Assistant Psychologist – Children & Families Service

Hackney is looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated Assistant Psychologist to join our newly redesigned, in-house Mental Health Service within Children and Family Services. Working under the direct supervision of a qualified Therapist, you will play a crucial role in supporting children, young people, and families known to Social Care, Young Hackney, the Family Support Service, and the Youth Justice Service.

In this varied and dynamic role, you will hold a dual focus: delivering direct and indirect clinical support (including supporting our Family Therapy Clinic and psychological assessments) while taking ownership of service evaluation, quality improvement, and clinical outcome data collection. You will act as a key operational anchor—helping conduct literature searches, managing local clinical databases, and building strong links with partner mental health services to enhance access for vulnerable young people.

Our Practice Framework: The STAR Model

Hackney is on an ambitious journey to embed a Systemic, Trauma-informed, and Anti-Racist (STAR) practice model. We are deeply committed to anti-oppressive practice, actively centering the lived experiences of families and clinicians with marginalised identities. Our STAR framework ensures a sharp focus on ethnicity and race, while deeply attending to the intersections of sexuality, faith, neurodiversity, and other protected characteristics. As an Assistant Psychologist, you will adopt a non-pathologising, creative, and strengths-based approach to ensure our clinical processes reflect the needs of children from Black and global majority communities.

Key Responsibilities

– Clinical Support & Assessment: Assist qualified clinicians with psychological assessments (including psychometrics), direct therapeutic interventions, and joint work with children and families in community, school, and home settings.

– Outcome Measurement & Data Management: Lead the collection, analysis, and dissemination of clinical activity and outcome data, maintaining local databases to drive service improvement and clinical audits.

– Service Evaluation & Quality Improvement: Undertake evidence-based literature searches and support Quality Improvement projects to optimize referral pathways and service delivery.

– Multi-Agency Linkage: Support the development of robust working links with external partner agencies, local mental health providers, and statutory social care teams.

– Clinic & Training Coordination: Support the running of the Family Therapy clinic, assist with multidisciplinary training events, and produce high-quality clinical reports and presentations.

About You

We are looking for a motivated psychology graduate with a passion for working with vulnerable children and young people in an inner-city environment. You will bring:

– An upper second (2:1) or first-class honours degree in Psychology, conferring Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS).

– At least 1 year’s relevant post-graduate experience working with vulnerable individuals or groups (e.g., in a mental health, social care, or voluntary sector setting).

– Strong knowledge of developmental trauma, child mental health, and the social factors affecting youth well-being.

– Excellent IT, data analysis, and record-keeping skills (including proficiency in Excel and database management).

– High-level communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport with diverse communities and work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary network.

– A demonstrable commitment to anti-racist, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive ways of working.

An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role.

What We Offer

In return for your dedication, Hackney offers a supportive, learning-focused environment committed to your professional development. You will receive regular supervision and consultation from an HCPC Registered Psychologist in line with BPS requirements, providing invaluable experience for those aspiring toward doctoral-level clinical or educational psychology training.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CVs.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency-based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge, and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

This application process replaces a supporting statement.

Closing date for applications: 13 September 2026 (22:59)

Interview date: W/c 28 September 2026

We reserve the right to close this role early if we receive a high volume of applications.

We are working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. In order to achieve this, we are seeking individuals who embody our “PROUD” values: Purpose and Respect, where we foster belonging through active inclusion, kindness, and open dialogue; Ownership, where we champion proactive collaboration and accountability for our shared success; and Unity and Diversity, where we work as one Council to break down silos and champion anti-racist behavior.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk