Educational Psychology Service (EPS) September 2006 1
What is the Educational Psychology Service? The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) comprises three teams of psychologists based in three regional offices in Coleraine, Ballymena and Newtownabbey. There are 24 psychologists (20 full-time and 4 part-time) employed in the service. The EPS is managed by the Principal Educational Psychologist based at Board Headquarters in Ballymena, three Senior Educational Psychologists who are based in the regional offices and three specialist Senior Educational Psychologists. What is an Educational Psychologist? Educational Psychologists are psychology graduates who have gained a post-graduate professional qualification in developmental and educational psychology. Educational Psychologists are also qualified and experienced teachers. Visit to the home of a pre-school child 2
What is the Role of the Educational Psychology Service? The work that Educational Psychologists undertake aims to promote opportunities for the inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs and encourage their learning and development. Educational Psychologists are involved with children in the range 0 19 years. Such children have a wide range of difficulties that affect their learning and development. These difficulties include learning, medical, sensory, communication, physical and social, emotional and/or emotional difficulties. A significant part of this work is with pre-school children and their parents at home. Psychologist assessing a pre-school child As a result of their knowledge and experience, Educational Psychologists can make a unique contribution to issues that have an impact on the development, learning, adjustment and achievement of all children and young people. 3
Psychologists are in a key position to work in partnership with a range of client groups that include: - Pre-school children, - Pupils of all ages, - Parents, And colleagues in: - Schools, - Education and Library Boards, - Department of Education and - Health and Social Services Trusts Psychologists also provide training and advice to other Board services and supervision to Educational Psychologists in Training on placement from the Queen s University, Belfast. What services does the Educational Psychology Service provide? Testing a pupil 4
The EPS provides a range of services that include: Individual work with children - Assessment of individual children s special educational needs. - Advice on children s special educational needs and how they can be addressed. - Support/counseling/therapy for individual children. - Supporting schools in developing and monitoring Education Plans (including Behaviour Plans) for individual children. - Statutory psychological advice to the Board on children undergoing Statutory Assessment. - Information provided, and support given to pupils, their parents and teachers in relation to their needs. Report writing 5
When working with an individual child or young person psychologists usually carry out a comprehensive assessment of his or her special educational needs, examining the relevant background influences that may impact on development, learning and adjustment. This involves discussion with the pupil, his parents and teachers together with examination of reports and other relevant documents. Having done so, the psychologist will report to parents, school staff and the pupil him/herself and any other professionals as appropriate. Assessment and reporting is complex and time consuming. There is a duty on the Educational Psychologist to report findings openly and clearly and to give his or her professional opinion and recommendations. Having carried out a comprehensive assessment the psychologist s views sometimes may not accord with the opinion of others. However, where this is the case, psychologists endeavor to work in partnership with those involved to ensure that his/her intervention will have positive outcomes. A Circle Time session 6
Consultation with Teachers Consulting with a teacher - Planning work. - Consulting with teachers on the needs of individual children. - Supporting and advising teachers on policy and practice issues. - Providing support on issues such as critical incidents, bereavement, bullying, child protection, school refusal and/or social, emotional and behaviour difficulties. Partnership - Working with teachers. - Working with colleagues in Board services, other Boards and the Department of Education. - Working with colleagues in Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts. - Working with colleagues in voluntary agencies. 7
Professional Development Delivering training to a group of teachers - In-service training for teachers and colleagues in other services. - Training and supervision of Educational Psychologists. - Training for colleagues in Health and Social Services Trusts and voluntary agencies. Support Resources The EPS is involved in the production and/or provision of information/guidance materials for teachers and parents. 8
