Bexley Local Offer – In House Services

Early InterventionTeam ( EIT) Educational Psychology Service

Introduction

Please note that EP time is allocated to community schools and academies are able to buy in this service.

Educational Psychologists (EPs) are trained and experienced professionals who have expertise in a variety of areas of child psychology, including child development and special educational needs. They can provide advice and guidance to support schools and parents in working with children and young people with Additional Educational Needs (AEN) and Special Educational Needs (SEN). This is between the ages of 0-16 and 16-25 where the young person is eligible for an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)

Specific areas where EP support would be beneficial can include the following.

  • Advice and/ or assessment to parents and teachers where a child is not making sufficient educational progress, or failing to thrive.
  • Advice and assessment of children as part of an application for an EHC Plan
  • Advice and support to colleagues in other professional disciplines.

Multi- agency support and advice (where a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is in operation for example)

  • Training school staff and other professionals on a range of education related psychological issues.
  • Specific advice on children in special schools,( possible out of borough) when children are placed there as a result of an EHC plan.

Referral

Parents and carers are not able to access Bexley EP support directly

Referral to this service for school age children is through the school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) or Inclusion Manager. Children and young people causing concern are discussed at the termly meeting with the Early Intervention Team. There is a parental consent to discuss form that needs to be completed prior to the meeting, and if EP involvement is agreed, schools will need to complete a referral form that gives more detailed information required prior to them working with the child.

There is also scope for referral in an emergency (again with parental agreement) and SENCOs would discuss this in the first place with the appropriate Early Intervention Team Manager.

Referrals for pre-school children come from health services professionals or pre-school settings.

Benefits of this service

- All staff are skilled experienced and qualified in their field

They are registered with the Health & Care Professions Council and other Professional Bodies as appropriate, and have a current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance.
Ongoing professional development
All staff have access to regular professional development opportunities to enhance their skills on a regular basis and allow them to meet the required standards for continued registration with the Health Professions Council. They receive regular supervision from Senior Educational Psychologists.
Links to a multidisciplinary team :
The staff are part of a multidisciplinary team and can seek support from colleagues with expertise in a variety of areas. This can enable children’s difficulties to be addressed in a holistic way. Where appropriate, they can undertake joint casework with colleagues from the team.
Links to other Services within Bexley :
Educational Psychologists work with other services within Bexley, including CAMHS and the Autism Assessment Service. They are therefore well placed to support schools in working with these agencies, as well as facilitate child and family links.

Our service standards
Reports will be written within 6 weeks of seeing a child, although this may be sooner subject to re-negotiating other priorities.
Comments, compliments and complaints should be made in the first instance to the member of staff concerned. Where complaints arise we will treat these constructively and will try to be proactive and resolve them quickly to your satisfaction.
Any serious complaint should be addressed to the Head of Service, who will then attempt to resolve the issue within the guidelines agree by the London Borough of Bexley

For further information on EIT services please refer to our Parent Information Leaflet

Contact

Name: Brenda Tubbs Principal Educational Psychologist.

Department: Education and SEN Early Intervention Team.

Telephone: 0203045 4214

Mobile:

Email: