SEND Support Offer:
In Milton Keynes, the Educational Psychology Service engages in a range of preventative and early intervention work as part of the SEND Support Offer. We are committed to ensuring that there is equity of access to educational psychology involvement, and that children and young people can access the support they need from the most appropriate SEND Team at the right time.
The Educational Psychology Service’s SEND Support Offer includes:
A Psychological Consultation Service where staff in educational settings can book a slot with a psychologist to explore an issue or concern, with the aim of finding some useful ways forward.
Direct requests for involvement*
(other than the Psychological Consultation Service) from schools, settings and other professionals. For example, broader requests for involvement including psychological assessment work, multi-professional working, project work, evaluations and training.
The Educational Psychology Service will only become involved where psychology involvement is considered necessary and appropriate. We will prioritise requests for individual involvement where a child or young person meets one or more of the following vulnerability criteria:
- is a Looked After child, otherwise under Children’s Social Care or adopted/under Special Guardianship
- is at risk of school or social exclusion
- is out of a setting
- further vulnerability factors are present - for example, young carers, refugees, asylum seeker families, traveller communities
- AND The child’s needs are complex and not well understood
We would ask that if the request does not meet the above criteria, schools consider utilising other services.
Educational Psychology assessment is not a single approach, package or tool. For more information on Educational Psychology assessment, please see our guide: Educational Psychology Assessment guide
*Please note that requests will be considered at a fortnightly SEND Team discussion forum where, depending on the request, the most appropriate team or teams will be identified to offer support.
Training and workshops delivered as part of the wider SEND Team Centralised Training offer. For available sessions, please see the SEND Team Centralised Training.
Involvement with children with Education, Health and Care plans via requests from the EHC Review Team Manager and other SEND managers.
Project work. Educational Psychologists lead and contribute to a wide range of project work across the Local Authority. This includes developing good practice guidance on different topics, contributing to working groups, and delivering short-term focused interventions. For information about current projects please visit the Educational Psychology Service Projects and Events.
Please contact SEND support for more information or support.
Statutory work
As Educational Psychologists, we have a statutory responsibility to contribute psychological advice as part of the Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment process.
A typical assessment will involve the Educational Psychologist speaking with the child or young person, their parent or carer and other professionals such as teachers. They may also carry out observations of the child and young person in their educational context and use a range of assessment tools to build a clear picture of the child or young person’s needs.
As part of the current co-production pilot in Milton Keynes, when an EHC Plan has been agreed, Educational Psychologists will attend planning meeting to work with others to co-produce outcomes and provision.
Critical Incident Support
Guidance for schools and settings
- Guidance on critical incidents: using your Educational Psychology Service
- Support for schools following a critical incident: summary
- Helping children and young people cope when someone has died
- Supporting children and young people after a frightening event - leaflet for schools
- Supporting children after a frightening event - leaflet for parents
- Multi-agency guidance: Action to take in response to a suspected suicide of a child or young person in Milton Keynes
- Planning for a sad event for schools: guidance for schools
Other useful resources
- Critical incidents resources
- Samaritans: suspected suicide in schools and colleges
- Papyrus: building suicide-safer schools and colleges
- Papyrus: #Save the class
- Talking to children about terrorism and war
- Helping children deal with fears and anxiety about war and terrorism
- Ukraine: 5 ways to talk to children about conflict
- Supporting children to manage anxiety over war, conflict and crises
- Advice if you’re upset by the news
- ASD and supporting your child with the war in Ukraine
New Traumatic bereavement resources from the UK Trauma Council
In a traumatic bereavement, how the child or the young person experiences or understands the death – the meaning they make of it – results in it being experienced as traumatic.
The UK Trauma Council (UKTC), hosted and supported by the Anna Freud Centre, has collaborated with leading bereavement charities, Child Bereavement UK, Winston’s Wish and the Childhood Bereavement Network, to create a new portfolio of resources on traumatic bereavement.
This new portfolio of free, evidence-based resources is for school staff, bereavement services and NHS mental health services, and include:
- Resources for schools and colleges: featuring a comprehensive written guide with supporting tools including videos, plus a 4-minute animation
- Clinical resources: featuring an extensive practice guide and supporting videos to support those working therapeutically with children and young people
Visit the UK Trauma Council website to access the resources.
Resources to help support children and young people deal with news about war and conflict.
You may find the links below helpful regarding the recent escalation of fighting in the Middle East. Thanks to Camden EPS for sharing the resources below.
- News delivery designed for children and young people - provided by Newsround.
- Advice for children and young people if they are upset by the news – provided by Newsround.
- Place2Be - Talking to children and young people about war and conflict.
- Guardian article from February 2022 which was related to the Ukraine war.
