What does the Educational Psychology Service do? The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) identifies the special educational needs of young people who may be having difficulties. We provide advice to teachers, parents and others on the type of special help a child may need in order to learn more effectively. Educational Psychologists are also trained teachers who have substantial experience in working with children and young people. They have been vetted to work with children and they receive training in child protection. How is a child referred to the EPS? This is normally done through the school, following discussions between the teachers and parents about the type of special help the school has already provided and the child s progress in response to that help. When will the school refer a young person to the EPS? Normally, children with special educational needs will receive special help from within the school without the need for outside advice and support. This is usually arranged by a teacher who has been given the title of Special Needs Co-ordinator for the school. 1
Sometimes, however, a young person may not respond well to this special help, or he/she may have complex problems. In such cases, the Special Needs Co-ordinator will arrange a meeting between the teachers and parents to discuss the way forward. One of the options available at this stage is a referral to the EPS for advice. The school must obtain parental agreement before a referral in made. What should I expect if the school refers my child to the EPS? Psychological assessment of a school-aged child/young person involves several steps, usually carried out in this order: (i) (ii) The psychologist receives a referral form from the school, giving information about the nature of your child s difficulties. The school must obtain parental agreement before a referral is made. The psychologist may contact you at this stage, but it is more likely that he/she will arrange to meet with you after he/she has seen your child in school. Schools and the EPS operate a policy of prioritising referrals on the basis of urgency, so the waiting time between the referral and the assessment may vary. Most children are seen within one school term of the date of referral, some a lot more quickly if the case is urgent. The psychologist visits your child in school to carry out an assessment. This may include some observation of your child and some individual testing and/or discussion with him/her. Any testing or discussion will be carried out in a separate room, away from other children. (See Note below.) 2
(iii) (iv) (v) The psychologist discusses his/her findings with you and with the school, in order to try to reach an agreement on the best way of meeting your child s educational needs. He/She may also gather any further relevant information about the young person from the school and/or from other professionals who may have been involved (e.g. the speech and language therapist). Everyone s views will be considered. Every effort will be made to ensure that the young person s needs are met in his/her school. The psychologist gives advice on the type of special help your child should receive. This may include support from visiting specialist teachers and/or suggestions on how you might help at home. The psychologist writes a report summarizing his/her findings and advice. He/She will arrange for you and the school to receive a copy of this report within six weeks of the completion of the assessment period. PLEASE NOTE: Parents have a right to be present during the testing session in school, but we do not normally recommend it. You should be reassured that this part of the assessment is not at all stressful for children and the presence of a parent during testing can often be very off-putting for them. For young children, the test materials include toys and puzzles. Children normally enjoy the test sessions. However, if you do wish to be present during this part of the assessment, the school s Special Needs Co-ordinator or Principal can arrange this. 3
What if my child is too young to attend school? Children who are too young to attend school might be referred to the EPS by the local health clinic. In these circumstances the psychologist will contact you to agree a time and place for the assessment. The information provided by you is an essential part of this assessment. You will probably be asked about your child s development, play preferences, eating/sleeping habits, and behaviour. How can I contact the educational psychologist? You can contact the educational psychologist by phone, fax, e-mail or by letter. Use the phone numbers or the address on the back of this booklet. If you know the name of the psychologist you may be able to find his/her e-mail address and direct line phone number under contacts on the BELB website: www.belb.org.uk. Statutory Assessment There may be occasions where it is agreed that the child s difficulties are so complex that a Statutory Assessment may be required. This happens only in a minority of cases. In such circumstances it will be necessary to gather written advice on the child s needs from the parents, the school, the psychologist and the other relevant agencies. After a Statutory Assessment the Education and Library Board may produce a formal Statement of the young person s needs and the provision required to meet those needs. If you need advice about this process, your psychologist will be happy to discuss this with you. 4
Educational Psychology Service Standards You will receive an information booklet about the psychology service when your child is referred to us This information will be clear and will be available in alternative formats or in minority languages to meet the needs of those people who are not fluent in English We will conduct your child s assessment within a timescale agreed with the school or the person who referred your child to us After we first see your child we will offer to meet you at an agreed time and location As part of the assessment we will take careful account of information and opinions provided by you If your educational psychologist visits you at home he/she will carry identification We will explain clearly the assessment and review procedures and how your child performed during the assessment We will give helpful advice Within six weeks of the completion of the assessment period we will arrange for you to receive a copy of a clearly written report 5
In the information booklet we will explain how you can make further contact with your educational psychologist All enquiries will be dealt with politely and promptly in accordance with the Belfast Education and Library Board standards We will act in accordance with the guidelines governing child protection, data protection, and freedom of information, as described in the Belfast Education and Library Board standards, available on the BELB website. 6
How Well Do We Meet Our Standards? The educational psychology service has been asking parents to tell us how well we have been meeting our service standards. During the year January to September 2006 to August 2007 the results were: 81% of parents said they did receive a copy of our information booklet 99% of these parents found the information booklet clear 95% were satisfied with how quickly we saw their child 96% of parents felt that the psychologist took careful account of their views 96% of parents felt the psychologist explained things clearly 94% thought the psychologist gave helpful advice 94% parents say they received a copy of the psychologist s report 95% of these said they received the report quickly enough 100% were satisfied that the report was clearly written 97% of parents who contacted the service were satisfied with how well we dealt with their enquiries 7
We take careful account of all feedback and make changes to our practice as necessary, for example: Our information booklet is sent out immediately to parents who state they did not receive one; We have improved our procedures for ensuring that parents receive copy of their child s psychological report. Costs of Service The running costs of the Educational Psychology Service in 2006-2007 amounted to 1.3 million. The service is free to all users. 8
We have also been measuring how quickly we get assessments and reports completed. Statutory Assessments - 90% of statutory psychological assessments are completed within 6 weeks, during September 2006 to August 2007. Stage 3 Informal Assessments - 83% of informal psychology reports are ready for distribution to schools and parents within 6 weeks of the assessment being completed, during September 2006 to August 2007. Detailed analysis can be accessed on the BELB website http://www. belb.org.uk or on request by contacting the BELB Educational Psychology Service. You will find further information about the Educational Psychology Service or Special educational Needs at http://www.belb.org.uk - look under parents & students, and then choose psychology or SEN Information. Dispute Avoidance and Resolution Service (DARS) The Dispute Avoidance and Resolution Service (DARS) came into effect on 1st September 2005 and aims to resolve disagreements between Education and Library Boards or Boards of govenors of schools and parents about the way in which they carry out their responsibilities towards children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and to resolve disagreements between parents and schools about the provision being made for children with Special Educational Needs. If you want support from this service phone 028 9051 2383 and ask for the DARS Manager or access on the web: http://www.education-support.org.uk/parents/specialeducation/dars 9
Comments / Complaints Should you wish to comment on the quality of the service you receive from the EPS, please contact Martin Clarke, Principal Educational Psychologist, at the address below: Belfast Education and Library Board 40 Academy Street, Belfast, BT1 2NQ Tel: 02890564033 / 02890564000 Fax: 02890564386 E-mail: MartinC@belb.co.uk or psychadmin@belb.co.uk Website: www.belb.org.uk If you have any questions about the contents of this booklet, or if you wish to receive it in a different language or form, please contact the Educational Psychology Service. Our address and phone and fax number are given on the back of this booklet. 10