Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND? Do you want to gain invaluable experience within a forward-thinking Educational Psychology Service while helping to shape Dorset's innovative Experts at Hand offer?
This is a unique opportunity to join Dorset's Educational Psychology Service and be part of Dorset's Expertise Offer (Experts at Hand) designed to bring specialist support closer to schools, strengthen inclusion, and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND
Why join us?
- Be part of a pioneering SEND reform programme.
- Work alongside Educational Psychologists and a multidisciplinary team of specialists.
- Develop skills in consultation, coaching, training and early intervention.
- Gain valuable experience for a future career in Educational Psychology.
- Make a tangible difference by helping schools build confidence, capacity and inclusive practice.
What you can expect to be doing
As an Assistant Educational Psychologist, you will support the work of Educational Psychologists and locality teams in a variety of impactful ways, including:
- Contributing to psychological advice for early years children as part of EHC needs assessments.
- Delivering training and co-developing parent workshops as part of the Autism in Schools project and supporting the wider rollout of Neuroinclusive Education Network training.
- Completing school case studies to support the implementation of Therapeutic Thinking.
- Assisting in the rollout of Relational Practice approaches in schools.
- Co-facilitating Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) parent groups alongside school staff.
- Supporting the delivery of ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) training.
- Participating in assessments, observations, and interventions under supervision, and contributing to service development initiatives.
About you
We’re looking for someone who:
- Holds a degree in Psychology (BPS-recognised).
- Keen to further develop their experience to support application to the doctorate
- Passionate about inclusion and committed to promoting the wellbeing and learning of children and young people.
- Has excellent interpersonal and communication skills, to build positive relationships with children, families, and professionals.
- Organised and reflective, with a willingness to learn and contribute to a team.
- Can be autonomous in their thinking and able to work independently
- Experience working with children or young people in educational or care settings is essential.
- Evidence of experience using psychology to support their practice is desirable.
About Dorset Children’s Services
‘Dorset Children Thrive’ is our locality model to deliver Children's Services. It brings together services and support for children and families into four integrated locality teams. The locality teams include Family Help, Children's Social Care and Learning and Belonging. Through our integrated structure colleagues work in multi-disciplinary integrated teams, educational psychologists are part of the Learning and Belonging strand.
Dorset Council Educational Psychologists are creative, person centred and have excellent relationships with families, children and young people, education settings, social care and health colleagues as well as with each other. Our team values are Relationships, Hope, Diversity, Curiosity and Creativity.
For further details of how we work visit Educational Psychologists.
Location: Various. We are pleased to offer flexibility regarding the locality of this role, subject to the needs of the service. Hybrid working arrangements are also available, enabling a balance between office-based and remote working where appropriate.