Community Educational Psychology Service 

The Community Educational Psychology Service within Children's Services is a key service contributing to education and school improvement, raising attainment, social and educational inclusion and safeguarding children.

Very importantly, our Community Educational Psychology Service is determined to provide a service which is crucial, modern and relevant. All activities will reflect our priorities to help build the community of Barking and Dagenham and transform lives.

Our Community Educational Psychology Service is a statutory service working across agency boundaries with partners in Education, Health, Social Care and the Voluntary sector to promote the inclusion and well-being of all our children and young people and especially those who are vulnerable or who have additional or special needs.

This can be at a number of levels from working with individual children and families, to working with organisations and groups managing children's health and development and providing education and care.

In many cases Psychologists will be working to help address issues and problems which are complex.

In doing so, Psychologists will be drawing on their knowledge in relation to child development including learning, language, behaviour and promotion of social skills, relationships and self esteem.

They can help with the interactive processes relating to management of the learning and care environment and help facilitate joint working with other professionals and parents.

They can help promote positive interaction between children or young people and the adults who teach, work and live with them, providing a vital supportive role to parents and carers.

"Educational Psychologists are a crucial part of much of the government's thinking. In terms of multi agency work and some of the inclusion work that is clearly laid out in the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters'."
Hansard (8 June 2004) House of Lords

"Educational Psychologists should deal with inclusion. They are a crucial factor in creating the circumstances for proper inclusion for children who are disaffected, have special needs or could do better in their school environment."
Hansard (8 June 2004) House of Lords

"The (Barking and Dagenham) Community Educational Psychology Service is at the forefront of change."
Ofsted 2002

The Community Educational Psychology Service is a small team of Psychologists with responsibility for management and deployment. There are also Senior Psychologists with particular roles and responsibilities. 

The service incorporates a research support/administrative team. It falls within the Safeguarding and Rights Division of Children's Services.

Our Psychologists have all been teachers with successful and varied experience in a range of settings. They all have an honours degree or equivalent in psychology. They will have all gone on to undertake a professional Masters degree in Educational Psychology, qualifying them to work as applied Psychologists and some have obtained professional Doctorates.

They continue to work with professional supervision, when in a local authority team such as ours, developing expertise and specialisms. They keep up-to-date through ongoing professional development.

Our Psychologists are Chartered, or eligible, and are recognised as such by the British Psychological Society (BPS). They are all expected to work within the guidelines of the BPS and particularly those of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology. They also work within the guidelines of the Association of Educational Psychologists.

The service also works within our corporate guidelines and Council priorities. This helps to ensure that the service focus is on important local issues and that any complaints can be dealt with appropriately.

The service has in the recent past been subject to Best Value review and inspection by Ofsted and achieved positive outcomes. The service is highly rated, for example by schools, but also by all other service users including parents and carers.

The Community Educational Psychology Service is a universal service. It is available to all education and care providers and children and families in Barking and Dagenham.

It also has targeted and specialist functions.

Specialist expertise has been developed within the Community Educational Psychology Service for:

• Early years
• Sensory impairment and other disability
• Language
• Autism and social and communication needs
• Positive handling
• Behaviour and attendance
• Looked after children
• Refugee asylum and traveller children
• Child and parent perspectives

Head Teachers in Barking and Dagenham currently rate the Community Educational Psychology Service as very close to the best possible rating - our aim is to be consistently rated in the top quartile nationally.

• We aim to provide a friendly, non-judgemental service, to listen and try to understand
• We aim to provide information and advice which is relevant and practical
• We will respond promptly to any enquiries or correspondence
• We will provide written feedback on consultations and interventions held in schools and pre-school settings
• We will ensure our reports for statutory assessment are provided on time
• We provide a confidential service
• We aim to keep up-to-date with professional developments in order to provide a high quality service

• To put children first in every situation
• To promote social inclusion
• To apply appropriate and effective models of psychology to schools, families, children and agency partners to bring about positive change
• To contribute to raising standards for all children
• To promote the emotional health and well-being of all children and young people
• To contribute to a positive teaching and learning environment within an equal opportunities framework
• To develop preventive and dynamic approaches including early intervention
• To work as effectively as possible (give value for money) by working with individuals and systems
• To take part in multi-agency working which embraces diversity
• To assist others to provide a duty of care to all children
• To ensure that education and care practice is supported by evidence of effectiveness
• To keep abreast of current developments in order to inform our practice
• To contribute strategically to local authority initiatives
• To be committed to working positively, supportively and effectively both within our own service and with other agencies and stakeholders