Service Delivery The service is delivered on a time allocation basis across all primary, post-primary and special schools (for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties, hearing impairment and communication difficulties). Psychologists plan in advance the visits to their schools. The service to special schools is coordinated by the specialist senior psychologists. Together with the psychologist, teachers may priorities cases they want the psychologist to deal with. Primary schools and post-primary schools (non-grammar) are guaranteed a minimum of time allocated sessions based on pupil enrolment. Psychologists endeavor to provide more than the minimum guaranteed number of sessions to schools, this being dependent on the need and service time available. Teachers may wish to discuss with psychologists pupils with special educational needs at Stages 1 or 2 of the Code of Practice 1 who have not been referred. Teachers who wish to use this consultation should speak first to the pupil s parents so that they will be aware that their child s school situation is going to be discussed. Under these consultation arrangements the pupil will not be assessed by the psychologist, rather advice will be given on the basis of confidential discussion with the school s principal, special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and/or class teacher. Nursery and grammar schools receive a service based on request for consultation or individual referral to the EPS. These schools have a named EP who coordinates the service. 1 The Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Pupils with Special Educational Needs, Department of Education, 1998. 9
Support for Individual Children and Young People Assessment of the needs of school aged children within the Code of Practice Schools are the main source of referrals of school-aged children and are required to provide three key pieces of information when making a referral: - A completed referral form which clearly indicates clearly that parental permission has been given for the involvement of an Educational Psychologist, - The most recent Education Plan at Stage 2 of the Code of Practice and - The review of this plan that indicates a referral to the EPS should be made. Receipt of accepted referrals will be acknowledged to the school. Referrals are also accepted from Education Welfare Officers, normally through the Area Behaviour Support Team. Referrals are accepted from colleagues in the health and Social Services Trusts e.g. Clinical Medical Officers and Speech and Language Therapists. For school age pupils the EPS will consult with the school before formally accepting such referrals. Referrals are not normally accepted directly from parents. Where a parent contacts the EPS directly he/she is usually referred back to the school. Note: Only children who meet the EPS criteria for referral at Stage 3 of the Code of Practice will be assessed by an Educational Psychologist. 10
Special Testing of Pupils at Transfer to Post-primary Schooling The EPS provides a Special Testing Service to Grammar Schools where a place is being sought for a pupil on whom advice regarding grade allocation is required. Requests for Special Testing are made through the Board s Open Enrollment and Transfer Section rather than directly to the EPS. Advice on the Retention of Overage Pupils The EPS provides advice to Boards of Governors of schools on retention of overage pupils. Support to Schools who wish to make Special Arrangements for Pupils at GCSE or GCE A Level The EPS provides advice, on request, to schools who wish to make arrangements for extra time, a reader or an amanuensis for pupils sitting public examinations such as GCSE or GCE A Level. 11
Contacts Mr R. M. Crozier, Principal Educational Psychologist Mrs S. H. Allen, Office Manager Educational Psychology Service, County Hall, 182 Galgorm Road, Ballymena, BT 42 1HN Tel No: 028 25 66 25 58 - Fax No: 028 25 66 24 41 Mrs S. Kennedy-Andrews, Senior Educational Psychologist (Southern Team: Newtownabbey, Ballyclare and Carrickfergus). Educational Psychologists Southern Team: Mrs C. Brunker Mrs D. Connolly Mrs L. Mc Aleenan Mrs A. McCabe Ms L. Tweedie Ms S. Wakely Loughview Psychology Regional Office, 2-6 Jordanstown Road, Newtownabbey, BT37 0QF Tel No: 028 90 86 26 27 - Fax: 028 90 86 05 92 Mr R. Goodliffe, Senior Educational Psychologist (Central Team: Ballymena, Antrim and Larne). Educational Psychologists Central Team Mrs J. E. Connor Mrs A. Holmes Dr L. H. Nga Ms S. O Toole Mrs E. Reid Mrs J. Wilson Ballee Psychology Regional Office, Ballee Bungalow, Ballee H. S. Campus, Ballee Road West, Ballymena, BT 42 2 JU - Tel No: 028 25 63 27 17 Fax No: 028 25 63 27 16 12
Mr J. P. Dwyer, Senior Educational Psychologist (Northern Team: Coleriane, Ballymoney, Moyle and Magherafelt). Educational Psychologists Northern Team: Mr C. Cordner Mrs C. McAlonan Ms J. Morgan Ms A. Turner Coleraine Psychology Regional Office, Coleraine College Campus, Carthall Road, Coleraine, BT51 3LR - Tel No: 028 70 32 84 62 Fax: 028 70 35 34 52 Educational Psychologists Northern Team Based at Headquarters Mr C. Eastwood Mr P McGuckin Educational Psychology Service, County Hall, 182 Galgorm Road, Ballymena, BT 42 1HN Tel No: 028 25 66 25 58 Fax No: 028 25 66 24 41 Educational Psychologist Northern Team Based at Ballee Regional Office Mr S. Dunlop Ballee Psychology Regional Office, Ballee Bungalow, Ballee H. S. Campus, Ballee Road West, Ballymena, BT 42 2 JU - Tel No: 028 25 63 27 17 Fax No: 028 25 63 27 16 13
Mrs G. Gamble, Senior Educational Psychologist (specialist for autism spectrum disorder) can be contacted at: Loughview Psychology Regional Office, 2-6 Jordanstown Road, Newtownabbey, BT37 0QF Tel No: 028 90 86 26 27 - Fax: 028 90 86 05 92 Ms A. Marrion, Senior Educational Psychologist (specialist for communication difficulties) can be contacted at: Ballee Psychology Regional Office, Ballee Bungalow, Ballee H. S. Campus, Ballee Road West, Ballymena, BT 42 2 JU - Tel No: 028 25 63 27 17 Fax No: 028 25 63 27 16 Mr T. O Neill, Senior Educational Psychologist (specialist for learning difficulties) can be contacted at: Coleraine Psychology Regional Office, Coleraine College Campus, Carthall Road, Coleraine, BT51 3LR - Tel No: 028 70 32 84 62 Fax: 028 70 35 34 52 14