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Job description, person specification and essential competencies
POSITION
Psychologist
Unit
Te Kahu Tōī
Salary
As per the relative collective agreement
Name
Responsible to
The manager, Te Kahu Tōī unit, Northern Health School principal,
deputy principal and board of trustees.
Responsible for
The Ministry of Education contracts the Northern Health School
to provide a new wraparound service.
This service provides up to 50 placements annually for children
and young people in the care of CYF. Staff are based at the
assessment hub which operates all year round and psychologists
employed by Te Kahu Tōī will be expected to work on a full time
basis ie 37.55 hours each week, unless different hours of work
are agreed to.
Key relationships
Social sector agencies including Child Youth and Family,
education, young people, families, whānau and caregivers,
community groups and the rest of the NHS team.
Budget responsibility
As delegated
PURPOSE OF ROLE
Psychologist, NHS Te Kahu Tōī
The Psychologist will facilitate triage and assessment of children and young people entering the
Assessment Hub and determine the level of wraparound service required.
They will work with the family, whānau, caregiver to develop an individualised wraparound plan
for the children and young person.
Working with a team of staff the psychologist will arrange placement of the child or young person
into a range of educational settings that fit that child or young person’s needs.
Throughout the child or young person’s placement the psychologist will monitor their progress
and track and report on progress.
They will arrange transition from the IWS to a new educational setting once the intensive
wraparound plan has been developed.
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
1
KEY PRIORITIES
Psychologist, NHS Te Kahu Tōī
Key tasks
Indicators
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Triage and assessing the
young person’s needs
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Maintain high level
wraparound fidelity
and service quality
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Facilitate and contribute to the comprehensive
multi-disciplinary assessments of the child or young
person
Assess and make recommendations for resource
allocation and access to services and entitlements,
as appropriate
Develop and implement an individualised plan
together with a team of people involved with the
child or young person and work collaboratively with
parents, whānau, caregivers, teachers/educators
and other professionals and social service agencies
Source, develop and communicate evidence based
practice to all the Te Kahu Tōī team
Ensure the importance of system support is
understood and develop, introduce the policies,
practices and structures needed
Provide coaching, training and supervision for peers
in the Te Kahu Tōī team and develop a structured
and staged approach to up-skilling so that
professionals develop the independence to work
effectively with families, whānau and caregivers
Develop, or assist to develop, plan and deliver
wraparound training programmes for teachers,
teacher aides, school management teams, families,
whānau, caregivers and community groups
Provide advice and strategies to support teachers
and teacher aides with class management focussing
on inclusive practices
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
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Develop community based
practices
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Key tasks continued
Indicators
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Monitor and manage the
implementation of the
wraparound plan for each
child or young person
Involve the child or young person and their family, whānau,
caregiver in the development of the wraparound plan
establishing their role in the plan and other agencies and
people involved with the child or young person
Link family, whānau, caregivers to social and community
support
Actively seek feedback from the child or young person and
their family, whānau ,caregiver about how the wraparound
plan is working
Communicate regularly with the child or young person and
their family, whānau, caregiver throughout the
implementation of the wraparound plan
Facilitate effective professional relationships with family,
whānau, caregiver, community groups and social service
agencies
Work in culturally responsive ways with particularly attention
to Māori and Pasifika needs
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Professional supervision
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Communicate effectively
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Establish who is responsible for what task in the
implementation of each child and young person’s plan
Establish successful outcomes for the child or young person’s
wraparound plan and determine with those responsible how
these can be achieved
Decide with key people what data will be collected, how it
will be reported and what impact the data has on the
monitoring of the achievement of student outcomes
Provide advice and support for children and young people
and family, whānau, caregiver and Child Youth and Family as
the wraparound plan concludes and they transition to a
different educational setting
Coordinate and collect key data for tracking, monitoring and
reporting on the achievement of the outcomes for the
wraparound plan
Participate in professional supervision in relation to their
work practice
Provide peer supervision
Emails and phone calls are responded to in a timely manner
Student assessment and plans are facilitated and necessary
information is communicated
Participation in on-line discussions, staff meetings and PD is
evident
Report to the principal and
delegated NHS leadership
staff
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Requests for information are actioned in a timely manner
Use NHS recording systems to
maintain student information
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Planning and assessment is recorded and updated in eTAP
Records are accurate and up to date
Ministry required information for reporting is provided.
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
Psychologist, NHS Te Kahu Tōī
Qualifications
 Masters level tertiary qualification
 Post graduate diploma in educational psychology or clinical
psychology
 Registration under the Health Practitioners Competency
Assurance Act
Knowledge and experience
Specialist knowledge of theory, research and practice related to
 A range of assessment and intervention frameworks with
particular knowledge of inclusive and ecological approaches
and functional behaviour analysis
 Human development, learning and behaviour
 Family and group dynamics
 Education organisations/systems
 Pedagogy
 Disabilities and their implications for learning, behaviour and
family/whānau
 The NZ curriculum framework
Skills and abilities
 Assessment and analysis
 Intervention, planning and implementation at the individual
and systems level
 Counselling
 Negotiation/mediation/contracting
 Service co-ordination in a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary
setting
 Problem/constraint analysis
 Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills, particularly relating
to the establishment of effective relationships with families
and whānau
 Builds and manages effective relationships with peers in
other agencies
 Ability to translate specialist knowledge into practical
information that will assist in the development, provision and
support of individual programmes in order to overcome
barriers to learning
 Ability to work effectively with children and young people
and their families, whānau across a diverse range of settings
 Ability to develop and provide training
 Ability to coach and up-skill others
 Have a full New Zealand driver licence, be prepared to travel,
as required and possibly stay overnight, to deliver education
programmes to students in the most appropriate settings
and to attend professional development opportunities.
o note: drivers under 25 are excluded from the school’s car
insurance policy
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
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PERSON SPECIFICATION continued
Tātai Pou
Demonstration of Tātai Pou competencies to at least a
developing level
 Pou Hono – valuing Māori – makes a clear and compelling
argument as to why equitable outcomes for Māori learners
are critically important
 Pou Mana – knowledge of Māori content – applies the Treaty
of Waitangi policy, uses Te Reo Māori and engages with
Tikanga Māori
 Pou Kipa – develops, implements and strategically resources
to achieve equitable outcomes for Māori
Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements
of internal and external customers
 Gets first-hand customer information and uses it for
improvements in products and services
 Acts with customers in mind
 Establishes and maintains effective relationships with
customers and gains their trust and respect
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Customer focus
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
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ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
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Strategic skills
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Functional technical skills
Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to
provide a wraparound service at a high level of
accomplishment
Intellectual horsepower
Is bright and intelligent; deals with concepts and complexity
comfortably; described as intellectually sharp, capable, and
agile
Problem solving
Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems
with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for
answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest
analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the
first answers
Dealing with ambiguity
Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears
comfortably; can decide and act without having the total
picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t
have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably
handle risk and uncertainty
Creativity
Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes
connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be
seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings
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Process management
Good at figuring out the processes necessary to get things
done; knows how to organise people and activities;
understands how to separate and combine tasks into
efficient work flows; knows what to measure and how to
measure it; can see opportunities for synergy and integration
where others can’t; can simplify complex processes; gets
more out of fewer resources
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Conflict management
Steps up to conflicts; seeing them as opportunities; reads
situations quickly; good at focussed listening; can hammer
out tough agreements and settle disputes equitably; can find
common ground and get cooperation with minimum noise
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Organisational agility
Knowledgeable about how organisations work; knows how to
get things done both through formal channels and the
informal network; understands the origin and reasoning
behind key policies, practices, and procedures; understands
the cultures of organisations
Written communications
Is able to write clearly and succinctly in a variety of
communication settings and styles; can get messages across
that have the desired effect
Operating skills
Courage
Organisational positioning
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ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES continued
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Personal and interpersonal
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Approachability
Is easy to approach and talk to; spends the extra effort to put
others at ease; can be warm, pleasant and gracious; is
sensitive to and patient with the interpersonal anxieties of
others; builds rapport well; is a good listener; is an early
knower; getting informal and incomplete information in time
to do something about it
Compassion
Genuinely cares about people; is concerned about their work
and non-work problems; is available and ready to help; is
sympathetic to the plight of others not as fortunate;
demonstrates real empathy with the joys and pains of others
Customer focus
Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements
of internal and external customers; gets first hand customer
information and uses it for improvements in products and
services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and
maintains relationships with customers and gains their trust
and respect
Managing diversity
Manages all kinds and classes of people equitably; deals
effectively with all races, nationalities, cultures, disabilities,
ages and both sexes; recruits variety and diversity without
regard to class; supports equal and fair treatment and
opportunity for all
Peer relationships
Can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the
good of all; can represent his/her interests own interests and
yet to be fair to other groups; can solve problems with peers
with a minimum of noise; is seen as a team player and is
cooperative; easily gains trust and support of peers;
encourages collaboration; can be candid with peers
Understanding others
Understands why groups do what they do; picks up the sense
of the group in terms of positions, intentions, and needs;
what they value and how to motivate them; can predict what
groups will do across different situations
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ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES continued
Personal and interpersonal
continued
Motivating Others
Creates climate in which people want to do their best; can
motivate many kinds of direct reports and team or project
members; can assess each person’s hot button and use it to get
the best out of him/her; pushes tasks and decisions down;
empowers others; invites input from each person and shares
ownership and visibility; makes each individual feel his/her work
is important; is someone people like working for and with
Negotiating
Can negotiate skilfully in tough situations with both internal and
external groups; can settle differences with minimum noise; can
win concessions without damaging relationships; can be both
direct and forceful as well as diplomatic; gains trust quickly of
other parties to the negotiations; has a good sense of timing
Ethics and values
Adheres to an appropriate ( for the setting) and effective set of
core values and beliefs during good and bad times; acts in line
with those values; rewards the right values and disapproves of
others; practices what he/she preaches
Integrity and trust
Is widely trusted; is seen as a direct, truthful individual; can
present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful
manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t
misrepresent him/herself for personal gain
Composure
Is cool under pressure; does not become defensive or irritated
when times are tough; is considered mature; can be counted on
to hold things together during tough times; can handle stress; is
not knocked off balance by the unexpected; doesn’t show
frustration when resisted or blocked; is a settling influence in a
crisis
Listening
Practices attentive and active listening; has the patience to hear
people out; can accurately restate the opinions of others even
when he/she disagrees
Patience
Is tolerant with people and processes; listens and checks before
acting; tries to understand the people and the data before
making judgements and acting; waits for others to catch up
before acting; sensitive to due process and proper pacing; follows
established process
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
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NON DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
Staff are obliged to comply with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. These include
the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993, and the Health Amendment (no.2) Act 1993 relating to the
non-disclosure of medical and other information.
 No person who is, or has been, employed by Northern Health School shall disclose to any
person any information concerning the condition or medical history of any patient in any
institution, other than where specifically authorized by the Act
 Any person who contravenes the provision of the Act is liable on summary conviction to a fine
not exceeding $2,000
 The confidentiality of information, in regard to students, families, schools, staff, NHS or host
organisations, will be maintained and information will only be used for the purposes for which
it was collected
RESPONSIBLE USE OF INTERNET AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES
It is expected that internet and related technologies (IRT) will be used to benefit teaching and
learning, but it is also understood that they may be used for personal activities. All activity must be
appropriate to the school environment.
NHS uses and provides support for a Digital Citizenship model where IRT must be used in a safe
and responsible manner. This agreement includes: devices, Internet and ICT systems, whether in
school, personal or subsidised ownership, used inside or outside of school, for school purposes.
The school reserves the right to filter, monitor and audit its computer network, internet access
facilities, computers and other school ICT equipment including stored content, email and all
aspects of its use. This may include any device provided by or subsidised by/through the school or
the Ministry of Education. For this purpose, any electronic data or files created or modified on
behalf of the school on any ICT device, regardless of who owns it, is the property of the school.
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You are responsible for
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The security and use of any accounts the school provides,
including login and password details.
Acting as a role model for responsible activity online and
avoiding
engagement
in
harassing
or
harmful
communications.
Maintaining confidentiality and privacy of staff, students and
their families.
Ensuring that your actions are within the law, including
copyright.
Taking care of all ICT equipment and reporting any problems
or damage.
Understanding the school’s policies and procedures around
digital citizenship and internet safety.
Notifying the school of any breach of this agreement,
whether accidental or deliberate.
Awareness of the opportunities and challenges that these
technologies provide.
Administration/employment TKT/psychologist/Sep 2015
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BREACHES OF THIS AGREEMENT
A breach of this agreement may constitute a breach of discipline. Involvement with objectionable
material, abuse or harassment, or misuse of the school ICT could call into question the user’s
suitability to be in a school environment. Such matters may be investigated by the school or
applicable law enforcement agencies.
DECLARATIONS
 I have read and am aware of the obligations and responsibilities of non-disclosure and
responsible use of the internet and related technologies.
 I have read and understand the procedures and the code of conduct for NHS employees and
agree to abide by their provisions.
 I agree to the undertakings of this job description and understand that I will be required to
meet the standards of the current contract under which I am employed.
DESIGNATION
NAME
SIGNATURE
DATE
Psychologist
Manager
Te Kahu Toi
Principal
Northern Health School
Richard Winder
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