Educational Psychology Service
Information for parent carers
Educational psychologists (EPs) help children and young people (CYP) between the ages of 0-25 who are experiencing learning differences, social and emotional challenges, neurodiversity or developmental issues. EPs are highly trained in many aspects of psychology, and have a deep understanding of how children and young people develop. EPs use psychology to help CYP and families understand their situations and collaborate on how to move forward.
Who are we?
We are a team of Educational Psychologists, Trainee Educational Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists who apply psychology to support the wellbeing and progress of children and young people aged 0 - 25 years.
Educational Psychologists (EP) are psychologists trained in child and developmental psychology. EPs have completed a doctorate in psychology. They support families, schools and young people to understand and move forward with their current situations.
A Trainee Educational Psychologist (TEP) is a psychologist who is currently on the doctoral course, training to become a qualified educational psychologist. As part of their training, TEPs complete placements where they support schools and young people under the supervision of a qualified EP.
An Assistant Psychologist (AP) is a psychologist who has completed an undergraduate degree in psychology. An AP helps EPs with many different tasks including observations, training in schools or gaining pupil views from young people. Assistant Psychologists complete work under the supervision of a qualified Educational Psychologist and will often need to discuss their work with their supervisor before actions can take place.
How do we work?
In Telford & Wrekin, the EP service works with children and young people from birth to age 25. We support families, teachers, teaching assistants, schools (including specialist settings), and health services like the Child Development Centre. EPs help by listening carefully to everyone involved—children, parents or carers, and school staff—to understand what’s going on and how best to help.
What do we do?
The work an Educational Psychologist completes can take many different forms – in Telford & Wrekin it most often involves:
- Talking with and listening to key adults who know the C/YP well
- Direct work with C/YP to find out their views and wishes
- Coaching / supervision for school staff
- Professional development and training for staff teams (‘CPD’)
We often begin with consultation. This means having a thoughtful conversation with adults who know the child well, like parents and teachers. Together, we use psychological ideas to better understand the child’s needs and plan ways to help at home and in school. This approach is based on the idea that to support children well, we first need to support the adults around them.
Our Values
Collaboration
At Telford we work collaboratively with families, children and a variety of agencies, including health and social care to provide holistic support for children.
Community
Supporting our community is vital to supporting the wellbeing of all our children and young people. At Telford, we reach into the community to offer psychological support, for example by working with PODS.
Innovation
At Telford, we prioritise innovative ways to work with children and their families, using up to date psychology to work at individual and systemic levels.
Wellbeing
We believe the wellbeing of children, families, teachers and school is central to all of our work. We promote whole school and individual wellbeing.
Our Projects
ELSA
Telford and Wrekin EPS runs the ELSA initiative across Telford schools. ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. During the training, school staff learn about understanding feelings and how to help children manage their emotions. After the training, ELSAs get ongoing support from the EP service.
ELSA sessions provide a nurturing space where CYP can develop the emotional literacy skills they need to navigate life’s challenges. By addressing emotional and social, differences early on, ELSAs can help CYP understand and manage their emotions, build resilience, and improve their interpersonal skills.
PODS
We have partnered with PODS to support parents who have children with SEND. Our EP team offers sessions at PODS alongside school-based drop-ins.
Autism Education Trust
Along with our Learning Support Advisory Teachers and Early Years specialists we provide whole school professional development through Autism Education Trust training for primary, secondary and post-16 settings.
The Wellbeing Charter Mark
We are committed to whole school wellbeing practices through implementation of the pilot of the Sandwell Wellbeing Charter Mark.
