Educational Psychology Service (EPS)

The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) is in the Education and Partnerships Directorate.

The EPS supports the development and learning of children, adolescents and young people aged 0 – 25. Educational Psychologists (EPs) are psychology graduates with extensive experience of working with children and young people.

We undertake post graduate / doctoral training in educational psychology. All our EPs are registered as practitioner psychologists with the Health and Care Professions Council and are entitled to register for chartered status with the British Psychological Society.

EPs work with children and young people aged 0 - 25 with a range of different needs. We also support schools and the local authority to develop systems for supporting children and young people.

EPs look at how children and young people experience life within school and home environments and how different factors in these contexts interact with each other. We then work collaboratively with parents, schools and other professionals to identify strategies to help.

What do we offer?

The EPS supports schools and other educational settings through service level agreements to raise achievement and deliver positive outcomes for children and young people. Our work is underpinned by collaborative, joint problem-solving approaches and evidence-based practice.

Every state funded school in the borough has a link EP who will provide psychological advice as part of an Education, Health and Care needs (statutory) assessment. If you are a parent and think your child may need support from an EP it will be helpful to speak to your school's special educational needs coordinator.

We also offer a regular drop-in service at SENDIASS where any parent or young person aged 16-25 can speak with an EP for advice. For dates of when these sessions run, please contact SENDIASS.

Ways in which EPs support children and young people include:

• Consultation – meeting with parents or carers and other professionals to discuss a child or young person’s needs and how best to help them.
• Psychological assessments – visiting educational settings to gather information about a child or young persons’ needs using methods such as consultation, observation, pupil interview and direct assessment.
• One to one and small group interventions - EPs may deliver one to one or small group interventions to promote learning and emotional wellbeing. These include Video interaction Guidance and Mindfulness. We may also train and supervise others in delivering these interventions.
• Supporting staff development – EPs provide training, staff coaching and professional supervision for specialised interventions. This includes training / supervision of Emotional Literacy Support Assistants and support around Maximising the Impact of Teaching Assistants.
• Supporting parents - jointly identifying strategies to use at home, setting up and running training and therapeutic interventions to help support family relationships.
• Research and evaluation – designing and carry out research to enhance practice, build practice-based evidence and improve outcomes.
• Multi agency work – leading and / or participating in a range of multi-agency panels and child centred planning meetings.
• Strategic work - EP
• s support schools and the local authority to improve children’s emotional wellbeing and experiences of learning through involvement in strategic work. We also provide a responsive crisis support service.

The EPS also works with families of children under the age of five where there is a concern about their development. An involved professional will have notified the local authority of their concerns.

Each Children’s Centre in Tower Hamlets has a link Educational Psychologist who provides parenting support to families in the local area. To contact a Children’s Centre, please refer to the Children’s Centre webpage.

How is the service accessed?

EPs can be contacted through Tower Hamlets educational settings. Parents who are concerned about their child should talk to the school in the first instance. To contact your local school or provider, please refer to the schools webpage.

• Request for EP involvement
• Early help assessment (EHA)
• Children’s centres use the universal referral form

You can also contact the on 0207 364 2886.

Leaflets that explain our work and offer

• How can an Educational Psychologist help my child?
• How can an Educational Psychologist help you? (Children)
• How can an Educational Psychologist help you? (Young people)
• How Educational Psychologists can support families in Childrens Centres

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