About Simon Community Scotland

People are at the heart of who we are and what we do. Day-by-day, person-to-person, we tailor what we offer to what people need. We’re here to provide consistent, friendly and informed support so that people can explore options and take ‘the next step’ towards their future. We welcome people with a wide range of skills and experiences to our team – including those who have lived through homelessness. To make a difference we need to work flexibly, with everyday-leadership, humour and a ‘can do’ spirit. We want to make it easy, make it right, and make it happen – not only for the people we support, but also for each other. We care for and support each other regardless of our role, service or location. We want people who share these values to join us and become a part of the Simon Community Scotland team.

Job Summary

Within Simon Community, we pride ourselves in taking a psychological and trauma informed approach to our work. We understand the people we work with have likely experienced and continue to experience adverse life events which lead to trauma responses, impacting both physical and mental health. The role of psychology within Simon Community ensures psychological theories and principles are embedded within the organisation in a creative and flexible way. Providing psychological safety and the best wellbeing possible for everyone accessing or working for Simon Community Scotland.

Our psychology team within the organisation is continuing to grow, demonstrating their value and importance to our ever evolving services and support. We are looking for a Clinical Psychologist to lead on this work in our West of Scotland teams and take an active leadership role within the organisation. The key focus of this role will be to support the organisation to continue to implement psychologically informed environment principles and trauma informed care, creating and maintaining psychological safety for all. This work will be carried out under the supervision of a Prinicipal Clinical Psychologist external to Simon Community Scotland. The job plan will be agreed with the Director of Services, working independently within the framework, policies and procedures of the organisation. The job plan will cover both direct and indirect work, with more focus on indirect, it is an opportunity to use the range of skills of a Clinical Psychologist; leadership, formulation, consultation, supervision, research and service development. The job will include working across different services in the West of Scotland, including supported accommodation, community support hubs and outreach. This job description will be subject to review as the psychology team, as well as the organisational need
develops and the postholder will be a key stakeholder in that review. This is an exciting opportunity to really explore what Clinical Psychology can offer those facing severe and multiple disadvantage and implement needed change, thinking creatively, in an organisation that puts ‘being human’ and relationships at the heart of the work.

Job Purpose

Under the clinical supervision of a Clinical Psychologist and line management by the Director of Operations, working alongside our services, key activities will include;

• Provide highly specialist and psychological assessment, formulation, and therapy with people experiencing homelessness. Provide a progressive model of support and care that goes beyond traditional approaches, reimagining what psychological work can offer to those we support with creativity. Ability and willingness to meet people where they are at - physically, emotionally, socially. Maintaining accurate case notes and records.
• Work as part of a team, both within the wider leadership in the organisation, as well as local front facing teams; bringing psychological insight into care planning and service delivery. Adapting and communicating any psychological concepts to the audience to ensure it is clear, understandable and supportive.
• Work in flexible, non-traditional settings (e.g. supported accommodation, outreach, community access hubs), with a commitment to trauma-informed, culturally  competent, and human rights based practice.
• Offer clinical leadership, supporting psychologically-informed approaches and PIE across the organisation, including a psychological perspective on service development and strategy, as well as be part of a wider multi-agency/disciplinary voice on the psychological needs of people, teams and organisations, on both a local and national level.
• Alongside the team, support a co-production approach that recognises the importance of living experience being at the centre of service design and delivery. Assisting in the design and implementation of development and improvement projects including literature reviews, data collection, analysis and production of reports and summaries.
• Supervise and support junior psychological staff and others in leadership roles in the organisation. Operate within defined scope of practice under regular clinical supervision from a registered Clinical Psychologist.
• Ownership of leading the psychological perspective to best serve both people we support and teams, keeping up to date with research, best practice and the voices of people with lived and living experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake highly specialist and timely psychological assessments, formulations, and evidence-based interventions - being highly skilled in adapting psychological models to be creative and fit with the people in this community. Using the pretreatment model principles to guide relationship formation. Working with people in our community with a wide range of experiences and cultural backgrounds with dignity, respect and kindness.
• Lead on the continual consideration and promotion of psychologically informed environment principles in the organisation, ensuring it is present in both relevant strategic development and operational delivery. Attend and contribute to organisational leadership meetings, as well as local team meetings (when required).
• Embed psychological formulations within teams in a way that is both theory and practice driven to guide support planning in an accessible and consistent format.
• Continual assessment of opportunities to upskill and support teams, external stakeholders and people supported through reflective practice, psychoeducational group work, training packages, worksheets or workshops. Implementing and upskilling others to facilitate psychoeducational groups and reflective practice groups.
• Attendance at multi-agency meetings with psychological input recorded and shared appropriately. Effective communication with a wide range of professionals across relevant and connected sectors for the benefit of the people we support, including proactively building relationships and attending national networking meetings.
• Clinical supervision of junior psychology staff and other members of staff.
• Engage in audit, research, and service evaluation activities, contributing to service improvement and development. Including proactively detecting gaps in research to be explored, working alongside researchers and people with lived experience to contribute to learning and growth in the area. Support evaluation, including key outcome measures for projects, methodology for data collection that is creative and meaningful for the community.
• Completion of agreed CPD hours and supervision sessions, in line with professional requirements. As well as attend national meetings regarding psychology within homelessness settings to share and learn best practice. Work autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of the team's policies and procedures. With responsibility to keep up to date with any changes in terms of clinical guidance, policies and legislation.

