Senior Educational Psychologists - Mental Health Support Team

SEPs play a key role as members of the Mental Health Support Teams (MHST). The role of the SEP in the MHST is to take a lead responsibility for line management and supervision of the team, to liaise with schools in regard to improving the quality of education and standards of attainment of pupils with social emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH) and to contribute to the development of the MHST.

The MHST delivers services to children, young people, their families and school staff via a combination of face-to-face visits to schools and also remotely via telephone and video calls.

The Senior Educational Psychologist will:

Lead the Reading/BFfC Mental Health Support Team and provide appraisal, supervision and day-to-day management.
Contribute to the improvement of the MHST, by taking account of its performance against agreed targets, standards, service level agreements and national statistics.
Help schools shape their development plans to cover target setting for improvements in pupil mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Manage and co-ordinate the allocation of work for Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) and other members of the team.
Contribute to whole school screening of emotional and mental health needs, and planning around individual, group and whole school approaches.
Coordinate the delivery of emotional/mental health support across the geographical area covered by the MHST.
Contribute to relevant training of Head Teachers, Teachers, SENCOs, Governors, etc. on relevant legislation, procedures and other relevant issues, organising and leading presentations and workshops as appropriate.

Post-graduate qualification in Educational Psychology, either Masters or Doctorate.
Registration, or eligibility for registration, with the Health & Care Professionals Council (HCPC)
Experience of working as an Educational Psychologist with a local authority.
Experience of working in a range of educational settings across the age range.
Experience of working with children and young people with SEMH needs and a commitment and passion to improving the mental health of children and young people.
Knowledge, experience and/or qualifications in delivering cognitive behavioural therapy-based approaches., Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution
Incremental holidays starting with 26 days plus public holidays (rising to 33 after 10 years' service)
Discounted Childcare (on site nursery).
Cycle to work scheme.
Season train ticket loans.
Salary Sacrifice Car Lease Scheme
A range of local shopping discounts
A commitment to remote/Agile working

Closing date: 24th November 2024

Shortlisting: 25/26th November 2024

Interview date: 3rd December 2024 (online)

Inclusion and Diversity

We want Brighter Futures for Children to be a great place to work and to ensure that our children, young people and families are represented in leadership roles and positions of power. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and those of Other Ethnicities, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our children, young people and families so that equalities and justice remains at the heart of everything we do.

Asking for Adjustments

Brighter Futures for Children is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions.