Educational Psychologist

Purpose of the post

• Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do.
• To ensure that the children and young people of Gwynedd and Anglesey are central to everything we do by:
• Promoting good practice through use of information and psychological techniques.
• Assisting with a strategic role on behalf of the LA in a field/fields that complement the ALN strategy and Inclusion, and the Education Strategy of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Local Authorities. This includes assisting the Senior Specialist Psychologists / Chief Psychologist / Area ALN Quality Officers to:
• Develop and review the In-service Training programme for school staff, parents and members of the Integrated Team in a specific field/fields, various learning difficulties, mental health, whole school interventions / group / individual in collaboration with relevant shareholders.
• Prepare and conduct training in the relevant field/s when appropriate, on school, area or authority level.
• Develop and promote use of Criteria appropriate to this field/these fields.
• Take on a strategic role in ALN and I.
• Ensure that interventions provided in the field/fields are based on evidence and research in effectiveness and efficiency.
• Plan, monitor and review effective interventions for the individual pupils.
• Contribute to the evidence available in this field/these fields.
Responsibility for functions
• Responsibility for conducting training and creating resources for schools, centres and parents
• Laptop and mobile phone
Main duties
• Undertake consultation work at schools, in a specified part of the County and within an area, ensuring that services and agencies that help children, their schools and their parents receive appropriate information and advice. The landscape can vary according to the needs of the service.
• Contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the Educational Psychology Service and the LA's Integrated Service according to the LA's effectiveness and efficiency indicators.
• Undertake statutory duties in accordance with the Wales Code of Practice and implement the LA's policies and processes - statutory and otherwise.
• Provide consultation Service for schools on a regular basis by working within the Integrated Team within a specific area, noting the type of support provided by the existing staffing resources.
• Collaborate with parents/teachers and pupils to discover what kind of intervention would be the most effective to the need. Provide part of this intervention directly if appropriate (e.g. therapeutic work or individual assessment).
• Work closely with the Chief Educational Psychologist and Senior Psychologist in a specialist field/fields according to the needs and strategic role within the Integrated Team.
• Work closely with the ALN&I Quality Officer in the Area in order to share information, good practice and progress.
• Help schools to address the educational needs of pupils referred by means of a consultation and facilitate planning that concentrates on the individual.
• Undertake further professional training that will be vital to the efficient and effective functioning of the Service in accordance with the Professional Development Plan in order to ensure that the service provided meets the standards of the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC).
• Contribute strategically and actively to specific projects set up by the LA.
• Collaborate in an integrated way with other services within the LA and contact and collaborate with other services and agencies according to the needs and practice within the Education Authority.
• Undertake any other duties appropriate to the level of responsibility of the post at the request of Managers.
General
• Respond to any other appropriate duties at the request of the Head of the Education Service.
• Responsibility for self-development.
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy.
• Operate within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
• Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
• Commitment to reducing the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council's Carbon Footprint.
• Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
• Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
  
  Well versed in the vision of the Gwynedd and Anglesey ALN&I Strategy
o Show understanding of the vision with regard to the role of the Educational Psychology Service within the Gwynedd and Anglesey ALN&I Integrated Team o The ability to communicate this vision to others
• The ability to turn this into a series of aims within a viable development plan
• The ability to communicate effectively
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• The ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• The ability to work creatively and systemically
• Full driving license and access to transport, Degree level qualification in Psychology
• Post-graduate degree in Educational Psychology
• Qualified to register as an Educational Psychologist Regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
DESIRABLE
• Evidence of continuing professional development
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL
• Experience of working as an Educational Psychologist or Trainee Educational Psychololgist
• Experience in working with children and young people within an educational setting
DESIRABLE
• Experience of project work
• Experience of providing training, Knowledge of and a thorough understanding of recent developments in the Educational Psychology field
• The ability to play a key part in service networks for children and families and to represent the Authority in various ways
• Awareness of the Gwynedd and Anglesey ALN&I Strategy
• Understanding of the ALN&I legislation and the Code of Practice
• Understanding of Person-centred Methods
• Understanding of Individual Development Plans
DESIRABLE
• Expertise in specific fields
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS Listening and Speaking - Higher Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions.Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English. Reading and Understanding - Higher Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal.Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post. Writing - Higher Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.