EDUC - Depute Principal Psychologist

Service: Depute Principal Psychologist
Grade scale: Principal Psychologist 5 - 1
Reports to: Principal Educational Psychologist

Purpose of the job

To carry out Psychological Services tasks with the aim of providing the highest achievable standard of service delivery within South Lanarkshire to support Education Resources Purpose and Priorities.

Key tasks and responsibilities

Assisting with assessing and reporting on the psychological and educational needs for children, young people and young adults up to 25 years of age (the client Group) and providing advice to teachers and parents.

Undertaking work with the client group.

Provide professional advice in relation to the council’s policies.

Advising the council, within the context of legislation, on the assessment of the individual needs of the client group.

Working with other staff within the council.

Working with appropriate agencies.

Conducting or participating in research and development work.

Preparing reports and maintaining documentation.

Contributing to the professional development of educational psychologists in training and other colleagues in the council.

Undertaking appropriate and agreed continuing professional development.

To assist the principal educational psychologist to discharge the duties of their post and to deputise in their absence.

Person specification

Safer recruitment checks

As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks

• Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
• Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
• Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.

Behaviour framework

The council’s behaviour framework is a set of core behaviours that defines how employees approach work to enable the delivery of key tasks for the role. The expected behaviours for this role are:

Efficient

• Use initiative and drive to improve and develop systems and processes to increase efficiency achieving better outcomes in service delivery.
• Suggests ways to improve how others organise their own work.
• As a manager or professional/expert you actively seek solutions to deliver improvements and involves others in the development of solutions and improvements.
• Agrees SMART objectives for both team and individual employees reviewing progress to achieve successful outcomes.
• Manage budgets with no overspends and applying the council’s financial policies and procedures.
• Ensures sustainability and environmental awareness practices are being implemented and that they inform the development of new projects/initiatives.

Flexible

• Anticipates and responds flexibly to changing priorities and modifies practice to meet changing environment.
• Identifies and implements new ways of working.
• Supports individuals and team at times of both organisational and personal change making appropriate adjustments to accommodate individual needs where required.
• Expresses a positive approach to change and promotes the benefits of change to team and colleagues.
• Actively listens to customer feedback and takes action to improve customer experience.

Performing

• Use professional expertise and knowledge to ensure the council is leading best practice to improve outcomes.
• Ensure that the council is meeting it’s legislative and statutory requirements by keeping abreast of new initiatives and legislation.
• Evaluates and reviews the impact of service improvements from the customers perspective.
• Identifies trends and creates solutions.
• Ensuring that health and safety practices, policies and procedures are applied keeping employees and customers safe and minimising workplace accidents and injuries.
• Implements the council’s maximising attendance policy and procedure ensuring action is taken and recorded on people connect.
• Considers risk in the context of service development and delivery.

Working with others

• Promotes a positive team environment with good morale.
• Works with other teams and colleagues internally and externally, developing relationships and sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise to achieve outcomes.
• Provide objective and constructive advice and support if tensions arise.
• Shares knowledge with internal and external colleagues to achieve common objectives.
• Giving praise and recognition for good work.
• Use professional identity and expert knowledge to work across disciplines breaking down professional barriers to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.
• Encourages colleagues to consider different perspectives in their work.
• Adapts communication to encourage desired behaviour.

Leading

• Understands what needs to be achieved and ensures that this is communicated to team members.
• Expresses positive expectations of others to support their development.
• Recognise individual and team achievements thanking and praising others.
• Maintain a positive approach and motivate team when things go wrong, or demands are high.
• You identify talent and provide opportunities for those individuals who wish to progress or learn new skills.
• Takes responsibility for personal and team development needs taking account of learning styles and available learning/training methods of delivery.
• Uses professional judgement/expert knowledge to make informed decisions.