HMPPS Youth Custody Service (YCS) is committed to meeting the needs of all children aged under 18 years in custody to safeguard and enable healthy develop into adulthood including the ability to lead law-abiding lives. This includes the provision of high quality and evidence based initiatives such as Family Therapy.
YCS is currently recruiting AFT (Association of Family Therapists) registered Family Therapists to develop and provide a service for the children and families of children in custody as well as providing systemic consultation to the teams working within the custodial settings.
YCS is geographically dispersed across England and Wales and we currently have vacancies for Family Therapists in 2 HMYOIs accommodating children: Werrington (Stoke-on-Trent) & Feltham (Hounslow) there may be opportunities to provide services in other sites across YCS as the service develops. Applicants should please consider this additional information for details of the post rather than the job description which just provides the generic banding profile.
Overview of the job
This is a non-operational, prisoner facing job with clinical responsibilities.
Summary
The job holder will provide clinical specialist assessment and treatment interventions for a complex needs prison population such as those with Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorders, supporting operational staff and other clinicians in their approach to psychotherapy.
The job holder will be working with complex / high risk prisoners, applying their experience and competence in a range of therapies in CBT, DBT, EMDR. Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) to reduce the risk of harm and re-offending by undertaking complex treatment interventions. They will undertake senior treatment manager responsibilities acting as lead for the Imminent Needs Team, conducting or contributing to research and delivering training for staff and group interventions for prisoners in relation to national initiatives.
This is a prisoner facing role with no 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 of accredited interventions, ensuring that clinical and audit requirements are adhered to and complement operational practice
Facilitate individual work sessions and small groups, supporting co-facilitators and other staff engaged in these processes
Prepare, write and supervise specialist reports when requested for prisoners and to submit within the appropriate time framework
Ensure the integrity and effectiveness of therapy, ensuring a range of professional standards are met in relation to the delivery of each session through oversight and supervision of other staff
Ensure the delivery of treatment complies with the requirements of the programme and remains consistent with the underlying theoretical models and prescribed delivery style
Attend local and national clinical intervention meetings to promote good evidenced based practice.
Contribute to the development and delivery of training for multi-disciplinary staff recruited. Within this provide assessments and take an active role in individual staff development.
Deliver individual and group clinical supervision to members of the staff team and develop the clinical abilities of staff. Contribute to the overall appraisal of staff with regard to competence and quality of intervention delivery
Support and supervise others in the team delivering supervisory processes
Promote clinical principles, supporting staff to these into practice in the way they communicate with and work with one another
Manage relationships with internal and outside agencies ensuring plans are developed for continuity of the offenders treatment upon transfer or release in liaison with other staff
Act as a "professional witness" in parole board hearings, multi-agency meetings, and other formal settings where specialist input is required, such as re- categorisation boards. May also act as expert witness in respect of court proceedings for Ministry of Justice
Contribute to effective risk assessment and resulting risk management of complex, vulnerable or high risk prisoners, reporting on treatment and progress in relation to criminogenic factors
Develop and maintain expertise in the assessment and treatment of offenders and risk areas targeted by the programme
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)
Ensure the clinical effectiveness of own practice and of service functioning by participating in 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.
Maintain professional networks with other clinicians 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
