Service Information:
The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) provides a statutory EP service to Somerset County Council, a core EP service to schools and settings and a range of traded services.
Educational Psychologists have extensive training and experience in working with children, young people and their families. EPs have a first degree in Psychology, and post-graduate study for either a Master’s Degree or a Doctorate in Educational Psychology. During the post-graduate study, Educational Psychologists will have studied child development, the psychology of teaching and learning, special educational needs and disabilities, and the promotion of resilience, emotional well-being and positive mental health.
Educational Psychologists are experts in facilitating change to find a way forward when things feel ‘stuck’. We will work with key adults to tackle challenges such as complex cognition and learning difficulties; language, communication and interaction difficulties; social, emotional and mental health difficulties; issues around disability as well as more complex developmental difficulties. Educational Psychologists can provide support for individual children and young people, as well as provide support at a whole school, systemic level.
We work in a variety of ways and offer problem-solving consultation, advice and support to key adults (i.e. teachers, parents, SENCOs), the wider community, as well as the children and young people concerned. We are committed to working in a ‘person-centred’ way, to support the inclusion, participation and achievement of children and young people; this may include meeting with children and young people to elicit their views, observations, and/or assessment activities, to complement the information already available.
All EPs working for Inclusion Somerset Educational Psychology are registered with the Health & Care Professionals Council as practitioner psychologists and are eligible for Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society.
An EHA is no longer required when requesting involvement from the Educational Psychology Service. Please discuss any involvement being considered with your school or setting link EP to agree and plan the piece of work. A signed parent carer or young person consent form will be required by the EP prior to any involvement starting.
Information regarding the Educational Psychology service, including criteria to access the service, can be found on the Support Services for Education website.
Contact Details:
Email address: InclusionSENSupportServices@somerset.gov.uk