BRIDGEND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE
The aim of the service is to promote the positive development of children, young people, families and organisations, through the application of psychology.
The Educational Psychology Service:
- offers equal opportunities for access to all clients;
- is able to operate in a multi-disciplinary context;
- applies a wide range of psychological skills
Range of Services Available
- Consultation and problem solving with the headteacher, special educational needs co-ordinator and class teachers;
- advice on strategies for individual pupils
Direct work with children and families
- Identification of needs regarding development, learning and behaviour
- Advice on intervention
- Support for complex casework
- Support in working with parents
- Work with groups of children
- Statutory work
- Counselling
Organisational / Systems Work
- Development of collaborative approaches and joint working
- In-service training for school staff
- Advice on special educational needs policy and practice
- Work with Health, Social Services and other organisations
- Support for looked after children
- Liaison with child and adolescent mental health services
- Supervising the pre-school Portage¬ scheme
¬The Portage programme is primarily a home-based scheme which encourages parents to become partners in the education of their pre-school children with special needs. The children are given specific teaching in basic skills in order to try to accelerate their development.
HOW TO OBTAIN HELP FROM THE EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE
The service has a policy of ensuring an agreed minimum number of visits to each school per term to enable discussion and consultation on a range of issues. Schools complete consultation request forms prior to these discussions and the agenda for each visit is determined in advance.
Other agencies and departments are able to refer by letter providing relevant background information and reasons for the need for psychological intervention. Parents can make direct requests to the service for an Educational Psychologist to become involved in helping their child but in the first instance they may be referred back to the school as the initial step to addressing their concerns.
The Portage programme is primarily a home-based scheme which encourages parents to become partners in the education of their pre-school children with special needs. The children are given specific teaching in basic skills in order to try to accelerate their development.
In Bridgend the Portage Service is managed and funded by the Health Service although the Portage Advisors are based with and supervised by the Educational Psychology Service.
The children may have various special needs, including moderate to profound and multiple learning difficulties, communication, social and behavioural difficulties.
Referrals are made by health service professionals to the Consultant Community Paediatrician who carries out an initial assessment using a well established test for young children, the Ruth Griffiths Mental Development Scales.
If the results of the assessment suggest that the child would benefit from the Portage service the Consultant Community Paediatrician refers the child on to the Educational Psychology Service.
After an initial introduction to the family, the Portage Advisor will begin to complete the Portage Early Education Programme Checklists. This will establish a baseline of skills already acquired and help the Portage Advisor and parent decide on future targets and activities. On subsequent visits, the Advisor will carry out activities with the child alongside the parent and leave an activity for the parent to teach to the child each day over the following week.
Initially all children have weekly home visits. These may be reduced to fortnightly visits if the child has made exceptional progress, is receiving other additional specialist help, is attending a playgroup for two sessions a week, or at the request of the parents.
The scheme is monitored through bi-monthly multi-agency meetings.
- Last Updated: 04/02/2004
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