Specialist Community Forensic Practitioner
2 days ago
Billericay
Main area Forensic Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (7- day a week service; rotating weekend working and within 8am – 8pm Shift work) Job ref 364-B-600 Employer Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site 2 Heath Close Town Billericay Salary £39,959 - £48,117 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 18/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 30/11/2026 Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk. We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care. You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive. The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award. We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years. We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust. We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars. Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters. We are looking for a Band 6 Specialist Community Forensic Practitioner to join the Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT), based at Heath Close, Billericay. The team works with people in secure settings before, during and after discharge to help them move safely into the community. Much of the work is with service users at Brockfield House and other secure services. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team and will care coordinate a small caseload. You will also help to complete risk assessments and care plans, using tools such as the HCR-20. You will attend inpatient reviews so that any delay to discharge is picked up early. You will work closely with families, carers and agencies such as Probation, Police, MAPPA, housing providers and substance misuse services. You will need to be a registered mental health nurse with at least 12 months post-qualification experience, or hold a recognised social work or occupational therapy qualification. You should have at least 12 months’ experience at Band 5 and a good working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983, including conditional discharge. Experience in secure services and an HCR-20 qualification would be an advantage. The post is 37.5 hours a week. The service runs 7 days a week with shifts between 8am and 8pm, including rotating weekends. You will need a full UK driving licence, as the team covers the whole of Essex. Main duties of the job • Act as care coordinator for a caseload of service users, working with the multi-disciplinary team, • Complete risk assessments and risk management plans in line with EPUT policy, including forensic tools such as the HCR-20, • Take part in holistic assessments and help develop individual care plans, then review and evaluate how well they are working, • Support the MDT to discharge service users safely to the community, and help with readmission when needed, • Support service users, carers and colleagues with the Mental Health Act 1983, in particular conditional discharge, • Keep in touch with partner agencies such as Recovery and Wellbeing teams, substance misuse services, accommodation providers, Police, Probation, MAPPA and social services, while keeping information confidential, • Work closely with families and carers, and involve service users and carers in how the service develops, • Monitor service users’ mental and physical health in the community and respond to crises when needed, • Follow local and national guidance on ordering, carrying, giving and storing medication, • Keep clinical records clear, accurate and up to date, • Support, guide and supervise staff, and act as Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor for students, • Help with the day to day running of the team and cover for the Team Leader when they are absent, • Take part in team meetings, audit and service development, and keep your own training up to date, • Possibly join an on call rota Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you. • Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential., • Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks., • If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling., • 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service., • Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay., • Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits., • £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us, • Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus. Work that wraps around your needs • Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed. Detailed job description and main responsibilities About the team The Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT) supports people in secure settings before, during and after discharge, so they can move into the community at the right time. The team is mainly focused on service users at Brockfield House and other secure services. It covers the whole of Essex and is based at 2 Heath Close, Billericay. You will report to the Service Manager. The team is moving towards a new model, with the service organised into three geographical teams across Essex and extended hours, including evening and weekend working, across 7 days. This is still under consultation, so the final team structure and shift pattern have not been agreed. The successful candidate will be expected to work flexibly within the model once it is in place. Clinical • Act as care coordinator for a small caseload, working with the multi-disciplinary team, • Take part in holistic assessments and write individual care plans with service users, • Complete risk assessments and risk management plans in line with EPUT policy, using forensic tools such as the HCR-20, • Attend inpatient reviews, case conferences and multi-professional meetings, and raise anything that could delay discharge as early as possible, • Support the MDT to discharge service users safely to the community, and help with readmission when it is needed, • Review care plans and check the quality of care, taking action where needed, • Provide evidence based interventions, including psycho-social interventions, as part of the team, • Monitor service users' mental and physical health in the community, • Make decisions and coordinate care in a crisis, getting advice from other professionals when needed, • Follow local and national guidance on ordering, carrying, giving, supervising and storing medication, • Keep clear, accurate and up to date clinical records Mental Health Act and legislation • Support service users, carers and colleagues through the Mental Health Act 1983, in particular the rules for conditionally discharged patients in the community, • Work within the Care Programme Approach, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding and child protection guidance Working with others • Keep good communication about each service user with the agencies involved in their care, • Work with partners such as Recovery and Wellbeing teams, substance misuse services, accommodation providers and third sector organisations, • Share information correctly and keep it confidential when working with the Police, Probation, MAPPA and social services, • Work closely with families and carers, and involve service users and carers in developing the service, • Give advice on good mental and physical health to service users, carers and other professionals Leadership and supervision • Support and guide staff, and give management supervision where appropriate, • Act as Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor for students, • Help with the induction and training of staff and students, • Help with the day to day running of the team and act up for the Team Leader when they are absent, • Promote good integrated team working Governance and development • Contribute to clinical governance, quality assurance, audit and research within the team, • Take part in team meetings and suggest new ways of working, • Complete mandatory training, take part in appraisal and keep your own knowledge up to date, • You may be asked to join an on call rota What we are looking for • RMN with at least 12 months post-qualification experience, or a recognised Social Work qualification, or a degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy, • Evidence of post-qualification training, • At least 12 months' experience at Band 5, • Experience of care coordinating a group of service users and of assessing, planning, putting in place and evaluating care, • Good knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983, CPA, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding and risk assessment, • Good written and verbal communication and IT skills, • Full UK driving licence and the ability to travel across Essex Experience of working in secure environments, an HCR-20 qualification and knowledge of forensic and community services in Essex would be an advantage. • Registered Mental Health Nurse with at least 12 months post-qualification experience, or recognised Social Work qualification, or degree/diploma in Occupational Therapy, with current registration, • Evidence of post-qualification training, • Certificate in CBT, solution focused or similar intervention, • Knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983, including conditional discharge, • Knowledge of CPA, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding, child protection and risk assessment, • Awareness of current mental health legislation and policy, and of leadership and supervision, • Knowledge of therapeutic interventions in the community and of MDT working, able to work on own initiative, • Evidence of continuing professional development, • Knowledge of community and forensic services and partner organisations in Essex, • At least 12 months’ experience at Band 5 or equivalent, • Experience of care coordinating a group of service users, • Good written and verbal communication, including complex information, and IT skills, • Leadership skills, able to inspire confidence and prioritise workload, • Able to build relationships and negotiate, with awareness of cultural needs, • Experience of working in secure environments, • Experience of working in a community forensic mental health service, • Experience of acting as a Social Supervisor for conditionally discharged patients Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time. Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references. As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust. Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on or email and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you. The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes. Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre-employment checks. Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered ‘suitable alternative employment’ to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability. You must have appropriate UK professional registration. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr
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