Please note that, as Stratford will be your contractual place of work, any subsequent move from a temporary location will not entitle you to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy.
Job summary
The role of the Practitioner Psychologist psychologically is to support the health of the NCAs workforce, with a focus on mental wellbeing and the protection and promotion of personal resilience, to enable the NCA to deliver its mission.
Job description
The role of the Practitioner Psychologist would suit a newly qualified psychologist.
Providing practical and clinical support to National Crime Agency (NCA) Officers on wellbeing, occupational and mental health matters via a range of mediums such as biopsychosocial assessments, interventions, psychoeducational workshops, articles, and organisational support where appropriate.
The role reports to a Senior Practitioner Psychologist. Clinical supervision will be provided and continual professional development is reviewed regularly.
The department is overseen by a Consultant Psychologist, Head of Clinical Services and Workplace Adjustments.
Duties and Responsibilities
Biopsychosocial assessments
To provide appropriate biopsychosocial formulations, consultation and advice based upon analyses of a range of available psychological information concerning officers and their role, disabilities and any psychosocial hazards in Law Enforcement work and related to the Health and Safety Management Standards.
Provide advice and guidance
Support and advise managers and officers regarding matters impacting on employee welfare and their ability to fulfil role requirements within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the service's policies and procedures, ensuring best practice. To actively support reduced waiting for psychology appointments.
Produce and disseminate articles
Provide written articles for dissemination in the agency, including those with a self-help focus.
Support audits and compliance
Contribute to clinical audits, reviews, development of policies/procedures and data systems across business areas as appropriate.
Designing and Implementing psychological interventions
To exercise responsibility for designing and implementing psychological interventions (including psychoeducation sessions and post incident support) and, with supervision, adjusting, interpreting, and reformulating the psychological models as appropriate based on feedback, monitoring and follow up.
Officer's fitness and suitability for their role
To be responsible for the assessment, formulation, and management of officers fitness/suitability for role, ensuring any reasonable adjustments or recommendations for support are made and monitored. Manage difficult emotional and operational situations with sensitivity and skill.
Information management
Ensure the quality, secure handling and dissemination of data/information, maintaining confidentiality, sensitivity and a duty of care in line with NCA policy and GDPR.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
To manage self-care and be an active participant in professional development.
Person specification
Person Specification
Able to competently offer treatment in two or more types of evidence based psychological therapies, ideally in one or more of the following areas:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) - or trauma focused CBT
- Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Trauma Focused Psychotherapy; Humanistic therapy e.g. person centred
Essential Criteria
Hold or working towards* registration with the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) as a Clinical or Counselling Practitioner Psychologist.
To note: subject to a successful application, the HCPC needs to be secured and evidenced ahead of an employment start date.
Memberships
To note: subject to a successful application, the HCPC needs to be secured and evidenced ahead of an employment start date.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
All NCA employees are members of the UK Civil Service and eligible for the Civil Service pension scheme, alongside your salary the NCA contributes £13130. Further information on the benefits of the scheme is available on the Civil Service Pension Website.
New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.
If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).
Other benefits include:
- Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements)
- Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum
- Learning and Development opportunities
- Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits
- Housing schemes - Key Worker status
- Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway , Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes.
- Staff support groups/networks
- Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)
Further information is available on the NCA Website.
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
CV
Please include your full career history, training, qualifications, key responsibilities, and achievements. Explain any employment gaps in the last two years. Ensure all accreditation dates are accurate.
Details of what is expected within you CV are as follows: 1) Please demonstrate your clinical practice experience as highlighted in the Person Specification section of this advert.
2) Please demonstrate that you either hold OR are working towards the HCPC registration as a Clinical or Counselling Practitioner Psychologist. If you are working towards the HCPC registration, please indicate the anticipated date of your HCPC eligibility.
- Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and risk mitigation management in accordance to the clinical governance and best practice
- Experience of managing issues relating to consent and confidentiality in line with professional guidance and legislation.
You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.
We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.
Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.
NCA Applying and Onboarding
Assessment 1
The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section.
Success Profiles at Assessment
- Making Effective Decisions
- Experience of psychological assessment, formulation and risk mitigation management in accordance to the clinical governance and best practice
- Experience of managing issues relating to consent and confidentiality in line with professional guidance and legislation.
- Experience in a range of clinical skills and delivery in a variety of adult settings, including working with a range of stake holders who are not psychologists.
Strengths are tested at interview stage - the strengths tested are not shared before the interview.
If successful but no role is immediately available, you may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months.
Reserve lists can be used to fill similar role types across the Agency where the assessment criteria is considered a match by the recruitment team and the business area.
In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order:
- Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience)
- If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised)
- If still tied, application sift scores will be used
Security and Vetting
Vetting requirements - SC Enhanced
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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)
- undefined 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
Working for the Civil Service
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).
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment undefined (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : The Central Recruitment Team
- Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
- Telephone : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
Further information
If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.