when the child / young person is already known to the service
2014 / 15: mainstream schools
Process
When we have already been involved with a child / young person and you would like to request a new piece of work, we request that you:
- consult with your named educational psychologist
- make a written request for our involvement, if agreed.
Your named EP will communicate the outcome of your request to you.
ConsultationWe need to discuss our possible involvement with you as a first step. Consultation should take place prior to sending in any written information. Consultation will help us to establish with you:
- that the request meets our criteria
- whether your request is likely to be for core, EP directed or bought back time
- the date by which we would need to receive a written request in order to gain access to a service within a certain range of dates / e.g., the next half term.
It should take place with the named EP for school / area of work.
Making a written requestIf we ask you for written information, this can be completed on our RFI or a CAF, if you have one which is up to date and it includes the information which we need.
Communication with youThe outcome the requester by the EP who will carry out the piece of work, stating:
- approximate time / cost, if appropriate
- the date when the work will take place.
Eligibility criteria: information we need to determine whether we can become involved
We need to have information about the strengths as well as the difficulties experienced by a child / young person; we find that a focus on strengths is generally the most effective basis for action-planning.
Please include National Curriculum related assessment information, preferably put into (school, class, etc.) context.
It would also be very helpful to include information about the child / young person’s targets for the coming year.
Before we accept a request for our involvement, we need to be able to establish that:
- the severity / complexity of the child’s needs are at a level which are significantly outside developmental / age expectations
- appropriate action has already been taken including the appropriate deployment of school resources, usually involving two evaluated cycles at SEN Support of the Code of Practice
- the child / young person is not making expected progress, despite the above action
- appropriate other agencies available to schools, etc., have already been involved, e.g., LSS, BSS, Jigsaw, SLT, OT, etc. (including health and social care, when necessary)
- the child / young person has been included (as appropriate for their age, development) in what has already taken place as well as the decision to make a request for our involvement
- the parent / carers have been actively involved in what has already taken place as well as giving fully informed consent for our involvement (and have been supplied with written information about our Service)
- there is a good reason to expect that our involvement will lead to improved outcome(s) for the child / young person and / or their family
- there is good reason to expect that professionals will be better equipped to meet a child / young person’s needs following our involvement.
If we are not clear that a request meets these criteria we will contact you to ask for more information, either verbally or in writing.
We may need to ask you to re-refer at another time. If this is the case, we will always explain why.
Requests which provide clear evidence to establish that all of the criteria are met will receive a positive, speedy response from us.
Your comments / questionsWe welcome your comments about the processes which we are using and would suggest that you talk to your psychologist and / or Mark Hancock, Principal Child and Educational Psychologist or Martin Powell, Senior Educational Psychologist.
Telephone: 0161 474 3870 Email:
Stockport Council – Psychology Service – Request for Involvement Guidance Notes 2014/5 – page 1