Community Educational Psychology Service

Support for Parents and Carers

Educational Psychologists always try to work closely with parents and carers and provide support through:

Consultations held jointly with teachers and other professionals
Visiting homes were appropriate to talk about issues of concern
Being available on the telephone to respond to queries or concerns
Assessing children's areas of strength and need, in order to advise about appropriate further action
Offering training, support and interest groups to parents through organisations such as Sure Start and local schools
Contributing to teacher training on working with children with particular needs and their families
Promoting the involvement of parents in their children's education

Parents and carers will be encouraged and supported to:

Be fully involved in discussions concerning their child
Give their views of the situation
Ask questions
Consider ways to extend their child's learning and development; and
Participate fully in decisions concerning the next steps

Requests for consultation and help usually come through schools, or in the case of pre-school children, through health professionals or pre-school and early years settings.

Parental or Carer permission is always requested. Parents can also contact the Community Educational Psychology Service directly for advice and help.

For children and young people whose special educational needs are being assessed under the 1996 Education Act, the Educational Psychologist will:

Help explain procedures to parents and carers
Provide advice about parental rights
Ensure that parents and carers have an opportunity to present their views about their child's needs

Educational Psychologists may also be involved in talking to groups of parents about general issues relating to children's development and educational needs.

Some facts

When their views were sampled, 100% of parents expressed satisfaction with the service provided by the Community Educational Psychology Service
They also expressed a wish for increased time to meet psychologists and school staff to discuss their child's needs
Between 2000-2004, Psychologists carried out on average nearly 250 home visits a year

Contact

Brian Davis

Group Manager - Community Educational Psychology Service

Seabrook House

22 Shipton Close

Dagenham

RM8 3QR

Tel: 020 8270 6900

Fax: 020 8270 6935

Email: brian.davis@lbbd.gov.uk|