Assistant Psychologist

Join our innovative and creative service where you will provide a valued service within the local authority, focused on wellbeing and support. As an integral part of the SEND and Inclusion service, the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) supports the delivery of the Local Authority's wellbeing strategy and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) strategy across educational settings, children, young people, and families throughout West Sussex. We have a growing chargeable service focussed on wellbeing which enables us to offer a range of evidence-based support to schools and other settings, including consultation and training. We have a well-developed Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme and lead on the county wide Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) support. Additionally, EPs contribute to other services such as our Virtual School, Portage and Mental Health Support Teams. For more information, please visit our dedicated website The Opportunity,

• Provide support and advice to colleagues and customers.
• Participate in new initiatives.
• Collect information for Education Health and Care Needs Assessments.
• Conduct classroom observations.
• Collate, analyse, and present data.
• Create and maintain records.
This post would be suitable for those wishing to pursue a post graduate qualification in educational psychology. About You The Team Our Educational Psychology Service consists of four area teams with offices based in Chichester, Littlehampton, and Horsham, each managed by a Senior Educational Psychologist. Our senior management team place the development and wellbeing of our team at the centre of all we do. We offer induction support, regular supervision, and dedicated time for peer support., For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Frances Parker, Assistant Principal Educational Psychologist for Well-Being, at For issues or queries regarding your application please contact Please note:
• This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing, and an occupational health check., In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
  
  Are you passionate about promoting inclusion in schools?
Are you motivated to deliver positive outcomes for children their families? We have an exciting opportunity to work as part of our Educational Psychology Service as an Assistant Psychologist. As an Assistant Psychologist, you will support and complement the work carried out by practitioner psychologists in a thriving and highly skilled service, committed to promoting inclusion and delivering positive outcomes for children, young people, and their families. You will apply your psychology skills in a range of educational settings and situations. All work will be supervised by an Educational Psychologist; depending on your level of experience, you may work jointly with an Educational Psychologist, co-work with a colleague or undertake work independently., Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for the shortlisting criteria.,
• Demonstrable experience of working with children and young people in education, in children's services or in both.
• Experience of working in a team environment and of multi-agency working.
• Experience of working within a frame of confidentiality.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build an effective relationship with a client and meet their more demanding needs.
• Ability to work flexibly and creatively.
• Excellent time management and personal organisational skills to organise own workload and meet deadlines.
• Good analytical and judgemental skills to interpret complex information and situations from clients, make assessments and develop solutions and plans.
• Ability to understand, keep up to date with and follow service policy, procedures and professional codes of conduct. Ability to reflect and evaluate performance., Honours degree in Psychology, or a recognised equivalent qualification, which provides Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society.
• Demonstrable experience of working with children and young people in education, in children's services or in both.
• Experience of working in a team environment and of multi-agency working.
• Experience of working within a frame of confidentiality.
For a full list of key responsibilities, key skills and qualifications required for this role, please refer to the job description.,
• You must be able to travel throughout the county including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.
• There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
  
  Salary: NJC Grade 8 £32,597 to £35,412 per annum
Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week), Monday - Friday Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract/Secondment until 31 August 2027, As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do. For a full list this can be found at our Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following: Employer Pension Contribution: TBC, this alters per annum on the 1 April each year (previous employer contribution for 2025 18.70%), We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our page. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact Natalie Greene, Recruitment Specialist, at Available documents