Educational Psychologist

Job Description

Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities!

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Introduction

Maingrade EP working in the Virtual School: We are looking to employ a permanent member of staff to provide Relationally Safe School training and individual child casework support for children with a social worker. You will be working in the Virtual School and reporting to our Senior Specialist EP based in the Virtual School. You would be part of the core EP Team and receive CPD, line management and supervision. This is an already established role in the Virtual School, and we see it as an exciting opportunity for any qualified EP who is looking to a) build depth and skills in CLA and the wider remit of the Virtual School, and b) is passionate about training in relational practices in schools.

What’s the role?

In Lewisham our EPs work at all levels of the system (organisation, group, individual) to carry out the five functions of an EP (Consultation, Assessment, Intervention, Training, and Research)

You will be an EP working in the Virtual School, but with regular contact with the core EP Team. Through your application of psychological critical thinking skills you will facilitate reflection and reflexivity, enable adults to connect their knowledge and skills to their practice, and challenge the status quo leading to a change in practice. You will be using the Psychological application of implementation science: bridging the gap between research and real-world practice in education settings. You will be using psychological application of implementation science to bridge the gap between research and real-world practice in education settings, and you will be providing psychological safety to provide emotional containment and promote the good wellbeing of educators, parents/carers, children and young people.

What’s in it for you?

Excellent training and development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday allowance
• Local Government Pension scheme
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Season ticket and bicycle loans
• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships
• Supportive staff networks

You will have the opportunity to work with two innovative teams in the local authority the EP team and our Specialist Teacher Teams, and our Virtual School. This will enable you to have more experience of multi-agency working and provide you with greater insights and experience in the are of children with social workers and children who are looked after by the local authority as corporate parent.

What we’re looking for

An EP committed to the personal and professional work involved in becoming an actively anti-racist Lewisham EP. You will demonstrate your commitment to this by identifying your own development needs in this area and pro-actively taking up the support on offer in Lewisham EP team. You will want to make your EP practice in the field robust and effective when tackling institutional racism.

An EP who is committed to learning about the work of the Virtual School and how it supports children looked after (Corporate Parent) and children who have social workers. You will be able to manage both compassion and resilience in the face of working for children who are in complex situations. You will be an excellent team member who can manage the inter-professional differences that multi-agency working implies.

An EP who enjoys engaging in adult learning training. You will be experienced in training staff teams, staff groups, and excellent in your planning and organisation skills. You will be knowledgeable about how to implement training into practice.

Location

The job is primarily based in Kaleidoscope, 32 Rushey Green, Catford, London, SE6 4JF a children's developmental centre in Rushey Green/Catford area, but we operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office, in education settings, and from home on a regular basis. There will be times when you will visit children out of the borough of Lewisham.

Special conditions

• You must be a qualified educational psychologist with HCPC registration
• You will sometimes need to travel outside of the borough to visit children/education settings
• The job is subject to an enhanced DBS check

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CV’s.

Applicant handbook - please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact Amanda Davidson, Senior Specialist EP, amanda.davidson@lewisham.gov.uk

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification

Salary

£51,893 - £61,664 per annum (Soulbury A 5 - 10 +3 SPA) + Soulbury London Allowance £4,328.21 per annum.

Starting salary will be increased inline with any increases established in the Soulbury Agreement for 2025.

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council has a dedicated employment support service, Lewisham Works, which offers Lewisham residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you want to join Lewisham Works, please email JobsAndSkills@lewisham.gov.uk and an advisor will be in touch with you.

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

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