Associate Educational Psychologist

Job Introduction

About Us

Together, we’re the moment makers and we’re focused on making every day the best it can be for children, young people and their families. It’s not a job – it’s a passion and together, we’re shaping education for the future. Every day, our colleagues are helping to transform the lives of our residents of Oxfordshire and helping them to live the lives they want to live by ensuring every child has the best possible education. 

Our Oxfordshire Educational Psychology Service consists of an expert team of Senior Educational Psychologists, Educational Psychologists (EP), Trainee Educational Psychologists, Assistant Educational Psychologists and dedicated administrative support staff. Together, we apply our psychological skills and knowledge to ensure the best possible outcomes and opportunities for children and young people. 

We’re not afraid to do things differently and our dynamic culture means this is a place where new ideas are embraced, and innovation thrives. There are opportunities to provide training and support in a range of areas, including Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) training and supervision, SENCo supervision, developing the LA response to EBSA, Oxfordshire Relational Schools Project, a Maths course designed by the EPS Postvention and Critical Incident Support.

About the Role

We’re keen to shape the service to be as responsive as possible to the needs of our communities. This Associate role enables us to provide in-person/face to face work to support statutory and sometimes traded aspects of service delivery, while being sensitive the needs of the wider Educational Psychology workforce.

We’re expanding our service so that we can be responsive to increased demand for Educational Psychology work. This Associate Educational Psychologist role provides a new opportunity for EPs wishing to maintain working within a Local Authority context with greater flexibility. In the main, the role will be to support the Service to meet the increasing numbers of EHCNAs but there can also be opportunities to support with other initiatives from our traded work, e.g., ELSA Supervision, direct delivery of traded work to schools.

You’ll benefit from good admin and IT support (laptop, mobile phone) and you will be able to participate in our training and development days to support your CPD with an opportunity to connect with colleagues, although these will not be part of the 48-day capped annualised contract. You’ll be able to access and use assessment tools that are held by the EPS from one of the three office bases (The Vibe, Didcot; Samuelson House, Banbury; or Union St, Oxford).

About you 

We are looking for someone who is:

• a professionally qualified Educational Psychologist (or will be) with registration to the HCPC.
• committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults.
• has excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• seeks opportunities for personal development.
• works within a consultative/joint problem-solving framework.
• actively challenges all forms of discrimination and promotes equal opportunities, inclusion and diversity.
• enthusiastic, creative and determined to make a positive impact on children’s lives through the application of psychology.
• empathic with excellent written communication skills and a competent use of information technology.
• good with diary management and has well developed organisational skills.
• a supportive team member who contributes to the service development.  
• always living and breathing our values of be kind & care, daring to do it differently, takes responsibility and equality & integrity. 

Rewards and Benefits

• Oxfordshire will recognise your three-year training doctorate as local government continuous service, in addition to any continuous service accrued with a relevant employer prior to the course.
• Opportunities to apply psychology creatively in different contexts
• Stimulating Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities
• Flexible agile working. Each EP is provided with a wireless enabled laptop and phone as well as excellent on-demand IT support
• Dedicated administrative support
• Relocation allowance of up to £8,000.
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support 24 x7.
• Range of family friendly policies.
• Childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme, range of staff discounts including travel, holidays, insurance, food, health & leisure activities. 
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.
• Explore more here

Would you like to know more?

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Jessamine Chiappella, Interim Principal Educational Psychologist, on 07770582646 or Jessamine.Chiappella@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Caroline Duncan, Senior Educational Psychologist (City), on  07554103373 or caroline.duncan@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Anne-Marie Baverstock, Senior Educational Psychologist (South), on 07720607167 or annemarie.baverstock@oxfordshire.gov.uk 

Our commitment to:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk