Kirklees Council - Senior Educational Psychologist

Kirklees Council has a strong commitment to continuing to provide excellent services to support its diverse community and places high value on the educational psychology team’s involvement in this. Our Council leaders value the skills and expertise of educational psychologists and the broad role that they have in influencing both preventative and early intervention work. 

We are a large and expanding service consisting of a PEP, senior EPs, EPs, trainee EPs, Children in Care specialist teachers and inclusion workers and a dedicated business support team. We have strong links with several universities and provide training placements for years 1,2 and 3 of the Doctorate training programmes. Across the service we promote a consultation model of service delivery and value child and family-centred practices. We endeavour to work creatively and innovatively to support evidence-based and aspirational outcomes for children and young people. 

In addition to core work, we are central to a range of exciting project work which we are commissioned to undertake which includes:

• Leading on the whole school approach to Emotional Health and Well Being (EH&WB) in our large and continually expanding Mental Health in Schools (MHSTs) programme
• Rolling out Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) training across all schools
• Developing and embedding Emotion Coaching practice across schools
• Leading on training and support to education settings for Children in Care and working closely with our specialist teachers and inclusion workers
• Providing ELKLAN training across primary and secondary schools

(Please follow the links at the end of this document to find out more).

We are keen to recruit a creative and dynamic Senior Educational Psychologist to join our skilled, friendly and enthusiastic team who can support us with our broad and continually expanding remit within the local authority. We have a strong commitment to supporting your development, utilising your experiences, interests, expertise and enthusiasm to feed into service and wider developments. 

We are looking to recruit a Senior EP who:

• Relishes the opportunity to play a lead part in the delivery of Educational Psychology support across schools, settings, the LA and key partners, shaping and supporting key strategic developments across the local area
• Is ready to and capable of leading and managing a group of Educational Psychologists as well as having a lead area of responsibility in relation to development work
• Thrives on opportunities for both personal development and growth and actively supports that of other team members
• Enjoys variety and the opportunity to be creative in their practice

In return, we offer a supportive and enriching work environment, including:

• agile working and flexible, family friendly working arrangements
• regular face to face team meetings and service days
• excellent CPD opportunities
• excellent administrative support from our dedicated Business Support Team
• essential car user allowance
• dedicated office space
• access to our employee healthcare programme to support health and wellbeing
• a comprehensive induction programme

If you're ready to hold a leadership role with a team that values creativity, collaboration, and inclusion, we’d love to hear from you.

Kirklees values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. All members of our team have contributed to CPD and changes in EP practice around anti-racist practice. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, and particularly welcome from people from black and global majority backgrounds, disabled people and people from other diverse communities who are currently underrepresented within our profession. 

Applicants must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Travel is an essential part of this job and therefore it would be extremely difficult for you to do your job effectively if you did not use a car for all or most of the time.  It is essential that you hold a full and valid driving licence and have a car available for work. All EPs are eligible for an Essential Car User Allowance as part of their contract.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required for this post.

For any informal enquiries please email dewsbury.psychology@kirklees.gov.uk or telephone 01924 483744 to speak with Jayne Whitton, Principal Educational Psychologist. 

If you would like to find out more about being a Senior EP in Kirklees you can also speak with April Frearson and Greta Kostas (Senior EPs) on the above number.

Trauma Informed Approaches: Attachment and trauma awareness: good practice in local authorities — (ox.ac.uk)

Emotion Coaching

Emotion Coaching Resources for Professionals (emotioncoachinguk.com)

Therapeutic Storywriting

Research: Story Links | Centre for Therapeutic Storywriting

Case Study 7: Sam’s stories | Therapeutic Storywriting Training