Milton Keynes Council - Principal Educational Psychologist

Job Introduction
We’re seeking a qualified Educational Psychologist with HCPC registration and leadership experience to join our Educational Psychology Service and work closely with our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Team.

The SEND Team is part of our wider Children’s Services and provides all statutory requirements to enable children and young people to access education and transition successfully into adulthood.

The Educational Psychology Service plays an important part in driving forward our SEND Strategy, making improvements to the experiences of children and young people with SEND across Milton Keynes.

As a senior leader you’ll attend wider strategic meetings that are held in different locations across the city and visit schools and settings as required.

It’s essential you have an understanding of SEND legislation within a Local Authority context and be able to ensure statutory timelines are adhered to.

Main Responsibility

• Manage the Educational Psychology (EP) Service including line management and supervision of staff.
• Have oversight of the strategic projects the EP Service lead on.
• Take responsibility for ensuring KPIs are met across the service.
• Represent the EP Service as part of wider local area partnership meetings.
• Drive forward the SEND Strategy ensuring the five areas have EP representation.
• Work closely with the wider SEND leadership team to improve the outcomes for our children and young people with SEND.

The Ideal Candidate

• A qualified Educational Psychologist who is HCPC registered.
• Someone who is committed to ensuring children and young people in Milton Keynes achieve their best outcomes and develop into independent adults.
• Able to work as part of a team, taking responsibility for areas they lead on.
• A full UK driving license and who can access face to face meetings locally.
• High quality verbal and written communication skills.

Package Description
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years.  In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week.  Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.

About The Organisation
Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.

If you are interested and would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Jane Marriott, Interim Principal Educational Psychologist, on 01908 252116.

An enhanced DBS check is required for this post.