Band 7 Senior Practitioner

Job overview

Are you an experienced mental health professional ready to lead an innovative service for women with complex needs?

We are seeking a compassionate Senior Practitioner to lead developing Intensive Service at HMP Eastwood Park. You will manage and supervise two team members, coordinate Mental Health Act transfers to and from hospital, case-manage women during admission, and support their safe return to prison. Through proactive assessment, relapse prevention and evidence-based interventions, you will help reduce delays and improve women's mental health outcomes.

Working with prison, probation, hospital, community and multidisciplinary colleagues, you will provide clinical leadership, supervision, risk management and safeguarding oversight. You will also shape pathways, strengthen governance and champion inclusive, trauma-informed care.

You must be a registered Mental Health Nurse or Social Worker with substantial post-registration experience, knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and safeguarding, with skills in complex assessment, care planning, supervision and team management.

Help develop a new service and make a lasting difference. Flexibility, collaboration and excellent communication are essential. Prison security clearance is required, and travel may be necessary. Join AWP and bring our PRIDE values to life:
Passion, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence.

We have been commissioned to develop and deliver, during the remainder of the contract period, a dedicated specialist team focused on improving the mental health pathway for women detained within HMP Eastwood Park who are either at risk of transfer or require transfer to hospital under Part III of the Mental Health Act. This is a significant and high-profile area of work, designed to address the complex needs of women within the criminal justice system and improve outcomes for some of the most vulnerable individuals in our care As the Senior Practitioner, you will provide leadership and operational management to this specialist team, ensuring effective coordination of transfers to hospital and oversight of individual care pathways.

You will case manage women throughout their admission, maintain close liaison with inpatient teams, and facilitate timely and appropriate remittance to prison once treatment goals have been achieved and individuals are clinically stable. A key element of the role will be the prevention of deterioration and relapse through proactive intervention, early identification of risk, and collaborative care planning. Working closely with prison staff, healthcare providers, and partner agencies, you will help reduce the need for hospital admissions wherever possible while ensuring that those requiring specialist treatment receive timely access to appropriate services.