Special Educational Needs & the Role of the Educational Psychologist

Dr Anne-Marie McBlainSpecialist Senior Educational

Psychologist

What is Psychology?

• Psychology – exploring and understanding individuals, the interactions between people, their environment and each other.

B = f(P x E)

Environment

PersonPerson

What is Educational Psychology?• Educational Psychology is

concerned with supporting CYP experiencing difficulties that are hindering their chance of learning (BPS, 2013).

• Educational Psychologists (EPs) strive to improve and optimise the learning and development of all CYP (HCPC, 2012).

Education

Families/ communities

Children and young people

What Do EPs Do?

EPs offer a wide range of support & advice to:• Children & young people (CYP) aged 0-25• Families• Professionals in a wide range of settings (including: EY settings, schools, colleges, YOIs, Health & Care facilities)

• They have a statutory role in providing advice or information to local authorities for CYP who have SEND and are undergoing a statutory EHC needs assessment.

EP Training & Experience

Historically (pre-2006)

• Psychology degree• Teaching

qualification• At least 2 years

teaching experience• Masters degree in

Educational Psychology (1 year full time)

Currently (post-2006)

– Psychology degree– At least 2 years

relevant experience working with children or young people

– Doctorate in Educational Psychology (3 years full time)

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE

EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

SERVICE

Develop policies & procedures

Support for Bereavement & critical

incidents

Mental Health Projects

Brief therapeutic work (solution focused, CBT)

Positive Psychology

Provide training for schools &

other professionals

Liaise with CAMHS

ELSAs

MENTAL HEALTH/

EMOTIONAL LITERACY

Support with provision/

intervention management

Advice and evaluation of interventions

Consultations

Annual reviews

Support & training of SENCos

Planning & supporting

interventions

Out of area reviews

Training teachers &

support assistants

Inclusion Development Programme

Tribunals

Statutory assessmt

SEN and LEARNING

Provide training on Attachment

Attendance at EP interest groups for

LAC

Support in setting up R:Vue

Monitoring and tracking of all LACVideo Interaction Guidance

Provide training for foster carers

Vice Chair of Foster Panel

Member of Life Chances Team

Develop policies and procedures

Attendance at out of area reviews – PEPs, ARs, LAC

reviews

LOOKED AFTER

CHILDREN

Develop policies and procedures

Locality Networks

BEHAVIOUR and

EXCLUSIONS

Provide training to Early Years

Settings

Working with partner agencies

EARLY YEARS

Attend PSTC/SEN meetings & feed back to relevant EPs

Developing protocol for joint PSTC/EPS work in conjunction with PSTC Co-ordinator

Involvement with children's Centres including facilitating EPs' direct involvement with parents and staff

Liaise with EY SIA in relation to supporting targeted Foundation settings to implement the social skills programme

Liaising with other local authorities with a view to sharing good practice

Keep up to date with policies, procedures and research

Attending parent drop-in sessions

Sharing knowledge & skills with EY settings & parents

Attend Pupil at Risk Panel – monitoring primary pupils at risk of exclusion

Tracking of primary exclusions – for risk

Ongoing casework –assessment /intervention/problem solving

Support, advice, training to schools

Support, advice to parents

Close work with other agencies –PRU/SEN /BST

YOT Panel

Supporting residential care home staff

What do EPs do?• Holistic approach – consider school,

family and community systems:– CYP– Parents/Carers– Education staff– Multi-agency professionals (e.g.

social workers, paediatricians, S&LTs)

• Explore strengths & needs • Support development of provision

& interventions to meet needs• Apply psychology – formulations,

evidence-based practice

School

CommunityFamily

What do EPs do?• Levels of work:

– Individual– Group– Organisational

• 0-25 years

• Complex needs – severe and persistent

• Vulnerable groups – statements of SEN/EHC plans, at risk of exclusion, children in care

Cognition & Learning

Health & Physical

Communication & Interaction

Social, Emotional &

Mental Health

EPS

Casework

Training

Multi-Agency working

Settings

Community working

Research

EPs:

i Act as consultants for school staff, other professionals & parents and contribute to the development of direct work with CYP.

ii Carry out assessments, develop interventions, monitor progress & write reports.

iii Contribute to multi-agency planning processes for CYP by attending meetings and/or providing reports.

The Special Educational Needs And Disability Code Of Practice: 0 To 25 Years - January 2015

Provides statutory guidance:

• For organisations which work with

& support CYP who have SEN or

disabilities

• On duties, policies and procedures relating to Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and associated regulations and applies to England.

Associated Legislation

• The Children and Families Act 2014 (Transitional & Saving Provisions) (No 2) Order 2014.

• The Special Educational Needs & Disability Regulations 2014

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Detained Persons) Regulations 2015

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Personal Budgets) Regulations 2014

This Code of Practice is statutory guidance for the following organisations:

• Local authorities (education, social care and relevant housing and employment and other services)

• Governing bodies of schools, (including non- maintained special schools), FE colleges & 6th form colleges

• Proprietors of academies (including free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools)

• Management committees of pupil referral units

• Independent schools and independent specialist providers approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014

• All early years providers in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors that are funded by the local authority

• The NHS Commissioning Board

• NHS Trusts Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)

• NHS Foundation Trusts

• Local Health Boards

• Youth Offending Teams & relevant youth custodial establishments

• The First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability)

The main changes from the SEN Code of Practice (2001) reflect the changes introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014. These are:

