Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey

Haringey | September 2026 Start
Trial Days: July 2026

Pay: £108 per day
Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 3:45pm, Term Time Only
Training: Full education, training, and CPD provided

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training - Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey

Are you an aspiring Forensic Psychologist, Probation Officer, or Youth Justice professional looking to build frontline experience with some of the most challenging, vulnerable, and high-risk young people in the UK?

Do you want to understand the root causes of offending behaviour—including trauma, systemic disadvantage, and unmet mental health needs—and develop the skills to intervene early and divert young people away from the criminal justice system?

This is not a standard classroom support role. This is an opportunity to work with pupils who present with complex behavioural, emotional, and mental health needs—the very individuals who are overrepresented in the youth justice system. You will gain real-world insight into how adversity, trauma, and communication vulnerability can lead to risk-related behaviour, and develop the relational and intervention skills needed to make a lasting difference.

About the Role

This specialist SEN provision in Haringey supports children and young people with:

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs
• Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and communication vulnerabilities
• Non-verbal profiles requiring alternative communication methods
• Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) including neglect, loss, and family breakdown
• Behaviour that challenges – often a communication of unmet emotional needs or distress
• Risk-related behaviours that may, without intervention, lead to exclusion or criminalisation

As a Learning Support Assistant, your role will be to build trust, advocate for pupils, and support emotional regulation in a structured, therapeutic environment. You will work closely with students who may have limited verbal communication, using PECS, body language, facial expression, and sensory cues to understand their experience and ensure their voice is heard.

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training

Why This Role is Ideal for Aspiring Probation and Youth Justice Professionals

Working with challenging pupils with behaviour and mental health needs is directly relevant to a career in probation and youth justice. You will develop skills and insights that are essential for working with offenders and young people at risk of offending:

• Understanding the pathway from childhood adversity to offending – exploring how trauma, ACEs, neglect, and systemic disadvantage shape behaviour and increase the risk of criminalisation
• Developing insight into risk factors – including poor emotional regulation, attachment difficulties, communication vulnerability, and school exclusion, all of which are strong predictors of future offending
• Practicing early intervention and prevention – supporting young people before they reach the point of criminal justice involvement
• Building relationships with high-risk, distrustful individuals – developing the patience, persistence, and relational skills needed to engage young people who have experienced relational breakdowns
• Understanding behaviour as communication – learning to 'read' challenging behaviour as an expression of unmet need, distress, or trauma, rather than as defiance or deviance
• Developing de-escalation and containment skills – essential for managing crisis situations in both educational and custodial settings
• Advocating for vulnerable individuals – ensuring that young people who cannot easily self-advocate are heard, understood, and supported
• Working collaboratively with multi-agency teams – mirroring the partnership working required in probation and youth justice (police, social care, CAMHS, youth offending teams)
• Applying trauma-informed, person-centred approaches – core to effective practice in probation and youth justice
• Gaining insight into the care and justice pathway – understanding how early intervention in education can reduce the risk of future offending

This role provides a foundation in relational practice, risk assessment, and behaviour management that is directly transferable to probation and youth justice settings. You will learn to sit with discomfort, hold hope, and advocate for young people who are often unheard and unseen.

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training - Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey

Why This Role is Ideal for an Aspiring Forensic Psychologist

A Learning Support Assistant role within this Haringey-based specialist school provides opportunities to:

• Advocate for non-verbal students – ensuring their needs, wants, and distress are recognised and responded to, not ignored or punished
• Support pupils whose behaviour may be risk-related or trauma-driven, developing insight into early intervention and prevention
• Work with children who may have limited verbal communication, using PECS, body language, facial expression, and sensory cues to understand their experience
• Gain hands-on experience in de-escalation, containment, and behaviour as communication – core forensic psychology principles
• Observe how unheard or non-verbal students may express distress through behaviour that can be misinterpreted as challenging
• Build skills in advocacy, safeguarding, and ethical support for vulnerable young people who cannot easily self-advocate
• Work collaboratively with teachers, SLTs, OTs, and behaviour specialists to create consistent, pupil-centred support plans
• Make a direct impact on students' wellbeing, dignity, and long-term outcomes – reducing the risk of future criminalisation or exclusion

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training - Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey

What You'll Be Doing

• Supporting pupils 1:1 and in small groups, building consistent, trusting relationships
• Helping students manage anxiety, low mood, and emotional dysregulation
• Supporting emotional regulation and confidence building using trauma-informed approaches
• Encouraging engagement in learning and daily routines
• Observing, recording, and reflecting on behaviour to inform support plans and risk assessments
• Working closely with pastoral teams, SENCOs, and external professionals including speech therapists, occupational therapists, and behaviour specialists
• Advocating for non-verbal pupils using alternative communication methods and sensory cues
• Contributing to multi-agency meetings and reviews where appropriate
• Developing de-escalation and containment strategies for crisis situations

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training

What You'll Gain – Probation & Youth Justice-Relevant Experience

• Direct experience with young people who have complex emotional, behavioural, and mental health needs – the very individuals overrepresented in the youth justice system
• Insight into risk factors for offending – including trauma, ACEs, school exclusion, communication vulnerability, and systemic disadvantage
• Understanding the intersection between education, mental health, and youth justice
• Safeguarding and child protection awareness in a real-world setting
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working – mirroring probation and youth justice practice
• Practical application of relational, trauma-informed approaches – core to effective practice with offenders
• Reflective practice skills – critical for professional registration and ongoing development in forensic and justice settings
• A competitive CV for forensic psychology, probation, or youth justice applications, demonstrating frontline experience with high-risk, challenging individuals

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training - Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• A strong academic background in Psychology, Criminology, or a related field
• A genuine interest in forensic psychology, probation, or youth justice, particularly around communication vulnerability, advocacy, and early intervention
• Understanding that non-verbal does not mean non-communicating – and a commitment to listening differently
• Experience working with children or young people with SEND, SEMH, or non-verbal students (desirable but not essential)
• A calm, resilient, and ethically grounded approach, especially when behaviour is distressed or dysregulated
• Strong observation skills and the ability to advocate quietly and persistently for students who cannot speak for themselves
• A passion for social justice, inclusion, and trauma-informed practice

No school-based experience is required – your degree, attitude, empathy, and willingness to learn are what matter most.

Full training and ongoing support will be provided.

Start Dates

• Trial Days: July 2026
• Long-term placements start: September 2026

Early application is recommended to secure your place.

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant – Haringey – Education and Training
Advocacy focus | Challenging behaviour | Mental health | Youth justice pathway | September long-term placements

Milk Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We are proudly APSCo Compliance+ accredited, reflecting our dedication to the highest standards in safer recruitment. All applicants will be subject to thorough compliance checks in line with DfE, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and APSCo guidelines.

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training - Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey

Apply Now

Click 'Apply Now' to be considered for the September 2026 start in Haringey and take the first step towards a meaningful career in forensic psychology, probation, or youth justice.

Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey – Education and Training - Aspiring Forensic Psychologist – Learning Support Assistant Haringey