Camden Educational Psychology Service (EPS)

The Educational Psychology Service (EPS) is usually provided in early years settings, schools and other community settings

The service is based at: 5 Pancras Square Camden London N1C 4AG Please note that the postal address is different, as all mail should be addressed to: Educational Psychology Service, Camden Town Hall Judd St WC1H 9JE

A service is available for all Camden schools including Academies and Free Schools, Further Education colleges and in nurseries and children’s centres. Some providers have the funding in their own budget and can buy in the service, for example Academies, Free Schools and FE Colleges.

A statutory advice service is provided free at the point of delivery. A statutory advice service is also provided to children who are residents in Camden, but receive their education in another borough, for example for children and young people undergoing statutory assessment of their Education, Health and Care needs.

The EPS provides specialised support and advice to children and young people with special educational needs who get help but are not making expected progress:

• young children under 5 identified by professionals together with families as having special educational needs or disabilities, who have been identified by early years settings or by health professionals (health professionals have a legal duty to notify the local authority if they become aware of a child’s health conditions that may impact on learning in school) 

• children and young people in primary and secondary school settings (from 5and up to 19 while they remain in education), who have been identified by schools and other providers, together with families

• young adults up to the age of 25 who remain in education and who have an identified special educational need and who need support over and above what is ordinarily available in an FE setting to be able to make progress.

We are a targeted and specialist service for children with special educational needs and disabilities, those at risk of exclusion, and those whose life chances are impaired as a result of challenging circumstances. We work with SENCOs, Inclusion managers and other staff to help them support your child more effectively where the support your child currently receives is not helping them make progress. We work with schools to support pupils progress. The key areas of difficulties that we help to address are:

• learning

• communication and interaction with others

• social, mental and emotional health

• sensory impairments (such as visual impairment and hearing impairment) and physical disabilities.

The EPS also works with providers such as schools to provide training and develop whole school strategies in the key areas. The EPS supports families in the development of Education Health Care (EHC) plans and may contribute to the review of children and young people’s progress within those plans, or who have statement of special educational needs.

Your consent is needed before an educational psychologist works with your child. Most referrals are made by an education provider (early years setting, school, college). All Camden early years providers and maintained (Council funded) schools can request the involvement of an Educational Psychologist. Academies and free schools are able to buy in a service. You may be contacted by an educational psychologist or another special educational needs specialist because we receive a notification from a health professional about your child’s health need or disability.

Health professionals are required by law to inform us of a child who lives in Camden and who has a health need that is likely to impact on a child’s education. This simply means that we have been informed that your child may need additional support. We will talk to you about what support your child might need and how to access it. 

You cannot request the involvement of the Educational Psychology Service yourself. If you are concerned about your child’s behaviour, learning or development you should talk to your child’s teacher, tutor, or the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), Inclusion Manager or Head Teacher.

Any child with special educational needs can receive support from the Educational Psychology Service if the provision he or she attends decides that the support your child currently receives is not working well enough, and that an Educational Psychologist’s advice would help to get a better understanding of your child’s needs and how best to help him or her make progress.

You will be asked to give your written consent to the Educational Psychologist’s involvement. Your child will also receive support from the Educational Psychology Service if the local authority decides that your child requires a statutory assessment. If your family live in Camden but your child attends a nursery, children’s centre or school in another borough, your child may be eligible to receive a service from that borough’s Educational Psychology Service.

If your family live in Camden but your child attends an independent (private) school or college, your child would not normally receive support from the Educational Psychology Service in Camden unless the local authority decides that your child requires a statutory assessment. The provision may be able to buy a service from Camden Educational Psychology Service.

Parents are involved in all stages of assessment and intervention and will receive written reports on all consultations, assessments and interventions. They will be invited to review their child’s progress, usually at a meeting at the school or setting. Reports can be translated or interpreters invited to meetings where needed.

We work in schools and settings that are fully accessible. The office where we are based at 5 Pancras Square is also fully accessible.  Translators and interpreters will be arranged by either the setting or the service where appropriate.

Our staff are trained Educational Psychologists with Masters or Doctorate degrees in Educational Psychology and are registered with the Health Professionals Council (HPC). Some educational psychologists have specialised in areas such as autism or mental health.