Job Introduction
£46,525 - £56,540 Soulbury Scale A 3-8 (plus up to 3 SPA points) with a starting salary of point 5 (£50,627) for newly qualified EPs. Relocation package of up to a maximum of £8,000.
Bring your commitment and enthusiasm to an Educational Psychology Service that values innovation and inclusion.
Here in Milton Keynes Educational Psychology Service, we are looking for two creative and motivated Educational Psychologists to join our friendly team, where diverse psychological approaches and professional interests are valued.
We work as part of a wider Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service to support children and young people, educational settings and families across the city. We proactively collaborate with parents, carers and SEND colleagues through co-production planning meetings for every new EHCP.
We are committed to early intervention and preventative working, including a focus on training and project work. Current initiatives include school-capacity building work related to emotional based school avoidance, supporting literacy difficulties and trauma informed approaches. In collaboration with The Virtual School, we are involved in a Making Connections project across a number of schools to promote attachment awareness and trauma informed approaches.
We’re proud to offer a dedicated psychological consultation service for schools and settings which is ‘free at the point of access’ and helps promote timely support and intervention for children and young people as part of the graduated response. Our aim is to ensure that psychology is accessible for schools and settings, families, and children and young people across Milton Keynes. This includes support for parents and carers through webinars and workshops.
We contribute to an innovative multiagency forum (EYCAN) responsible for coordinating and collaborating on timely assessment and intervention approaches to support early years children with the most complex needs.
We know how important a work life balance is, which is why colleagues can generally choose whether to be site-based or home-based, depending on the needs of the role and their own preference. We also use a clear allocation system for statutory work to ensure workloads are manageable and offer a range and breadth of psychologically informed work.
As an Educational Psychologist at Milton Keynes City Council, you’ll receive a thorough induction, support from colleagues and for newly qualified Educational Psychologists, extra supervision and a mentor to help you settle in.
Milton Keynes features on The Sunday Times “best places to live” 2024, with fantastic affordable housing, green spaces, leisure activities, shopping and transport links. Milton Keynes City Council reflects the modernity of its city status and has an easily accessible, bright and welcoming office space. With opportunities to work from home and in the office as well as a generous holiday entitlement, you can experience a fulfilling job with great work life balance.
Main Responsibility
- Contribute to delivering positive outcomes for children and young people through creative application of psychology. This includes casework, consultation, projects and wider service initiatives.
- Provide psychological advice to staff within Children’s Services and other agencies, including working closely with colleagues in other SEND teams.
- Provide a psychological perspective for SEND processes to assist in decision making and efficient use of resources.
- Contribute to initiatives supported by evidence-based practice.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for candidates with the following:
- A doctorate or post-graduate qualification in educational psychology recognised by the British Psychological Society.
- Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Practitioner Psychologist.
- An understanding of the role of a Local Authority Educational Psychologist and the context and legal frameworks within which they work.
We welcome applications from qualified Educational Psychologists, or Trainee Educational Psychologists who are in Year 2 or 3 of training. Both full and part-time applicants will be considered.
For an informal chat about the role, please contact Jane Marriott (Interim Principal Educational Psychologist) or Hayley Prickett (Senior Leadership Educational Psychologist) on 01908 257974, or at education.psychology@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
Package Description
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:
- Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
- Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
- A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.
- Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
- Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.
Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week. Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.
About The Organisation
Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.
We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.
We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.
We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.
If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.
