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CareersIn

Forensic Psychology

Fern Hodges, CPsychol (foren)Head of Psychology, HMP&YOI Onley

Practioner-Lecturer, Coventry University

Careers in Forensic Psychology: Overview

- Employers + types of work- More detail on prison psychology- Where to look for jobs- Steps to registration as a chartered

psychologist- Turning experience into applications - Questions (but also ask all through)

Where did your interest start?

Reading forensic psychology journal?

Reading book by forensic psychologist?

Friend or relative works in forensic setting?

Televisiondocumentary

Newspapers Televisiondrama

Want a job like Cracker’s?

Careers in Forensic Psychology: Employers

~ National Health Service~ Private Forensic Residential

Firms ~ Police ~ Universities~ Ministry of Justice (NOMS)~ HM Prison Service~ Private Custodial Firms~ Probation~ Youth Offending Teams~ Private Practice

National Health Service +

• Clinical work (including risk assessment)

• Lateral transfer possible for forensic• Assistant psychologist post

(PCTs, “specials”, DSPD = growth area) > clinical training course

(Leeds clearing house)

• Huge competition to get on courses• + Private firms

Police – Non-Crime

• Training(Some done by occupational psychologists)

• Research (University of Surrey has strong links)

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/research.htm

PoliceBehavioural Investigative Analysis

Accredited – very few!• Individuals from

- Police officers- Clinical psychologists- Forensic psychiatrist (doctor)- Academic

National Policing Improvement Agency – Serious Crime Analysis Section http://www.npia.police.uk/en/5222.htm

Liverpool University MSc course

Research in other forensic areas• Universities• PhD• Ministry of Justice (NOMS)

Research, Development and Statistics(formerly part of Home Office)

http://www.justice.gov.uk/jobs/current-vacancies.htm (all types)

Offenders outside prisons(Other Custody/Community)

Juveniles ~Youth Offending Teams

(Run by county councils)

~Secure Training Centres(Four - all privately run)

http://www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/

HM Prison Service Psychology

• Delivery of agreed organisational objectives

• Understanding of individuals and the organisation

• Design of strategies for change• Evaluation of effectiveness

Prison and Probation

• Individual prisoners• Assessment – including Risk Assessment• Treatment• Life-sentenced prisoners• Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder• (DSPD) – also NHS Special Hospitals• Counselling (but rare)

Prison and Probation

Group work with offenders Accredited programmes

Tutor, treatment managerhttp://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingoffenders/

workingoffenders12.htm

Other group work programmes(Planning, delivery, evaluation, approval

under Prison Service Order 4350)http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/psispsos/listpsos/

Staff Training

• Stress management• HIV/AIDS awareness• Suicide awareness• Report writing• Work with life sentenced prisoners• Incident negotiation• Offence parallelling behaviour

Management work

• Regime evaluation

• Monitoring schemes

• Key performance indicators

• Consultancy – varied topics(examples next slide)

Research/consultancy - some examples

-Bullying (prevalence +)-Drug use -Evaluation of interventions-Staff views of association style-Travelling community

Looking for Jobs• Local newspaper• Job centres• BPS Appointments Memorandum• Professional house magazines• HMPS & DH vacancy alerts

(sign up on website)• Internet – other (eg private prisons/health)• National newspapers

(eg “The Guardian”, particularly on Wednesdays)

Looking for experience

• Difficult for prison staff to take you on• Try other employers• Offer substantial time over long period

(Not shadowing, not just a visit, not just one day per week)• Often administrative tasks

(Including SPSS data entry)• Placement year?

Registration as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist

Step 1 GBR (You needed this to get onto this MSc course)

Step 2 BPS Diploma in Forensic Psychology Stage 1-either DFP exams + publishable research (now one piece)

with oral exam on the methods-or accredited MSc (19)

Step 3 BPS Diploma in Forensic Psychology Stage 2-Two years’ supervised practice >

Step 2 Accredited MSc• BPS web site lists these in different

applied specialismshttp://www.bps.org.uk/careers/accredited-courses/accredited-courses_home.cfm?frmAction=results&Course_IDs_Selected=&CourseType=PG&Search_Type=NC&OrderBy=NAME&OrderDir=ASC&INSTITUTION_NUMBER=&TRAINING_COMMITTEE=DFPTC

• Eg locallyCoventry University (2)University of Birmingham (3)University of Leicester (2)

Registration as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist

Step 3 Supervised PracticeShow competence in four core roles:~ 1 Conducting psychological applications and

interventions~ 2 Research~ 3 Communicating psychological knowledge

and advice to other professionals~ 4 Training other professionals in

psychological skills and knowledge… long haul

Demonstrating competenceusing your experience

• All jobs in HMPS/Probation Psychology~ Job specification listing competences required~ Use experience from work, university, family/social life

HMPS Job Competences 1 of 3

Three groups, each with four competences

• Working professionally

• Working with others

• Working to achieve results

HMPS Competences 2 of 3

Achieving a safe and secure environmentPersuading and influencingCaringOrganising and maximising performanceEmbracing changeDeveloping self and others

HMPS Job Competences 3 of 3

Showing drive and resilienceActing with integrityRespecting othersBuilding relationships and team workingProblem solving and decision makingCommunicating effectively

You don’t have to be

“a psychologist”

to apply psychology

You don’t have to be

a forensic psychologist

to do valuable work with offenders

You could be …

a volunteer mentor, a youth worker, a Social Services community support worker, a social worker, a volunteer Youth Offending Panel member, a YOT worker, on a prison’s Independent Monitoring Board, a drugs worker, a community psychiatric nurse or mental health nurse, educational support worker, a worker with an offenders’ charitable organisation such as Apex Trust, NACRO or SOVA, a prison officer, a prison governor, a police officer , etc

Big “but….”

• Examine your motives ….

• People don’t stop offending because a well meaning person wants to help them….

Useful web addresses – BPS and government

• http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/careers_home.cfm

• http://www.justice.gov.uk/• www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk•  

http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/assets/documents/10003800forensic_psych_info_sheet.doc http://www.niprisonservice.gov.uk/index.cfm/area/information/page/recruitment

• http://www.sps.gov.uk/default.aspx?documentid=1fabe0e7-b570-4f14-a8a6-76f94b0b4d08

Useful web addresses(Operators of private prisons or secure training centres)

• http://www.kalyxservices.com/index.htm

• http://www.gslglobal.com/career

• http://www.serco.co.uk/markets/homeaffairs/offendermanagement/Index.asp

• www.reboundecd.com

Useful web addresses(Operators of other forensic units

+ recruitment specialists covering forensic work)

• www.partnershipsincare.co.uk/jobs• www.careprinciples.com/careers.html• http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/• http://www.affinityhealth.co.uk/careers.h

tm• http://www.alphahospitals.co.uk/about.a

sp

• http://www.cygnethealth.co.uk/about-us/

• http://www.pulsestaffing.co.uk/• http://www.raphaelhealthcare.org.uk

Useful web addresses- other

jobs.ac.uk some psychology jobs

www.peopleunlimited.co.uknot-for-profit jobs

www.changeitnow.co.ukHMPS senior prison manager programme, closed Sept in 2008 but keep a look out for next year (for those with some management experience)

www.backstop.org.ukjobs in youth and criminal justice

http://www.saferlondonfoundation.org/organises volunteer mentors to work with ex-offenders

http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/for mental health jobs – keep looking and explore unpromising job titles

Useful web addresses – even more

www.do-it.org.uk

Site with voluntary work opportunities – some will have forensic relevance

http://www.rethinking.org.uk/informed/pdf/what.pdf

Booklet about ways of getting involved in the criminal justice system prepared by “Rethinking Crime and Punishment” (RCP), a charitably-funded grant-making organisation which seeks to raise the standard of public debate about the use of imprisonment and other punishments.

Thank you for your attention…

any questions?