Job summary
Lincolnshire County Council is pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Senior Educational Psychologist to join our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Service on a full-time basis. This role is available on a hybrid working model, incorporating both remote and in-person working arrangements to promote flexibility and work-life balance.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking a dynamic, forward-thinking, and compassionate professional to contribute to our vision of delivering ahigh-quality, inclusive child-centred service to our children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
This is a pivotal role within the SEND Service, designed for an individual who is committed to the ongoing development and improvementof educational psychology service delivery. The successful candidate will take a leading role in our commissioned locum Educational Psychologist (EP) service delivery model, ensuring that all commissioned psychological advice reflectsbest practice in the application of psychology, is underpinned by innovation, and maintains the highest standards of professional integrity.
This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced Educational Psychologist looking to step into a leadership role within a progressive local authority that is committed to innovation and making a meaningful difference in the lives of the children, young people, and families across Lincolnshire.
About us
Lincolnshire County Council, is one of the largest employers in the county. We are an organisation that embraces diversity, innovation and progress. We value our people and want to ensure that we can support you in joining and growing with us.
We will view you as an integral member of our community and recognise that your well-being is paramount. To show our appreciation, we've crafted a competitive package designed to not only acknowledge your hard work but also foster a healthy work-life balance.
From health benefits and retirement plans, we strive to provide a package that supports well-being and financial stability and that meets the diverse needs of our workforce.
We want everyone who works with us to feel included and celebrate their uniqueness. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and promoting good relations for both employee and for the people of Lincolnshire.
People often say every day is a learning day and at LCC a culture of learning is something we really believe in. We recognise the importance of supporting your learning and development and can offer a variety of different learning opportunities depending on what is right for you and the organisation. This could be through your everyday tasks, through hands-on experience, structured programs, formal qualifications, coaching, or informal learning opportunities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To lead, on the recruitment, onboarding and management of agency Educational
Psychologists supporting the delivery of Lincolnshires statutory duties in respect of
EHC Needs Assessments, EHCPs and EHC annual reviews.
To support with the
oversight and quality assurance of specialist teacher assessment reports and
provide guidance and sign off where appropriate.
Accountable for the direction, delivery and performance of agency educational
Psychologists in the delivery and compliance with statutory EHCN assessments.
Support the local authority in its defence of EHC SEND appeals. To provide quality
assurance of agency Educational Psychology assessment reports, against local
pre-determined standards and provide quarterly performance reports as part of a
wider quality assurance framework.
To support the local authoritys EHC weekly allocations panel supporting the local
authorities EHC commissioning decisions in respect of EHCPs
To support SEND Teams with complex case management and guidance on
specific cases as required.
To take the strategic lead on the commissioning of relevant training and
development activities for parents/carers, families, teachers and multi-disciplinary
partners.
To co-ordinate research and evaluation on behalf of Childrens Services, leading to
better outcomes for children and young people.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To lead, on the recruitment, onboarding and management of agency Educational
Psychologists supporting the delivery of Lincolnshires statutory duties in respect of
EHC Needs Assessments, EHCPs and EHC annual reviews.
To support with the
oversight and quality assurance of specialist teacher assessment reports and
provide guidance and sign off where appropriate.
Accountable for the direction, delivery and performance of agency educational
Psychologists in the delivery and compliance with statutory EHCN assessments.
Support the local authority in its defence of EHC SEND appeals. To provide quality
assurance of agency Educational Psychology assessment reports, against local
pre-determined standards and provide quarterly performance reports as part of a
wider quality assurance framework.
To support the local authoritys EHC weekly allocations panel supporting the local
authorities EHC commissioning decisions in respect of EHCPs
To support SEND Teams with complex case management and guidance on
specific cases as required.
To take the strategic lead on the commissioning of relevant training and
development activities for parents/carers, families, teachers and multi-disciplinary
partners.
To co-ordinate research and evaluation on behalf of Childrens Services, leading to
better outcomes for children and young people.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BPS recognised qualifications in Educational Psychology.
- Approved professional postgraduate qualification in Educational Psychology.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Ability to apply fresh and innovatory thinking to foster powerful and productive working relationships both with a service and cross-functional (including externally), managing conflicting priorities and agendas.
- Ability to champion the application of Applied Psychology and new initiatives to support strategic goals.
- Excellent presentation, written, verbal and communication skills.
- Excellent persuasive and analytical skills, with the ability to make decisions based on complex information.
- Effective budget and financial planning skills, with the ability to work effectively within tight constraint and finite budgets
- Ability to plan, monitor and manage work to meet individual, and service objectives whilst achieving quality and value for money.
- Ability to generate credibility with diverse stakeholders including Health professionals.
- Ability to provide a clear sense of vision and direction, encouraging commitment to a high performing service.
- Effective skills in Microsoft Office and Excel.
- A thorough up to date knowledge of relevant SEND legislation, statutory duties and Local Authority Special Educational Needs and Disability procedures.
- Effective knowledge of managing budgets and financial planning.
- Effective knowledge of management and procedural matters.
- Effective knowledge of Applied Psychology and new initiatives.
- A proven track record of the ability to provide effective leadership to a range of professionals .
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience as an educational psychologist.
- Continuous professional development relating to Educational Psychology.
- Experience of co-ordinating and implementing a range of policy developments and initiatives at a senior level within a Children's Service.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BPS recognised qualifications in Educational Psychology.
- Approved professional postgraduate qualification in Educational Psychology.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Ability to apply fresh and innovatory thinking to foster powerful and productive working relationships both with a service and cross-functional (including externally), managing conflicting priorities and agendas.
- Ability to champion the application of Applied Psychology and new initiatives to support strategic goals.
- Excellent presentation, written, verbal and communication skills.
- Excellent persuasive and analytical skills, with the ability to make decisions based on complex information.
- Effective budget and financial planning skills, with the ability to work effectively within tight constraint and finite budgets
- Ability to plan, monitor and manage work to meet individual, and service objectives whilst achieving quality and value for money.
- Ability to generate credibility with diverse stakeholders including Health professionals.
- Ability to provide a clear sense of vision and direction, encouraging commitment to a high performing service.
- Effective skills in Microsoft Office and Excel.
- A thorough up to date knowledge of relevant SEND legislation, statutory duties and Local Authority Special Educational Needs and Disability procedures.
- Effective knowledge of managing budgets and financial planning.
- Effective knowledge of management and procedural matters.
- Effective knowledge of Applied Psychology and new initiatives.
- A proven track record of the ability to provide effective leadership to a range of professionals .
Experience
Essential
- Minimum of 3 years post-qualification experience as an educational psychologist.
- Continuous professional development relating to Educational Psychology.
- Experience of co-ordinating and implementing a range of policy developments and initiatives at a senior level within a Children's Service.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
