Job description
About the roleWest Northamptonshire Educational Psychology Service (EPS) is seeking talented and innovative psychologists to expand its existing team of friendly, skilled, and experienced staff.
In West Northamptonshire, you will be joining a unitary council which has recently celebrated its first anniversary and has an ongoing commitment to developing services in response to community needs. The EPS is well regarded and strategically placed within the council with a key role in the early intervention agenda. We have a strong and reflective management team who are keen to provide opportunities for staff to contribute to, or lead, countywide initiatives, and projects in line with a model of distributed leadership. The service has excellent links with the universities of Nottingham and Northampton where we support the training and mentoring of our next generation of EPs and SENDCos.
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 and remote working, and you will be provided with a laptop and mobile phone to support a flexible approach.
West Northamptonshire EPS is a Safer Recruitment service, and all successful candidates will be required to have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
For informal discussion, please contact Rachel Eastwood, Principal Educational Psychologist, [email protected] or one of our Senior Educational Psychologists, Jo Ward [email protected]
What will you be doing?Successful applicants will be joining qualified EPs, trainees, and assistant psychologists who are passionate about inclusion and improving the life chances of children and young people through the creative application of psychology. Our psychologists are committed to empowering others, eliciting the voice of the child/young person and to working collaboratively with parents/carers and other professionals.
The EPS has developed positive working relationships with schools, early years providers, Post 16, and alternative educational provision across the county. We are a consultation-based, solution oriented and person-centred service. The EPS delivers a range of core and traded services which enables our psychologists to experience a breadth of work at the systemic, group and individual level. We also provide a broad and extensive centralised training offer, including webinars, and promote emotional wellbeing for school staff through our coaching and supervision offer. The service leads on the Northamptonshire Baby Room Project and the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme.
About youWest Northamptonshire EPS is interested in applications from experienced EPs, those at an earlier stage of their career and trainees currently on educational psychology doctoral training programmes. The service will provide you with a comprehensive induction and CPD programme and regular professional supervision. Additional mentoring support will be provided if you are a newly qualified EP.
We look forward to hearing from applicants who have:
- A track record of initiative and innovation
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- A passion for improving the life chances of others, and particularly those from vulnerable and/or marginalised groups
- An ability to work collaboratively with different professionals
Applicants will need to be professionally qualified and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), unless currently in training.
About usWe’re a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we’re embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.
Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council 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.
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.
When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.
Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.
West Northants Council, where careers thrive.
Our benefitsWe offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 27 days annual leave per year, 28 days for senior managers (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.
- 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.
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Car Lease scheme
- 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.
- 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.
The council is in the process of implementing a new pay structure and terms and conditions which will be applicable to this role. The outcome could result in a future variation to the advertised salary, and this will be discussed at interview.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Salary: £43,668.00-£53,489.00 per year