Therapy Manager - Therapeutic Unit, HMP Grendon (Ref: 88564)

HM Prison & Probation Service

Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 21st October 2024

 

Details

Reference number

370682

Salary

£53,324 - £58,656
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer
HMPPS Band 8

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Psychology

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

This position is based at HM Prison Grendon, HP18 0TL

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

Overview of the job        

This is a non-operational, prisoner facing job with functional management and clinical responsibilities.

Summary            

The job holders covered by this job description are usually categorised as specialists in their field or those whose role requires significant additional experience, training and personal development.

The focus of the work is based on therapeutic community principles, where a dedicated multidisciplinary team are clinically led by the post holder to develop a treatment environment where attitudes and expressions, which would not normally be tolerated in prison, are accepted and used to give feedback to prisoners. This therapeutic dialogue leads to prisoner's greater understanding of their usual behaviour and is based on psychotherapeutic principles.

The job holder will largely excel in the area of psychodynamic and psychotherapeutic models of treatment, risk assessment or be a specialist in a specific area such as working with sex offenders, learning disability or personality disorder. At this level the jobholder has the responsibility for the key specialist tasks involved in the delivery of a therapeutic community intervention which includes overseeing the quality of delivery and supervision. They will also provide direction and support for other supervisors.

The job holder will provide clinical leadership in the provision of Psychotherapy within their work area by offering group and individual supervision in the support of Psychotherapists and other clinicians.

This is a specialist clinical job with responsibility for the output and activity for a large team of operational and specialist team members.

The job holder will be working with complex prisoners and prison staff and applying their experience and competence in the area of psychotherapy to reduce the risk of harm and re-offending by undertaking complex treatment intervention with prisoners, conducting or contributing to research, providing consultancy and delivering training for staff and group interventions for prisoners.

This is a prisoner facing role, which may have line management responsibilities

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties      

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

  • Specialise in the clinical delivery and management of an accredited intervention (Democratic Therapeutic Community) ensuring that clinical and operational requirements are in place and fit for purpose.
  • Lead and oversee the effective implementation of the Democratic Therapeutic Communities accredited core model in the prison setting.
  • Manage the function of the multi-disciplinary clinical team, comprising of operational and non-operational staff, ensuring staff are competent and equipped to deliver the therapeutic intervention.
  • Lead and deliver individual and group clinical supervision to all members of the staff team and develop the clinical abilities of staff who deliver group therapy. Contribute to the overall appraisal and performance management of staff on the TC.
  • Support and supervise others in the team delivering supervisory processes.
  • Provide a specialist group analytic contribution to the adult male treatment service in the prison setting, working men with significant offending behaviour and Personality Disorder referred to the Therapeutic Community, utilising information from a broad base group theory and methodology and integrating it into a psychological formulation of the client in the context of their family and wider social context.
  • Manage the tensions between therapeutic and operational imperatives are properly balanced
  • Ensure that the staff group put these principles into practice in the way they communicate with and work with one another, the Therapy Manager should model TC values and culture for staff
  • Oversee all clinical written documentation (sentence plans, recording of groups, parole reports, etc. ) and ensure this accurately reflects the work being done and progress being made by individual prisoners
  • Ensure creative psychotherapy or complementary work undertaken with prisoners (e.g. education, offending behaviour programmes, complementary therapies) is properly integrated into the prisoner's Individual Treatment Plan
  • Conduct full case reviews on difficult cases and offer authoritative advice on next steps relating to sentence plan
  • Offer professional opinion to multi functional teams conducting offender reports e.g. risk reports, parole reports on high risk or vulnerable prisoners
  • Act as a "professional witness" in parole board hearings, multi-agency meetings, and other formal settings where psychology input is required. May also act as expert witness in respect of court proceedings for Ministry of Justice
  • Lead on the formulation and implementation of plans for psychotherapeutic treatment or management of resident's mental health problems based on current evidence-based best practice within the Therapeutic Community.
  • Lead on risk assessment and resulting risk management of complex, vulnerable or high risk prisoners, reporting on treatment and therapeutic progress in relation to criminogenic factors.
  • Lead on decisions relating to progress in treatment for residents on the TC, continuation or termination of therapy and therapeutic dosage.
  • Contribute to other offender management processes (usually with more complex cases in work such as Assessment, Care in Custody & Teamwork (ACCT) assessments and self harm or personality disorder assessments)
  • Attend weekly clinical, community, staff team meetings, including administrative, assessment and academic meetings, and other service meetings as necessary for effective team working and service development needs.
  • Integrate into the Therapeutic Community, engaging in all aspects of its community life, abiding by the rules of the constitution in line with other members, staff and residents. Ensure all members of the team adopt this approach.
  • Monitor therapy practice through direct observation, feedback etc. to ensure that it meets the required standards
  • Lead on the management of referrals received, ensuring these are appropriately managed and apply appropriate criteria in assessing suitability. Provide ultimate clinical judgement and override for cases outside of the criteria where appropriate.
  • Provide supervision, training, mentoring and support to trainee psychotherapists and those undertaking psychotherapeutic qualifications (e.g. Group Analysis training) where required.
  • Provide consultancy support to colleagues such as an establishment SMT in relation to psychology services and outcomes
  • Assist in national specialist tasks such as training on courses related to their specialist discipline
  • Develop and provide specialist clinical advice to strategic policy developments for therapeutic communities
  • Provide professional supervision to support a trainee in developing through the key steps towards chartered and registered status. This may be as a coordinating or designated supervisor.
  • Teach psychotherapy principles to other professions and trainees of other professions within the NHS and other professions engaged in mental health work.
  • Work with colleagues to develop service priorities through the design, development and evaluation of clinical audit tools and participation in appropriate clinical audit projects.
  • Provide consultancy role to wider team on their specialist activity. Visit a range of sites to advise on complex cases
  • Responsible for the management of relevant research including data gathering and analysis
  • Ensure the clinical effectiveness of own practice and of service functioning by undertaking audit and development activities relevant to the service area.
  • Remain informed of and critically evaluate current research to support evidence-based practice in own professional work and to contribute this perspective in the multi-disciplinary team.
  • Participate in the evaluation of the Service by working with colleagues in the design and development of service-related research and evaluation projects, as agreed with the Head of Department.
  • Responsible for relevant accreditation audit baselines as detailed in the audit document
  • Lead on the preparation for clinical external audit of the therapeutic community, including preparation of case studies, detailed self reviews and liaison with external agencies such as the community of communities. Act as a peer-reviewer consultant to other Therapeutic Communities outside of the prison service.
  • Ensure that the function produces and analyses audit and establishment performance management information identifying variances and areas requiring improvements
  • Provide specialist reports when requested for prisoners and to submit within the appropriate time framework
  • Engage with wing managers and Offender Management Unit (OMU) ensuring that regular and thorough assessments are completed on community members' progress and therapy
  • Maintain professional networks with other TCs sharing best practice

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Qualifications

Do you have a relevant qualification and professional registration with an associated and relevant professional body, e.g. BACP, BPS, BABCP, UKCP.

Memberships

Relevant qualification and professional registration with an associated and relevant professional body, e.g. BACP, BPS, BABCP, UKCP.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Leadership
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together
  • Developing Self and Others
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

  • Relevant qualification and professional registration with an associated and relevant professional body, e.g. BACP, BPS, BABCP, UKCP.
Alongside your salary of £53,324, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £15,447 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
  • Access to learning and development
  • A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
  • A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
  • A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  • Annual Leave
  • Public Holidays
  • Season Ticket Advance



For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
  • individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
  • Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
  • Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
  • Telephone : 0845 241 5358

Recruitment team

  • Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. I you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints

Share this page