychology.
- Qualifications
Entitlement to graduate membership of the British Psychological Society.
Desirable
3 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Personal
An interest in working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
- Experience
Experience of working with people with serious mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia)
- Qualifications
Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
Job overview
Secure Care and Offender Health - (Adult Forensic Community Services, Male Medium Secure Service, & Secure (CAMHS) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
Several vacancies for Assistant Psychologists have arisen across the Secure Care and Offender Health directorate. Our services which currently have vacancies are:
- Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) (based in Northfield
- Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) Service (based in Erdington)
- Reaside Clinic, male medium secure unit (based in Rubery)
- Secure Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, SCAMHS (based at Ardenleigh hospital, Erdington)
- Women’s Outreach Service (based at Ardenleigh hospital, Erdington) – 0.6 WTE
This role would suit committed, hardworking, and compassionate candidates who have an interest in supporting people with complex needs within the criminal justice system.
As an Assistant Psychologist within our services, you will have access to regular, highly specialist supervision and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities as part of a wider Psychological Therapies team comprising over 70 staff. We are committed to supporting ongoing professional growth and career progression within this network, while ensuring that our roles remain inclusive, rewarding, and enriching. We also place a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing, striving to create a positive, supportive, and fulfilling working environment.
Main duties of the job
Assistant Psychologists support qualified psychologists in delivering high-quality care as part of multi-disciplinary teams. The role involves working directly with men, women and children who present with complex mental health needs, high levels of risk and/or offending behaviours.Current vacancies are available across a range of services within Secure Care & Offender Health Division:
FIRST – a specialist forensic community mental health service for adults with mental health and forensic needs.
MHTR – a psychological treatment service designed to help people over the age of 18 who experience mental health difficulties to engage with treatment as part of their sentence outside custody.
Reaside Clinic – a medium secure psychiatric hospital for men with mental health difficulties and forensic risks
Secure CAMHS (SCAMHS) – a secure inpatient service for young people aged 12-18 experiencing significant mental health difficulties.
Women's Outreach Service – supporting teams working with women who present with complex trauma, emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), and self-harm.
Assistant Psychologists will typically contribute to psychological assessments, formulations, and individual or group interventions for adults and young people with complex mental health needs and histories of high-risk behaviours. Candidates with previous experience of working within a range of clinical settings including Forensic, Mental Health, Social Care, Learning Disabilities are welcomed.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Applicant requirements
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.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Band 4 Assistant Psychologist - Secure Care and Offender Health with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham, England. It is listed as a Band 4 Assistant psychologist role. The advertised salary is £28,392 - £31,157 per annum, pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 12 Oct 2026.
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