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. The intention is to extend this project next academic year to consider the targeted support that some young people may need as well as working with schools and settings’ senior leadership teams in supporting staff wellbeing.

The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 7,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations supporting the 110k regular and reserve soldiers across the Army.

Defence Children Services (DCS) is a Defence delivery organisation, subordinated under Army Regional Command. Our Vision is that we Educate the Child – Support the Family – Defend the Nation. HQ DCS is UK based at Trenchard Lines, Upavon and has forward deployed staff all over the world. DCS is responsible for the education and care of children of accompanied Service and Defence entitled personnel in MOD schools and settings; provides advice and guidance in respect of education for service families in the United Kingdom and the wider world.

This position is advertised as full time at 37 hours per week however applications from candidates seeking part-time hours of at least 0.6 full-time equivalent are welcomed and we are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

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.

Roles and Responsibilities

Provide consultation, assessment and specialist advice to parents/carers, staff in schools and settings and other professionals at an individual, group and organisational level to support inclusion.

Provide expert advice about children’s special educational needs and their supportability in different overseas locations.

To provide advice as part of the Service Children’s Assessment of Need (statutory comparable to Educational Health and Care Plans in England) and contribute to annual reviews.

To provide training to staff in schools, settings and DCS on aspects of educational psychology and special educational needs.

To contribute to the development of DCS strategy, initiatives and projects according to service priorities

To contribute to multi-disciplinary activities within DCS and wider partners. This will include, but not limited to, working with other professionals on complex cases, projects and supporting schools and settings with critical incidents.

To provide timely, high quality, reports and records of psychological advice and analysis.

To carry out responsibilities within the relevant legislation, the policies and procedures of the DCS and in line with relevant professional standards.

Please be aware this role involves extensive travel including driving overseas.

Person specification

Essential

Ability to apply psychological skills, knowledge and understanding at an organisational, group and individual level to bring about change for the benefit of children and young people.

Knowledge of, and ability to apply up to date techniques and strategies for psychological assessment.

Ability to communicate effectively with a range of people and in a range of contexts.

Ability to work together with children, parents and other professionals.

Awareness of current legislation and developments relevant to the role of the educational psychologist.

Able to work independently and prioritise effectively within service frameworks.

Able to provide evidence of recent direct personal experience working with individual children/young people (0-18) with a range of special educational needs.

Experience in a UK Local Authority or similar organisation.

Able and willing to travel independently to overseas locations.

Able to make effective use of ICT.

Commitment to continuing professional development.

Desirable

Specialist knowledge/experience/interest in a particular area of educational psychology.

Previous successful experience in the support of children, families, and staff at times of critical incidents, as well as bereavement support.

Successful involvement in projects as an EP in a Local Authority or similar organisation.

Experience and understanding of working in the military context.

Licences

Current Full UK driver’s licence (must be held at point of application and be in date).

Qualifications

A degree in psychology that confers the Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society
A post-graduate qualification in Educational Psychology

Evidence of qualifications will be required at interview. Equivalent qualifications will not be accepted.

Memberships

Current Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) registration as a practitioner psychologist

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Presentation
• Assessed against HCPC standards of proficiency for practitioner psychologists.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,092, Ministry of Defence contributes £14,221 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

• 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

Discover My Benefits:

Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD. https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/

This post does not offer any assistance with Relocation Allowances.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference, and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career.

MOD Soulbury pay arrangements are different because there is a requirement to abate salaries for MOD Soulbury grades who cannot access the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and become members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS). MOD Soulbury Pay is abated to reflect the different contribution rates and terms of the CSP

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Stage:

• CV
• Personal Statement - 1,000 words (demonstrating your experience in line with the essential criteria)
• Behaviours - Changing and Improving and Working Together

Interview Stage

• Behaviour - Changing and Improving and Working Together
• Technical - Assessed against the HCPC membership standards. Please structure your technical responses using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
• Presentation – You will be asked to deliver a short presentation on an area of Educational Psychology. The presentation topic will be provided with your interview invitation.

In the event of a high number of applications meeting the threshold for essential criteria; the desirable criteria may be applied to weight the applications.

Interviews will take place in person on Tuesday 14th April at Trenchard Lines, Upavon.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigation's can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Dr Rachel Ingram
• Email : RC-DCS-HQ-EPSL@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam1@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document attached.

Attachments

Defence Civil Service Offer (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)20241009 - Further Information - Opens in new window (docx, 30kB)standards-of-proficiency---practitioner-psychologists Opens in new window (pdf, 435kB)