Our Values and Approach

All SCS employees are expected to demonstrate the following values in their work:

Warmth and Regard
● Recognising and valuing everyone
● Treating people with kindness, dignity and respect
● Acting with compassion
● Showing warmth and welcome to everyone
● Taking difficult decisions sensitively and with due regard to others
● Taking a calm, professional and intelligent approach to stigma

Inclusion and Participation
● Encouraging the participation and inclusion of people we support
● Exploring choices and options with people we support or fellow colleagues
● Making things easy for others
● Embracing technology in delivering your role
● Supporting clients, staff and volunteers to become digitally included

Personalised and Creative
● Innovation and creativity
● Helping to find solutions that are a good fit for someone, irrespective of who they are or the problem they have
● When someone isn’t at their best, quickly recognising there’s probably something else going on, and finding ways to respond with care

Supportive and Ambitious
● Helping to bring hope through our words and actions
● Helping to build trust
● Being supportive and showing care

Partnership and Collaboration
● Fostering positive relationships with our partners
● Building team togetherness and collaboration
● Fostering a positive problem-solving vibe

Leadership and Learning
● Making things happen
● Motivating and inspiring others
● Taking time to reflect on what’s working and what isn’t
● Taking care of our ‘places and spaces’ so they feel tidy and welcoming
● Asking for help and learning to do things better
● Playing an active role in our social media strategy

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications:

Essential:
- Post-graduate doctoral level training in clinical/counselling psychology
- HCPC membership as Practitioner Psychologist
- Recognised training in clinical supervision
- Specialist training, research and study across a range of areas, including advanced clinical skills.

Desirable:
- Further postgraduate training in relevant areas such as homelessness, specialised trauma training, cultural adaptation and/or substance use
- Further therapeutic training related to the job such as; MBT,CFT, systemic therapy, narrative therapy, CFT
- Further qualification in leadership.

Experience:

Essential:
- Working with people experiencing a range of adult mental health challenges and / or substance use
- Significant psychology practice experience in NHS or equivalent, supervised by a suitably qualified Clinical or Counselling Psychologist
- Experience of working within MDTs and being part of case discussions
- Evidence of continuing professional development as required by the HCPC
- Experience of providing clinical supervision
- Development and delivery of training to professionals with different levels of previous knowledge/experience
- Facilitating Reflective Practice Groups and/or team supervision

Desirable:
- Experience of homelessness services or/and lived experience
- Experience of working across multiple systems to coordinate care e.g. mental health and social care services, rehabilitation services, third sector organisations
- Experience of involvement in service evaluation within a clinical context
- Experience of leadership within roles, including contributing to strategy

Knowledge and Skills:

Essential:
- Knowledge of Psychological Informed Environments, Trauma Informed Care and Recovery Approaches. A knowledge of trauma within the context of people facing severe and multiple disadvantage.
- Ability to work both independently and a part of a team
- Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships with people we support - being flexible on how to build relationships with people who have severe and multiple disadvantages
- Ability to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively
- Ability to prioritise workload and maintain healthy boundaries
- Knowledge of legislation, key documents (NICE guidelines, trauma-informed framework etc. Hard Edges) and its implications for both clinical practice and professional management in relation to the area of homelessness.
- A high level ability to communicate effectively at both a written and oral level complex, highly technical and clinically sensitive information to people we support, as well as a wide range of professionals from different sectors.
- Skills in providing consultation to other professional and non-professional groups. Knowledge of the impact of working in this setting and ways to support staff teams wellbeing
- Ability to develop and communicate complex biopsychosocial formulations to both women who are being supported and care teams.

Desirable:
- An understanding of the specific support needs of people experiencing homelessness with multiple and complex needs
- An understanding of the experience of staff working with people who present with complex needs
- Skills as a Clinician to undertake clinical leadership roles and tasks within multidisciplinary and multi-agency contexts
- Knowledge of systemic leadership models, change management models and using psychological theory/principles to support change and best practice within services.

Personal:

Essential:
- A capacity to establish priorities and organise workload effectively and efficiently.
- Interest in the delivery of psychological interventions in creative ways. With an openness to new ways of working.
- Ability to operate successfully within a team based setting.
- Confidence in public speaking, chairing meetings.
- Shows an awareness of personal limitations in this specialist field.
- Expresses strong interest to develop specialist skills.
- Shows interest in contributing to the broad organisation/service functioning as well as to own development, casework and professional interests
- Ability to work respectfully within teams and understand and appreciate the role of other professions.
- Ability to be aware of, and contribute to, the well-being of staff within the multi-disciplinary team, where appropriate.

Desirable:
- Ability to be aware of and cope with the personal impact of working with people who face SMD, are at the sharp end of discrimination and barriers to accessing services and
support.
- Able to work flexible working hours.