South Gloucestershire Council - Educational Psychologist

How you'll make a difference
As an Educational Psychologist (EP), you will promote inclusion by applying psychology to create lasting positive change. As a link EP, you will build strong relationships with educational settings, support the local authority in meeting statutory duties and develop your own interests to contribute to service growth. You will also apply psychology at a systems level, supporting key initiatives, it's an exciting time to join as we expand our Experts at Hand offer. 

We are a supportive team with diverse skills and experience, well regarded locally for delivering varied, engaging work through strong partnerships with schools and SEND clusters, while contributing to wider local authority priorities. 

What you will be doing

• Working collaboratively with children, teachers, families and partner agencies, you will play a key role in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
• Using your knowledge of evidence-informed interventions, you will support schools in delivering a graduated approach through systemic work, casework and training.
• You will be responsible for completing psychological assessments as part of the Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and annual review process.
• By contributing to an area of professional interest, you will support the development of joined-up working with relevant professionals and agencies, helping to build expertise in areas that schools may wish to commission.
• Using your knowledge and experience, you will develop project work, contributing to both new and existing areas of the traded service.
• You will support the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) and local authority to plan and deliver the Experts at Hand offer.
  What we need from you:
• You must hold an Honours Degree in Psychology (or an equivalent qualification acceptable for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society) and either:
• A recognised teaching qualification, at least two years qualified classroom teaching experience and a Masters qualification in Educational Psychology.
• Considerable experience working with children and/or young people and their families, a Doctorate in Educational Psychology and experience working as a main grade Educational Psychologist.
• It is essential that you have a strong working knowledge of relevant legislation affecting schools and early years settings and hold current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• We are looking for someone who has experience working as a Main Grade Educational Psychologist, with a proven ability to deliver high-quality casework, work strategically and demonstrate innovative practice. You will also have the initiative to develop project work, contributing to both new and existing areas of the traded service.

What you need to know:

• We have multiple positions available, both part-time and full-time. Working hours can be discussed during the interview if you are shortlisted.
• We welcome applications from trainee EPs in their second or third year of study.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.
• This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our offices (Kingswood, Patchway and Yate), attending school visits and working from home.
• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle, or have an alternative means of travel.
• Salary is as advertised, but in addition to this up to 3 SPAs can be applied for upon meeting the eligibility criteria.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different:

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities. 
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life. 
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.