Educational Psychologist in Hereford

Herefordshire Educational Psychology Service (HEPS) are looking for an educational psychologist (EP) to join our small, friendly and caring service. We are a well-established team and have an excellent reputation amongst our LA colleagues and our wonderful group of schools. If you’re passionate about applying psychology to support children and young people, and have a focus on inclusion and wellbeing, you’ll definitely feel at home in Herefordshire.

Recently, there has been a focus on statutory work, with our early intervention work paused. However, recruitment last year has allowed us to meet our statutory demands so that we are now in a position to focus more on our successful traded model.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate good psychological case formulation skills and have an interest in developing new projects which schools and settings are willing to commission. Mostly, we wish to appoint colleagues who place relationships at the heart of what they do and have an ability to promote warmth and connection with the adults and young people we work with. Staff wellbeing and retention is central to our service delivery.

Herefordshire is a rural county, an area of outstanding natural beauty, and a great place to live and work, though despite these benefits, there is a surprising level of diversity and need. We provide a re-location package, excellent IT services, a high level of autonomy, and freedom focused flexible working. We feel protected from unreasonable demands and stressful work expectations. We are committed to personal development, and your growth will be supported through reflective supervision/peer supervision and interest-led CPD. We hope the successful candidate will develop an area of interest to enrich our growth as a team. Applicants must be professionally qualified and HCPC registered. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check is required. We welcome applicants who are still in training. Although this post is full-time, we will consider part-time applicants.

We Offer:

• A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme.
• Basic Salary: Soulbury Salary Scale A 5-9, plus up to 3 SPAs.
• Pension Scheme: Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS).
• Generous Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum.
• Flexible working: Flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working.
• Payment of professional membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling.
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits, including savings, cash back and discounts.

Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county located in the heart of the Marches on the border with Wales. We are one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England with a wealth of unspoilt countryside, distinctive heritage, and lively and attractive market towns.

Our priority in Herefordshire is to keep children safe and give them a great start in life. It’s the priority for the council, our partners and for all of us who work with Children & Young People.

How do we do this? By having dynamic, dedicated, passionate and professional staff who work in a culture that focuses on what we can achieve with children, what they can achieve themselves, and the relationship we build with families and partners to enable this. We have invested heavily in training and developing staff in our relational practice approach with our improvement partner Leeds City Council, so it's an exciting time to join Herefordshire – we believe in investing in you so you can be the best you can be!

Herefordshire has a really strong team ethos. Our teams are passionate about the work they do and the positive difference they and the teams they are in make to people’s lives. This is all underpinned by the focus and support from their managers and the council as a whole.

Herefordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, or their families. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond. Therefore, we take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role. To apply, please submit your CV and complete the supporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification, detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.