Bexley Local Offer – In House Services
Early Intervention Team ( EIT) Educational Psychology Service
Introduction
Please note that EP time is allocated to community schools and academies are able
to buy in this service.
Educational Psychologists (EPs) are trained and experienced professionals who
have expertise in a variety of areas of child psychology, including child development
and special educational needs. They can provide advice and guidance to support
schools and parents in working with children and young people with Additional
Educational Needs (AEN) and Special Educational Needs (SEN). This is between
the ages of 0-16 and 16-25 where the young person is eligible for an Education
Health Care Plan (EHCP)
Specific areas where EP support would be beneficial can include the following.
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Advice and/ or assessment to parents and teachers where a child is not
making sufficient educational progress, or failing to thrive.
Advice and assessment of children as part of an application for an EHC Plan
Advice and support to colleagues in other professional disciplines.
Multi- agency support and advice (where a Common Assessment Framework
(CAF) is in operation for example)
Training school staff and other professionals on a range of education related
psychological issues.
Specific advice on children in special schools,( possible out of borough) when
children are placed there as a result of an EHC plan.
Referral
Parents and carers are not able to access Bexley EP support directly
Referral to this service for school age children is through the school SENCO (Special
Educational Needs Coordinator) or Inclusion Manager. Children and young people
causing concern are discussed at the termly meeting with the Early Intervention
Team. There is a parental consent to discuss form that needs to be completed prior
to the meeting, and if EP involvement is agreed, schools will need to complete a
referral form that gives more detailed information required prior to them working with
the child.
There is also scope for referral in an emergency (again with parental agreement) and
SENCOs would discuss this in the first place with the appropriate Early Intervention
Team Manager.
Referrals for pre-school children come from health services professionals or preschool settings.
Benefits of this service
- All staff are skilled experienced and qualified in their field
They are registered with the Health & Care Professions Council and other
Professional Bodies as appropriate, and have a current Disclosure and Barring
Service (DBS) clearance.
Ongoing professional development
All staff have access to regular professional development opportunities to enhance
their skills on a regular basis and allow them to meet the required standards for
continued registration with the Health Professions Council. They receive regular
supervision from Senior Educational Psychologists.
Links to a multidisciplinary team :
The staff are part of a multidisciplinary team and can seek support from colleagues
with expertise in a variety of areas. This can enable children’s difficulties to be
addressed in a holistic way. Where appropriate, they can undertake joint casework
with colleagues from the team.
Links to other Services within Bexley :
Educational Psychologists work with other services within Bexley, including CAMHS
and the Autism Assessment Service. They are therefore well placed to support
schools in working with these agencies, as well as facilitate child and family links.
Our service standards
Reports will be written within 6 weeks of seeing a child, although this may be sooner
subject to re-negotiating other priorities.
Comments, compliments and complaints should be made in the first instance to the
member of staff concerned. Where complaints arise we will treat these constructively
and will try to be proactive and resolve them quickly to your satisfaction.
Any serious complaint should be addressed to the Head of Service, who will then
attempt to resolve the issue within the guidelines agree by the London Borough of
Bexley
For further information on EIT services please refer to our Parent Information Leaflet
http://www.bexley.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=9865&p=0
Contact
Name: Brenda Tubbs Principal Educational Psychologist.
Department: Education and SEN Early Intervention Team.
Telephone: 0203045 4214
Mobile:
Email: Earlyintervention.team@bexley.gov.uk