Consultant Psychologist for Forensics and Criminal Justice

Job overview

Are you a compassionate and experienced Clinical, forensic or Counselling Psychologist looking for a leadership role? Do you believe in the power of trauma-informed care and the difference it can make in the lives of individuals? We are looking for a Consultant Psychologist to help shape and lead our Forensic and Criminal Justice Psychology Services.

As a Consultant Psychologist, you will play a key role in supporting teams and individuals with complex mental health needs, ensuring that our services are grounded in compassion, understanding, and evidence-based care. You will oversee psychological services across our Forensic and Criminal Justice Pathway, including a low secure inpatient unit, the Community Forensic Team, Mental Health Treatment Requirements within Liaison & Diversion Services, and the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. Your leadership will create a safe and supportive environment.

We would love to hear from HCPC-registered Clinical or Counselling Psychologists who have experience working in forensic or secure mental health settings. If you have advanced skills in risk assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and managing complex cases, along with a passion for service development and leadership, we encourage you to apply. Experience in multi-agency working, supervision, and research would be an advantage, but most importantly, we are looking for someone who is committed to making a positive impact in people’s lives.

Main duties of the job

You will provide clinical leadership to our dedicated psychology team, ensuring high standards of care and professional development. Your work will involve offering specialist psychological assessments, including neuropsychological and structured risk assessments, as well as delivering interventions that align with NICE guidelines. A key aspect of this role is helping to develop services that are person-centred and responsive to the needs of those we support.

Collaboration will be central to your work. You will engage closely with service users, multidisciplinary teams, and external agencies, ensuring joined-up care that truly meets the needs of individuals. By supporting supervision, training, and consultation across our teams, you will help to foster a culture of learning, reflection, and continuous improvement.

The post-holder will work with clients in a range of settings, including team bases, a secure unit, community environments, and within clients' homes. At times, there will be a requirement for lone working. The role involves engaging with clients and carers who may be experiencing high levels of distress, some of whom may present challenging behaviour. The position requires sustained periods of concentration, as well as the ability to manage detailed clinical report writing, service-related documentation, and the use of relevant IT systems to support practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

• Work with senior operational managers & Lead Psychologists to ensure the operational delivery and strategic development of the psychology service across the Forensic and Criminal Justice Pathway.
• Exercise responsibility for the systematic governance of psychological practice, ensuring high standards across inpatient, outpatient, and community services.
• Ensure systems are in place and effectively implemented for the clinical and professional supervision of psychological staff within the service.
• Lead on developing and embedding risk assessment practices within the service, ensuring alignment with best practices and NICE guidelines.
• Support a trauma-informed approach to working with this client group.

Service Delivery & Development

• Ensure the provision of a high-quality psychology service to clients across the Forensic and Criminal Justice Pathway.
• Lead on service development initiatives in collaboration with senior management and aligning services with current needs.
• Provide expertise in managing complex cases, with a focus on risk management, offending-based therapies and psychological therapies.
• Contribute to the development of business cases for new services and support funding allocation discussions to ensure sustainable service provision.
• Collaborate with partner agencies to enhance multi-agency working and ensure continuity of care.

Specialist Clinical Duties

• Provide highly specialist psychological assessments, including neuropsychology and structured risk assessments.
• Deliver NICE-compliant specialist psychological therapy to adults referred to the service and be an expert in psychological interventions targeted towards mentally disordered offenders.
• Ensure continuity between inpatient and outpatient psychological services to provide seamless patient transitions from Low Secure to Community Forensic Teams.
• Provide consultation and support to other clinicians and teams within the service, ensuring a psychologically informed approach to care.
• Liaise with external units, to enable the accelerated transition to LSU or Community Forensic team.

Supervision & Training

• Provide clinical supervision and leadership to other psychologists delivering specialist interventions; to include Senior Psychologists (Band 8 and above).
• Offer training, consultation, and supervision to multidisciplinary staff regarding psychological aspects of care.
• Support the doctoral programme of local universities by supervising trainees on placement, contributing to workforce development.
• Develop and maintain a supervision structure that ensures professional psychological management across multiple teams.