Post-school educational psychology services: The historical and international context

AimsTo explore the views and experiences of educational psychologists (EPs) using Reflecting Teams (RT; see Andersen, 1987) via an online virtual platform, as a new approach to practice within one local authority (LA) educational psychology service (EPS).MethodsThis exploratory research was based on a case study design (Yin, 2018) and, using Engeström’s (1999, 2015) cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as an analytical tool, sought to capture and explore how members of one LA EPS as a unique social context, used RT in practice via an online meeting platform, over the course of one academic school session. Nine members of the EPS responded to open-ended questions on an online survey after one month of using the RT method. Six EPS members responded to the same survey after ten-months implementation of the RT method. Data were interpreted through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2019, 2020) and CHAT, to explore participants’ views and experiences of their RT activity.FindingsCHAT analysis identified seven contradictions in relation to EPs’ perceptions of their Reflecting Teams activity: ‘learning vs. implementing’ (object of activity), ‘stakeholder-oriented vs. practitioner-oriented’ (outcome), ‘protected time’ vs. ‘not enough time’ (rules), ‘equitable participation’ (roles), ‘safety vs. vulnerability’ (roles), ‘actual community vs. ideal community’ (community), and ‘online platforms vs. in-person meetings (tools)’. EPs reported that Reflecting Teams provided: support with complex problems and challenges in EP casework and practice; peer-support from colleagues; and enhanced staff wellbeing. Time, training, resources, distribution of roles and the importance of ensuring a sense of safety, were highlighted as factors that mediated EPs’ experience of the Reflecting Teams method.LimitationsFindings reflect the experiences of a small sample of participants from an EPS in one local context.ConclusionsThe study represents a unique example of the use of Andersen’s (1987) Reflecting Teams method, as an approach to systemic practice and family therapy, applied within the context of EP practice. CHAT provided a valuable framework which offered an insightful and nuanced interpretation of participants’ perceptions and reflections of their engagement in RT as a novel process for professional learning in one LA EPS.

Culturally responsive educational psychology (EP) practice is important for social justice, and referral data are an important resource for identifying inequalities and developing anti-racist practice. This research explored the EP referral process within one UK EP service using the research and development in organisations (RADIO) model. Critical reflection on referral data to the educational psychology service (EPS) was analysed through semi-structured focus groups within the EP service team. Collaborative content analysis identified areas for further exploration, informing action planning by the EPSs’ social justice research group within the final phase. Findings highlight the need for robust data collection processes and culturally responsive practices, including data analysis, critical reflection, and appropriate action at individual EP, school and whole service levels to ensure further development of culturally competent and equitable service delivery. Limitations include generalisability and the timebound nature of the research. Implications for practice include provision of a mapping model to assist in improving the analysis of referral data to develop a more culturally responsive EP service.

This research was conducted in the light of the Every Child Matters (Department for Education and Skills, London, 2003) agenda which highlights the importance of multi‐agency working. The research explored the professional identity of Educational Psychologists (EPs) with experience of multi‐agency working in six Local Authorities within the Midlands area. Ten EPs participated in detailed semi‐structured interviews. Activity Theory was used to facilitate the comparison of aspects of the EPs' two work roles, as part of the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) and as part of a multi‐agency team (MAT). Each EP was asked to consider different elements of their two roles, using a series of questions designed to elicit relationships between the ways in which they worked, the contexts and the other people involved. From these questions, issues of professional identity emerged and these were then explored in more detail. The experiences of EPs working in MATs were generally described very positively. It appeared that multi‐agency working enhanced feelings of professional identity. In some cases participants indicated that this was aided by the clarification and development of their own skills and in other cases by being afforded the opportunity to work creatively in a wider range of contexts. The flexibility of multi‐agency working appears to have presented opportunities for individuals to work to their strengths and increased positive feelings EPs have of their own professional identity.

Young adult (YA) services as a specialty concept in public emerged in 1920s as a way to bridge gap for early adolescents between smaller, more personalized, and protected children's rooms and open ranges of adult [1, p. 3481. In New York Public Library and in Cleveland Public Library, YA services took fornm of separate rooms and collections and was conceived as an extension of children's services. In Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, service included a trained readers' advisor with a few introductory shelves selected for young adults. Both readers' advisor and shelves were physically located in adult Popular Library. Many libraries took more interest in facilities and location of separate YA rooms than in adequately trained personnel, and resulting lack of service provided in these rooms led them to be given up as failures, even though the need for an informed, sympathetic librarian who was trained to recognize and to respond to needs of adolescents persisted in every department of library [ 1, p. 349]. The arguments over location of collection, rather than over quality of staff, continue to this day. Since YA services were initially seen as a transition from children's services, and since society then definitely regarded adolescents as children, it took many years for public librarians to see that YA services, conceptually, should more logically be aligned with adult services [2, p. 3]. Some schizophrenia continues, however, because more personalized nature of delivery of YA services still has more in common with children's services than with adult services, even though most interesting materials for young adults are drawn from adult sources and parallel adult interests. While technically YA service is a specialty, with strong roots in traditional readers' advisory function of public libraries, specialized nature of such services does not mean that YA librarian should not also be a generalist. YA librarians are most accurately described as

Following consistently high demands for educational psychology services (EPSs) and recent influences upon the delivery of EPSs, the contribution of assistant educational psychologists (EPs) was explored via a multiple case study design. Participants included assistant psychologists, EPs and senior/principal psychologists from two local authority EPSs in England. Recorded focus groups and interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis was conducted to produce a cross case analysis. It was found that the assistant EP role emerged from EP recruitment difficulties and that assistants work in diverse ways to enhance and extend the EPS offer to schools to improve outcomes for children; however, the role did not reduce EP workloads. Challenges to the successful deployment of assistant EPs were highlighted along with implications for their practice and future research. Benefits for the assistants themselves included career progression experience.

A key question addressed by this paper is to what extent an educational psychology service (EPS) can become a learning organisation if the local education authority (LEA) has not yet become a learning organisation, thereby informing its host? Theoretically, an EPS is in a very influential position to become a learning organisation, directly influencing an LEA in also becoming a learning organisation, principally because of the collective expertise and experience of its members. Of the many ways an EPS can achieve this major objective, two of the most powerful ways are via ‘environmental scanning’ and by undertaking and disseminating research. The way in which the research role of the educational psychologist (EP) has been viewed is critical, as there is a common perception amongst EPs that their research role is often marginalised at best, and certainly underused, a view supported by Webster and Beveridge (1997).Summarising the principal issues, the evidence from the literature is that contemporary organisations (e.g. LEAs) may wish to become learning organisations. The perceived advantages may include general effectiveness, and within the schools context, meeting ‘targets’ and outcome measures. At a deeper, systemic level, the advantages could include improved functioning of the complex processes which lead to educational outcomes. LEAs may also wish to ensure the psychological health of its members, through personal motivation, professional satisfaction and helping them to meet their personal aspirations. Through the involvement of its EPS, an LEA could more effectively carry out its statutory and some non-statutory responsibilities, particularly in the light of the recommendations of the DfEE (2000) working group regarding the future role of educational psychology services (England).

Aims This study aimed to substantiate the conceptual model developed by Kuria and Kelly (2023) and explore: (i) how social justice is currently enacted in educational psychologist (EP) practice; (ii) how educational psychology practitioners believe these principles should be embedded within an educational psychology service (EPS); and (iii) what they feel are the facilitators/barriers to future implementation. Method/Rationale The disparities between outcomes for children and young people belonging to marginalised groups and their more privileged peers in the UK are stagnating or increasing. There are growing national and international calls to explore enactment of social justice within educational psychology with a view to embedding these principles within service delivery. A focus group composed of six participants (two Assistant EPs, three Main Grade EPs, and one Specialist Practitioner EP) from three EPSs in the North-West of England was analysed using hybrid deductive/inductive thematic analysis. Findings Features of current and future practice are examined alongside influences on their support/ challenge. Findings lend support to the conceptual model. A shared ethos of advocacy, a skilfully applied ‘critical-friend’ approach, and the balance of capacity and agency all may influence social justice enactment in EP practice. Limitations A self-describing ‘homogenous’ sample may influence the representativeness of the views gathered. Conclusions Fostering ‘bravery in practice’ remains important for EPs to continue advocating for social justice, whilst building and maintaining relationships within complex systems. Services representative of their communities may be better equipped to adopt a culturally-responsive approach.

Although considerable time and energy is spent by educational psychologists (EPs) on the creation of their reports, there has been surprisingly little research in the field. Much of what is available is more concerned with the structure, content, or utility of the report for different audiences than with meaning for the professional. This research explores how reports are spoken about by an educational psychology service (EPS), and the meaning this speech may hold for the EPs as report writers. Being immersed in team practice provided the opportunity to adopt an ethnographic methodology within the EPS base. Here, the lead author collected the language used about reports from two sources: field notes; and the recording and transcription of a journal club held by the EPS. Using discourse analysis drawing on a critical framework, seven discourses used when speaking of reports were proposed: “reports as just acts” (where “just” is synonymous with “fair”, “objective” or “unbiased”); “reports as psychological”; “reports as helpful”; “reports as defining EPs”; “reports as difficult”; “reports as expert”; and “reports as a purchase”. Some of the implications for practice that these discourses may suggest are considered.

Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) is a relationship-based, strengths focused intervention based on theories of intersubjectivity and attachment. Originally developed within family work, the evidence investigating the application of VIG within different relationships and settings is growing. Educational psychologists (EPs) are amongst practitioners who are electing to train in VIG and apply it in practice. This study sought to investigate how a VIG model of delivery has been developed within one educational psychology service (EPS). A case study design was implemented in which seven members of the EP team, all of whom are VIG trained, were interviewed and the data were thematically analysed. Findings illustrate the participants’ perceptions of factors and the infrastructure that have influenced the development of a VIG model of delivery at the service level, and which factors have sustained it over time. Implications for EP services, EP practice, and future research are considered.

With an increasingly diverse UK population and differences in outcomes and experiences, educational psychologists (EPs) need actively to adhere to and promote principles of equality and equity. Although there is limited engagement with social justice issues in the professional and ethical guidelines in the UK, there has been a growing body of research exploring socially just EP practice. This small scale exploratory research aimed to add to the UK literature by investigating how social justice principles can be developed within one educational psychology service (EPS). Findings indicate that social justice is defined as a cyclical process. A model has been produced to conceptualise social justice in EP practice which illustrates the importance of understanding how it is defined, and how this impacts EP work with clients and the EP team. Safe spaces and supportive leadership are highlighted as key to enabling reflection; and relationships and sharing information to promote systems-level change are highlighted. Limitations of the research and implications for practice are considered.

The systemic neglect of New York's young adults with mental illness.

A pilot project by an educational psychology service was commissioned by the Integrated Service for Disabled Children in a local authority, to offer support to parents of children with disabilities – both through giving them a chance to better understand their child’s diagnosis and talk about the impact of the diagnosis on themselves, as well as having the opportunity to discuss issues arou.nd their child’s bebav-iour. This article describes work undertaken with five families: four children had autism or were being assessed for autism and one had global developmental delay. Denalualion indicated that outcomes for parents were very positive, especially for three of the five parents. One of the recommendations of the pilot priject was to extend the current Service Level Agreement (SLA) for EP work in Children’s Centres to include home visits to families of disabled children – to give parents the chance to talk with an EP about the impact of the diagnosis in the way that is described in this article.

The impact of the changing context in education has been documented to have exacerbated wellbeing concerns within the Educational Psychology (EP) profession. The lasting effects of Covid-19, alongside rising numbers of pupils with additional support needs (ASN) and wider social and economic factors have led to a strain on EP services (McGovern et al., 2024; West Partnership, 2021). This has resulted in EPs experiencing stressful working conditions (Educational Institute of Scotland, 2023) and challenges in managing casework (McGovern et al., 2024). As highlighted in the Standards of Proficiency for Practitioner Psychologists (Health and Care Professions Council, 2023), the ability to manage wellbeing and seek support where appropriate is fundamental to safe and effective practice. This research aimed to evaluate engagement in a peer support model within one Scottish Educational Psychology Service (EPS), specifically in relation to wellbeing.

Summary The 1988 Education Reform Act has given Educational Psychology Services (EPSs) an opportunity to examine the quality of the services they provide. This paper is an attempt to put the rather nebulous concept of ‘quality’ into a perspective that is meaningful to educational psychologists (EP). It also suggests a process by which EPSs can develop the quality of their work. No attempt is made to delineate the role of an EPS. The starting point here is that whatever services an EPS provides, they should be of the highest quality in order to meet the needs of children.

The evolution of psychology services in the current climate of change for local authorities (LAs) will lead to a move towards the implementation of creative, collaborative initiatives and ways of engaging with parents.This paper discusses the role of educational psychologists (EPs) in engaging with parents of children with complex special educational needs (SEN) during times of transition and uncertainty in one LA. The involvement of EPs in early years transition planning is considered as a model of successful parental engagement. The positive outcomes of a collaborative project between the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) and a Down syndrome (DS) support group for parents and carers are presented. The project, undertaken in 2010/11, is referenced as a case study in the SEN and disability green paper (DfE, 2011).Evaluative comments and project outcomes emphasise the value of providing well co-ordinated and family focused services for children and their families at times of transition. EP partnerships with parent support groups impact positively on parental confidence and support professionals in allaying parental concerns at pivotal moments in children’s lives. Greater parental engagement is currently a key element of service delivery, and it is concluded that there are far-reaching benefits of EPs engaging with parent forums focused on a range of complex SEN. As support services professionals consult on how they can work most effectively to support children and young people and their families, and consider the resulting implications of this for local commissioning and EP service delivery, the outcomes of this work represents a good example.