• It covers the 0-25 age range

• It relates to disabled CYP as well as those with SEN

• Has a clearer focus on the participation of CYP & their parents in decision-making at individual and strategic levels

• Has a stronger focus on high aspirations and on improving outcomes for CYP

• Includes guidance on the joint planning and commissioning of services to ensure close co-operation between education, health and social care

• Includes guidance on publishing a Local Offer of support for CYP with SEN or disabilities

• Promotes a graduated approach to identifying and supporting pupils and students with SEN (to replace School Action and School Action Plus)

• Education, Health & Care plans (EHC plan) replace statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs)

• A greater focus on support that enables those with SEN to succeed in their education and make a successful transition to adulthood

• Information is provided on relevant duties under the Equality Act 2010 & relevant provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005

• There is new guidance on supporting children and young people with SEN who are in youth custody.

The CoP definitions of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

• xiii. A CYP has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

• xiv. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

- has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age,

OR- has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or post-16 institutions

5.32. CYP’s SEN are generally thought of in the following four broad areas of need and support:

• Communication and interaction

• Cognition and learning

• Social, emotional and mental health • Sensory and/or physical needs

The Graduated Approach

• Is a 4 part, assess, plan, do & review process.

• As a part of this process, medium & long-term outcomes may change.

• Is a continuous data collection which monitors the success of interventions.

1.24 High quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised

will meet the individual needs of the majority of children and young

people (approx. 80%)

• 6.38 In deciding whether to make SEN provision, the teacher and SENCO should consider all of the information gathered from within the school about the pupil’s progress, alongside national data and expectations of progress.

• This should include high quality and accurate formative assessment, using effective tools and early assessment materials.

Stage 1 of the Graduated Approach

Where a CYP needs educational provision that is additional to or different from this

to enable them to access independent learning and the curriculum.

(Approx. 18-19%)

Stage 1 SEN provision

• This is special educational provision under Section 21 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

• Schools and colleges must use their best endeavours to ensure that such provision is made for those who need it.

SEND Support Plans

• At stage 1 the teacher(s) & SENCO with parents/carers and CYP create a SEND Support Plan.

• The outcomes, interventions & support should be agreed by all parties

• The expected impact on progress, development or behaviour should be considered

• A date for review should be set

Stage 2 SEN Provision• 5.48 Where a child continues to make less than expected progress,

despite evidence-based support and interventions that are matched to the child’s area of need

• Builds on the arrangements for Stage 1

• Involves more frequent review & more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the needs of the CYP.

Stage 2 SEN Provision

Involves specialists eg:• CAMHS• GPs• Paediatricians• OTs &/or Physios• Health visitors• School nurses• Speech & language therapists• Portage workers• Educational psychologists• Specialist teachers • Support services.

• Such specialists can help to identify:

• Needs• Effective strategies• Equipment• Programmes • Support/Resources• Other interventions to enable the CYP to make progress towards the desired learning and development outcomes.

• Review progress

An EHC Needs Assessment

• Builds on arrangements for Stage 1 and Stage 2

• Is only appropriate for CYP with complex, persistent & long-term needs in 1 or more of the 4 broad areas (ie. the most complex cases (approx. 1-2%)

In these cases,

• The severity of the CYP’s SEN indicates a need for the Local Authority to become more actively involved.

• It is likely that there will be prolonged multi-agency involvement.

EHC Needs Assessment

• A request for an EHC assessment is likely to happen where there is a perception that SEN provision currently being made for the CYP by the setting from their own resources, is not be enabling them to make adequate progress.

• Settings or parents can request an EHC needs

assessment

EHC Needs Assessment

• Before considering a CYP for an EHC Needs Assessment, careful consideration should be given to the circumstances,

• This may reveal good progress from a low base & not all CYP are expected to progress at the same rate.

The evidence provided when requesting an EHC Needs Assessment

should indicate how additional support has been targeted at each

stage.

It should show either that:

• the CYP is not making adequate progress despite appropriate support at Stage 2;

or,

• that there will be a clear need to provide long-term support over and above that which can be reasonably provided at Stage 2 to ensure the CYP continues to make appropriate progress.

Advice and information required for EHC Needs Assessments Relevant legislation: Section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and Regulations 6, 7, and 8

of the SEND Regulations 2014 9.49

Advice & information from:• 9.45 The CYP (using appropriate methods)

• 9.49 The CYP’s parent’s/carers

• 9.46 Relevant professionals about the CYP’s education, health and care needs, desired outcomes & provision required

Most importantly……..!!

9.49 Psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist who should normally be employed or commissioned by the local authority.

EP ASSESSSMENTS

Assessment In Context

Includes:

– Observation

– Discussion with staff, parent/carer, CYP

– Curriculum-based assessment

Assessment over time

Eg. Assessment through teaching- Establishes a baseline- Teaching is based in the CYP’s needs as identified - Testing follows teaching to determine the CYP’s progress

(This data should have been collected at stage 2)

Normative Assessment

Eg. British Ability Scales-III; Nepsy-II; WISC-V; WIAT-III

- Provides information about the CYP’s cognitive abilities compared to other CYP

of the same age

Questions?

Scenerio

• What stage of the SEN Code of Practice is Tom currently at?

• Is this appropriate?

• What reasons would you give for Tom’s behaviour?

• Think about what might affect Tom at home, in the classroom and at playtime

• Have some ideas to share with your colleagues.

REMEMBER – There are no right or wrong answers for this

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!