Educational psychologists work with schools, families, the local authority, and nationally. They are a statutory service under the 1980 Education Act (as amended by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004). In keeping with statutory expectations and recommendations from a national review of Psychological Services, DEPS provides a service within Dundee based on the five core functions of an EP:
- Consultation and advice
- Assessment
- Intervention
- Training and development
- Research and policy development
Each school and children’s house in Dundee has a link educational psychologist. Prioritising how the educational psychologist's time is used by is negotiated jointly between the educational psychologist and the school or children’s house, and should ideally be reviewed on an annual basis to evaluate the impact of the work if the EPS in helping the setting, the staff, and the children/young people that attend there. Early years settings also have a named EP. As a minimum they receive a termly visit and the offer of a monthly phone consultation. Other development or assessment work is by negotiation.
Consultation is the main way in which Educational Psychologists in Dundee deliver their services to schools, nurseries, and the other colleagues in Children and Families Service as required. It involves a meeting between all relevant people about a child or young person, for example parent, teacher, psychologist. Together in the initial consultation, they try to establish the current situation, the outcomes sought and success criteria, and agree actions to be carried out. Advice given should be practical, avoid jargon and be relevant to the situation and identified needs.
Consultation always comes before more direct input such as assessment or intervention. EPs work very closely with schools, early years centres, and children’s houses to support them to meet the educational needs of all children including those with additional support needs.
Where there are concerns about a child/young person, this will usually be raised with the Educational Psychology Service via staff in the setting the child attends. Parents/carers in the Dundee area are also welcome to contact the service directly if they have concerns or would like advice.
A member of staff from the school/nursery will usually have an initial discussion with an Educational Psychologist as part of a Professional Consultation. This will take the form of a problem-solving discussion which will focus on providing guidance to the school/nursery staff around how they can adapt their practice to help better meet the needs of the child/young person. During this discussion the staff from the school or nursery will not name the child and the psychologist will not take notes. Often this is enough to help reduce concerns for the time being.
Sometimes, however, concerns remain despite the advice offered during a Professional Consultation being implemented by the school or nursery staff. If this is the case, the staff will then obtain permission from the child’s parent/carer to initiate a Formal Consultation with the Educational Psychologist. This Formal Consultation will most often take place via a Team Around the Child (TATC) meeting which is usually held in the school/nursery. Parents/carers are always invited to this meeting along with appropriate education staff such as the child’s teacher or early years worker; the educational psychologist; and any other relevant professionals involved with the child/young person. Where possible, the child/young person will also be invited to attend this meeting or have their views represented in the meeting by someone who knows them very well.
The focus of formal consultation in a TATC will be on identifying the child/young person’s strengths, any additional support needs, any gaps in assessment information, and discussing possible interventions to address these. A formal minute of the meeting will be taken by the school or early years setting, and the psychologist will also take their own notes and record them on our online records management system. The minute should include a new or updated written plan with agreed next steps, who will do them, and when they should be done by.
The only exceptions to obtaining direct parental/carer consent before engaging an Educational Psychologist in a consultation about a named child would be (1) if the psychologist was part of a multi-agency team where there was already general consent from parents for individuals to be discussed (for example a school support team meeting, or a placement panel), or (2) if a young person over the age of 12 specifically requested support from the psychological service without their parent/carer being informed, which is highly unusual.
Assessment and intervention is a process which involves gathering information from a variety of sources in a range of settings over a period of time. It involves parents, carers, teachers, and the young person. The purpose of educational psychology assessment is to inform future intervention. It should take into account cognitive, emotional and social factors. The ultimate aim of effective educational psychology assessment is usually to limit the effects of barriers to learning and to promote the inclusion of the child or young person.
Where the educational psychologist is involved directly in an assessment or intervention this would normally take place within a young person's normal environment, for example a home visit or an observation in school. DEPS provide assessment that is consistent with the guidelines produced by the Scottish Division of Educational Psychology and the Association of Principal Educational Psychologists.
