Assistant Psychologist

Assistant Psychologist

Location: Aurora Cedars, Wolverhampton

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week, Term Time Only. 

Salary: £24,960 to £27,331 pro rata, depending on experience

Closing Date: 1st October 2023

The Aurora Group 

The Aurora Group is an innovative provider of education and care for children, young people and adults with special educational needs and disabilities. 

As part of our growth strategy; we’re really pleased to have opened a brand new Primary and Secondary ASC/SEMH school in 2023 in Wolverhampton with a proposed capacity of 80 students aged between 5-19. 

We are currently looking for An Assistant Psychologist to join us in January 2024. Over the last 12 months the new school building has been redeveloped; and work has been done to design the look and feel of the school to ensure it fulfils its potential of an amazing learning environment with the facilities to allow students to access a varied curriculum in a calm and nurturing environment with a team that strives to give every student the confidence and opportunities to achieve. 

The Headteacher is looking for fun, passionate, dedicated, and driven staff to help support her vision for the pupils and the school environment. She is committed to offering a truly unique workplace environment, embedded with a supportive culture, positive ethos, strong teamwork, and personal drive, with further career opportunities as both the school and Aurora, as a company, grows.     

It is an exciting time to be part of Aurora and this is a unique career opportunity to make your mark on our growing services.

Job Role:  

We would like to appoint a candidate to be a key member of the clinical team in delivering and evaluating psychological support to our young people. Liaison with other professionals in the school will be a key part of the role, including teaching staff. The post-holder will undertake various tasks under the supervision of the clinical psychologist and have regular opportunities for professional development. 

Some of the key duties include:

• Carrying out cognitive assessments and other standardised assessments as appropriate with young people who may find it difficult to engage/attend to an assessment process.
• Drawing out key information from young peoples’ background history and documents /reports relating to a child.
• Assisting staff to write clear risk assessments.
• Closely observing young people, their behaviour and their interactions with others within the classroom and within less structured environments. Writing clear and very detailed notes on your observations.
• Ensuring that your notes are well organised and storage ensures data protection
• Carrying out ‘skills’ teaching sessions with children based using a Positive Behavioural Support framework.
• Working with staff groups to increase understanding of evidence based clinical practice.
• Working within a Multidisciplinary Team.
• Delivering co-facilitated groups (with teaching staff) using clinical programs to support social and emotional interventions
• Evaluating these interventions and summarising the evaluation data.
• Assisting with and independently running training sessions for staff.
• Attending and contributing to weekly therapy meetings at Cedars School.
• Researching and collating evidence based information regarding specific presenting difficulties (e.g. selective mutism, anxiety and PDA).

Skills and experience required:  

• The successful candidate will have a 2:1 undergraduate degree in Psychology
• Previous experience as an assistant psychologist and working with children, ideally in a special educational needs/mental health setting
• You will be confident working with children directly, as well as with professionals and families
• You will have a good understanding of ethical practice and the psychological principles which underpin our interventions e.g. attachment and learning theories

What’s on offer?

·      Full training and continued support

·      Life assurance and pension

·      Health cash back plan

·      Car lease scheme

·      Bike to work scheme 

·      Perk box

·      Free parking

How to apply?

Please complete an online application in full, we are unable to accept CV's. For more information on this position or if you need assistance in completing the form please contact Karen on 07920 223 415 or via email at karen.barnfield@the-aurora-group.com  

Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer