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We are seeking creative and innovative applicants for our Assistant Educational Psychologist post. You will need to hold a good degree in psychology and be able to demonstrate successful experience of working with children and young people, ideally within an educational setting. This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience of educational psychology practice, develop the professional skills to help with doctoral training applications and will make a positive difference to outcomes for children, young people and their families.

In West Northamptonshire, Assistant Educational Psychologists work alongside our EPs in supporting the delivery of core and traded services. This includes early intervention work across schools, early years and other settings, to support others in overcoming barriers to learning and to promote children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing. The role includes direct work with individuals and small groups, alongside work with staff and parents/carers. Assistants gain experience of supporting children and young people with a wide range of special educational needs, from early years through to Post-16.

We have extensive links with training universities, with members of our EP team working as tutors on EP training courses - along with other links to local universities.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please email:

Kathryn Davidson, Principal Educational Psychologist

kathryn.davidson@westnorthants.gov.uk

Sarah Luxford, Senior Educational Psychologist

Sarah.Luxford@westnorthants.gov.uk

Gavin Morgan, Senior Educational Psychologist and tutor at University College London

gavin.morgan@westnorthants.gov.uk

West Northamptonshire Council covers the geographical area to the south and west of Northamptonshire. The service is based at One Angel Square in central Northampton. The EPS promotes a balance of face to face, alongside remote working. You will be provided with a laptop and mobile phone to support a flexible approach to your work.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Successful applicants will be joining a team of qualified EPs, trainees and assistant psychologists who are committed to inclusion and improving the life chances of all children and young people through the creative application of psychology. We offer a varied and comprehensive induction and CPD programme, and excellent supervision. This includes access to peer supervision from a team of Assistant EPs.

Working under the supervision of qualified educational psychologists, the Assistant EP role includes:

• A universal offer to all schools with a comprehensive training menu and opportunities for facilitating and supporting group work.
• Supporting delivery of the EPS traded, early intervention offer. This can include supporting EPs with assessments, delivering direct work to children and young people (including longer-term therapeutic interventions), supporting the implementation of PATHS and adult circles, and delivering bespoke training and coaching sessions.
• Supporting EPs to provide Psychological Advice for children undergoing an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment

Assistants also have the opportunity to be involved with various early intervention initiatives including the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme, the Mediating Learning Support Approach (MeLSA), the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TAMHS) programme, and the Emotionally Based School Avoidance schools (EBSA) initiative.

You will also have the opportunity to engage in research and evaluation for the service.

To learn more, please visit our Educational Psychology team and service pages.

Our Educational Psychology team | West Northamptonshire Council

Educational Psychology Service | West Northamptonshire Council

We look forward to hearing from applicants who have:

• An interest in developing innovative and creative practice
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• A commitment to improving the life chances of others, and particularly those from vulnerable and/or marginalised groups
• An ability to work collaboratively with different professionals

We are expecting applicants for this role to be motivated to apply for doctoral training to qualify as an educational psychologist. Previous assistants have been successful in achieving this.

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme via Tusker.
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Commsave- Free membership to Commsave Credit Union who provide a variety of savings accounts, loans, a monthly lottery draw and more!
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. Hear from our Chief Executive, Martin Henry, about building a career at WNC.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.