child psychologist jobs

Forensic Psychologist in Training

Progress your forensic psychology career with a values-led therapeutic service supporting children to feel safer, understood and able to thrive.

Make a meaningful difference while building your career in forensic psychology

Are you a motivated psychology graduate with Stage 1 forensic psychology training and a passion for working with children and young people? This is an exciting opportunity to develop your applied forensic psychology practice within a supportive, specialist therapeutic service.

As a Forensic Psychologist in Training at The Connective Care Group, you will bring psychological thinking into children’s residential care, specialist education and therapeutic services. Working under experienced forensic psychology supervision, you will contribute to assessment, formulation, intervention, consultation, service development and evaluation.

Following successful completion of probation, and subject to meeting British Psychological Society requirements, we will support your enrolment onto the BPS Qualification in Forensic Psychology, helping you build a clear route towards professional qualification.

About Group Therapeutic Services

Our Group Therapeutic Services team currently includes:

• Group Director of Therapeutic Services / Consultant Forensic Psychologist
• Group Head of Therapeutic Services / Principal Forensic Psychologist
• Creative Therapist

The team works across The Connective Care Group, supporting:

• Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions
• Solice Care
• Excel Care
• Emplace Care
• Emerge School

Why join The Connective Care Group

This role offers the chance to grow within a therapeutic service where formulation, relationships and child-centred practice shape everyday decision-making. Through our bespoke Roots to Wings model, you will help teams understand each child’s development, strengths, needs and experiences beyond presenting behaviour.

• Structured support towards the BPS Qualification in Forensic Psychology, subject to eligibility.
• Regular professional supervision from experienced Forensic Psychologists.
• Varied applied experience across children’s homes, specialist education and therapeutic services.
• Opportunities to contribute to assessment, formulation, intervention, consultation and service development.
• A compassionate, values-led environment where psychological thinking directly informs care and education.

Role Responsibilities

• Contribute to psychological assessment, formulation and formulation-informed planning.
• Undertake observations across children’s homes and education settings.
• Gather and integrate information from children, teams and professional networks.
• Support psychologically informed intervention with children, adapted to developmental, communication and relational needs.
• Help residential and education teams translate psychological understanding into everyday practice.
• Contribute to consultation, reflective discussions, multi-disciplinary meetings and safeguarding planning.
• Support research, audit, outcome measurement and service evaluation.

About you

You will be reflective, compassionate and curious, with the confidence to apply psychological theory in complex real-world settings. You will enjoy working collaboratively, communicating clearly and using supervision to develop safe, ethical and effective practice.

Role Requirements

Essential

To be considered for this role, you will need:

• An undergraduate Psychology degree or recognised conversion qualification providing eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society.
• A recognised or accredited MSc in Forensic Psychology, or equivalent Stage 1 academic qualification.
• Relevant experience of working with children, young people or vulnerable populations.
• Knowledge of trauma, attachment, child development, safeguarding, neurodivergence, vulnerability and risk.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Capability to work collaboratively and make effective use of professional supervision.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and East Cheshire.

Desirable

Experience within one or more of the following would be particularly valuable:

• Children’s residential care
• Specialist education
• Learning disability services
• Youth justice
• Mental health
• Exploitation or contextual safeguarding services
• Psychological assessment, intervention, research, audit or service evaluation

Professional development and supervision

You will work under appropriate professional supervision and within the limits of your training and competence. You will receive regular supervision from the Group Head of Therapeutic Services / Principal Forensic Psychologist, with professional oversight and opportunities to work alongside the Group Director of Therapeutic Services / Consultant Forensic Psychologist.

We will work with you to identify opportunities across the Group to develop and evidence the competencies required by your professional training.

Ready to apply?

If you are ready to take the next step towards becoming a qualified Forensic Psychologist while making a real difference to children’s lives, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and join a team where your psychological insight can help shape safer, more supportive futures.

Location: Stoke-on-Trent, with regular travel across Staffordshire and East Cheshire

Pay: £32,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Referral programme

Work Location: In person