Will other services and agencies require parental permission before they assess or work with a child?
It is essential that schools work in partnership with parents wherever possible. (See Chapter 4, Section 1) However, under the Act, the authority has a duty to meet the needs of individual children and young people who have additional support needs which affect their learning in school.
To fulfil this duty it may be necessary, in exceptional circumstances, to refer a child or young person to an external service or agency even when a parent has not agreed to this. However, parents should be kept informed of the results of referrals, assessments etc.
Will other services and agencies be more willing to share information with colleagues from education?
Other services and agencies will be aware of their duties under the Act. The spirit of the Act is to encourage all those involved with a child or young person to work together for their educational benefit. This should result in better sharing of information.
What role will the educational psychologists have in the new procedures?
Educational psychologists will continue to support schools through the processes of identification, assessment and planning for pupils who have additional support needs. They will also support children, young people and their parents as they have always done. The Record of Needs procedures gave them a number of administrative responsibilities and they will lose these when we begin to draw up coordinated support plans. Educational psychologists will have a supporting role in the new process, and this will give them better opportunities to provide the professional support that schools and children and young people need. This is likely to vary from pupil to pupil, and schools are encouraged to discuss what they need on a case by case basis with their own educational psychologist.
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