Educational Psychologist

Job title: Educational Psychologist

Employer: Department of Education

Location: Letterkenny, County Donegal

Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 10th April 2025

Salary: Starting at €64,487

About the Employer:

The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is the psychological service of the Department of Education. NEPS provides a comprehensive, school-based educational psychological service to all primary, post-primary schools and special schools. Through the application of psychological theory and practice, NEPS psychologists support the wellbeing, and the academic, social and emotional development of all learners, particularly those with special educational needs (SEN) and those at risk of educational disadvantage. The area of supporting wellbeing/mental health in schools is a rapidly expanding focus for NEPS.

NEPS provides a consultation-based model of service delivery for the effective and efficient delivery of educational psychology services that best meet the needs of all students in schools. Educational psychologists work with schools offering:

1. Casework Service: the provision of a psychological service for individual students, working directly with the student and/or indirectly with their teachers, parents and/or other professionals.
2. Support and Development Service: the provision of applied psychology services for teachers and school communities to build their capacity/capability to respond to the needs of all students. This includes:

• the provision of advice and consultation services
• the provision of training/formal professional learning opportunities
• the facilitation of service planning and review meetings with schools
• the provision of a NEPS response to schools experiencing a Critical Incident

About the Role:

NEPS Educational Psychologists are assigned to a local team of psychologists coordinated by a Senior Team Leading Psychologist. They provide an educational psychological service for their assigned schools, generally in the catchment area of their assigned office, and may also work collaboratively with colleagues to meet NEPS national service priorities, and regional and team commitments. Each psychologist takes responsibility for their own day-to-day time and work management.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities of the Role:

• Ensure the delivery of a high quality professional educational psychological service to assigned schools, in accordance with the regional service plan and the business plan of NEPS.
• Support national and regional Support and Development initiatives to build capacity/capability in assigned schools and more broadly in schools within the region.
• Develop co-operative linkages with other educational services in the local team area and region.
• Attend regular supervision as a core professional activity to support the delivery of an effective, ethical and high-quality educational psychological service.
• Contribute to the development of the NEPS service through participation at team, regional and national meetings and participation in working groups.
• Adhere to the Code of Professional Ethics of the Psychological Society of Ireland (2019). Under the Health & Social Care Professionals Act 2005, all psychologists working in NEPS must fulfil the requirements for statutory registration.
• Fulfil their functions in line with the policies, protocols and legislative obligations of the Department.
• Engage with continuing professional development (CPD), including a comprehensive induction programme and ongoing opportunities for national, regional and personal CPD. NEPS psychologists are given the opportunity to review their development needs through the Department's Performance Management and Development System (PMDS).

About You:

Candidates must have on or before Thursday 10th of April 2025:

1. A recognised qualification at minimum Level 8 (1st or 2nd class honours) on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) or a NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications equivalent in Psychology. Candidates' Psychology qualification(s) should deem them eligible to hold graduate membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the British Psychological Society (BPS). Evidence of graduate membership/eligibility to hold graduate membership will be requested from candidates should they come under consideration for a position.
2. (a) A post-graduate professional qualification in educational psychology, that includes supervised placement in an educational psychological service working with school-aged children and young people, accredited by the PSI or equivalent body. Students currently undertaking such an accredited post-graduate professional qualification in educational psychology who expect to graduate in 2025 and who meet criterion 1 above will also be considered.
3. OR (b) A post-graduate professional qualification in clinical or counselling psychology, accredited by the PSI, or equivalent body, and at least two years continuous supervised post-graduate professional experience employed as a psychologist working with children and young people in education, community or disability settings.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 10th April, 2025.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.