Army, Defence Children Services (DCS) - Educational Psychologist

Job summary
Defence Children Services (DCS) is seeking an Educational Psychologist to join its Headquarters team in Upavon, contributing to the education and wellbeing of approximately 5,000 children and young people from Service families. This role offers a unique opportunity to work within a dynamic Defence environment, including collaboration with overseas DCS locations and the wider Defence community.

As a DCS Educational Psychologist (EP) you will play a key role in applying specialist knowledge of child development, learning, systems thinking and psychological research to improve outcomes and the lived experience for children and young people. We provide specialist psychological consultation, assessment and intervention to support pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and social emotional needs. Working at an individual and systems level, you will advise schools, local Commands and wider communities to support effective pedagogy, promote positive mental health and strengthen psychological wellbeing.

The EP team are involved in exciting new areas of work, including working on an organisation-wide Wellbeing Strategy and developing and delivering a project on universal approaches to wellbeing to all DCS schools and settings. 

Job description
You will work closely with the two Senior Educational Psychologists based in Upavon, supporting DCS schools, settings and families across the UK and overseas. This role offers exciting and meaningful opportunities to work overseas in our DCS schools and settings in locations such as Cyprus, Brunei, Belgium, Germany, Gibraltar, Italy (Naples) and the Falkland Islands.

DCS Educational Psychologists work in partnership with education settings (early years settings, primary and secondary schools), families, and other practitioners to help children to have a successful experience of education by supporting inclusive practice and interventions to support learning and social/emotional development. 

For children with significant SEND, EPs play an important role in providing statutory-comparable and non-statutory support to the child, their parents/carers and the education setting. This support can take a variety of forms based on direct and/or indirect involvement with the child. EPs help the education setting to review the existing support that is in place, offer advice about teaching approaches, interventions and appropriate adaptations that might be needed to support the child’s progress through the application of psychology to consultation, assessment, advice and interventions.  

Benefits

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Highly competitive pension scheme
• Personal and professional development of skills
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Learning and Development

Applicants must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), or, in the case of trainee EP’s, expecting to have their registration confirmed following the completion of their recognised training course’

An enhanced DBS check is required for this post.

DCS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.