Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist

Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist

Permanent, Full Time

Soulbury Scale B from 3 to 5 plus SPA

Location: Essex

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Please note salary will pay based on the Soulbury Pay B Scale (plus SPA) with your entry level to the role determining salary. We welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time opportunities.

Essex County Council are looking for dedicated Specialist Senior Educational Psychologists (SSEPs) to join our quadrant-led teams. This role combines statutory and early intervention work along with strategic development in a specialist area, contributing to innovative practice and improved outcomes for children and young people.

While role specific SSEP responsibilities are service wide, all SSEPs are based within in one of our four quadrants:

• North - Colchester and surrounding areas
• Mid - Chelmsford and surrounding areas
• West - Harlow and surrounding areas
• South - Basildon and surrounding areas

What We Offer:

• A supportive and collaborative working environment
• Opportunities to lead and shape specialist practice across Essex
• Dedicated time for strategic work in your area of expertise
• Ongoing professional development and supervision

To learn more about our Educational Psychology Service and the work we do for the children and young people in Essex please visit: Working for Essex - Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology in Essex

EPs are part of a wider transformation programme aimed at improving outcomes and life experiences for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The vision is to build a system that identifies and responds to needs earlier, offering impactful support without over-reliance on statutory services.

Specialist Senior Educational Psychologists (SSEPs) play a key role in this work, contributing to strategic development, complex casework, and the evolution of practice and policy across the county.

As a SSEP, you will dedicate 20% of your time to your specialist area, applying expert psychological knowledge to inform the development of strategic initiatives and interventions. The remaining 80% of your time will involve providing:

• Expert consultation and advice to colleagues, across the range of our SEND and Education teams
• Professional supervision and support for EP colleagues, Field supervision for Trainee EPs, and operational supervision to Assistant EPs through casework, training, and development
• Leadership and knowledge towards inclusive practice through intervention, training, and project work
• Contributions to complex casework and Tribunal work.
• Up-to-date specialist knowledge through research and CPD that is impactful to the EPS and service users.

Specialist Areas

Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) - Promoting emotional wellbeing and resilience for children and young people with SEMH needs including leading strategic developments and providing psychological support during critical incidents in schools and settings.

Key aspects include:

• Responding to critical incidents with calm, empathetic, and effective support
• Applying evidence-based SEMH interventions to improve outcomes
• Conducting assessments and working collaboratively across services
• Delivering training to build capacity in schools and settings

Youth Justice - Supporting children and young people who have experienced adversity or present with behavioural vulnerabilities, drawing on psychological expertise to inform assessment, intervention, and strategic work within the Youth Justice system.

Key aspects include:

• Working with young people at risk of or involved in the Youth Justice system
• Using evidence-based approaches to support behavioural and emotional needs
• Collaborating with professionals across education, health, and justice services.
• Providing consultation and training to strengthen the support systems around CYP within the YJS.

Autism - Improving outcomes for autistic children and young people through inclusive, evidence-based practice by focusing on enhancing understanding, access to support, and strategic development across services.

Key aspects include:

• Delivering assessment and tailored interventions for autistic learners
• Promoting inclusive strategies and autism awareness
• Working closely with families, educators, and professionals
• Designing and delivering training to support best practice

Cognition and Learning - Aiming to enhance learning outcomes for children and young people with cognitive and learning needs by applying psychological knowledge to develop effective strategies, including the use of assistive technologies.

Key aspects include:

• Supporting schools to implement inclusive learning approaches
• Conducting assessments and applying evidence-based interventions
• Collaborating with educators and multi-agency teams
• Contributing to research, training, and innovation in learning support

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential

• BPS-recognised Psychology degree and Doctorate in Educational Psychology
• HCPC registration and eligibility for Graduate Basis with the BPS
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with integrity and reliability
• Extensive experience applying educational psychology principles and practice
• Evidence of recent CPD and expert knowledge in relevant areas
• Understanding of children’s services and collaborative, multi-agency working
• Experience in planning, performance frameworks, and delivering successful projects or research
• Detailed knowledge of SEND legislation, including the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and Equality Act (2010)

Desirable:

• Experience in conducting research and contributing to the evidence base
• Ability to provide leadership and support to colleagues and service members
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, integrity, and reliability.

If you are interested in finding out more about Educational Psychology in Essex, please contact Stephen Whitfield – PEP: SEND Strategy Lead Psychology - Stephen.Whitfield@essex.gov.uk

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout Essex. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering high quality, sustainable service . Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We are committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We are also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you have secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Further details can be found on our careers page.

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working  | About Us  | Organisation Behaviours