Introduction
The notification letter for an inspection of Educational Psychology Services (EPS) directs you to this part of the HMIE website. Here you will find information and documents that will be required in preparing for the inspection.
The documents included are:
1. Briefing document for EPS
2. EPS profile and guidance on the self evaluation report
3. Documents to be provided to the inspection team
4. Timetable advice
5. Information on questionnaires
6. Safeguarding/Child protection proforma
1. Briefing document for EPS
This document provides more detail about the purpose of the inspection, and how it will be carried out.
2. EPS profile
The service profile includes:
• Contact details for the director of education (or equivalent) and chief officer with responsibility for EPS.
• EPS staff details including management remits.
• Arrangements for staff guidance and delivery of each of the core functions.
• Post School Psychological Service developments.
• Links with the Local Authority.
• Contributions to outcomes for children and young people across the authority.
• Examples of good practice.
As part of the evaluation of EPS, the service should submit a self evaluation report along with this profile. This will make a significant contribution to the inspection process by giving the team of inspectors an immediate insight into the service’s self-evaluation of its successes and its perception of the main areas for further development. This brief self-evaluation report may be organised under the same six high level questions that HMIE will use during the inspection, or under whatever organising criteria the service normally uses in conducting its self-evaluations.
As with the inspection itself, the self-evaluation should focus on six key areas, as listed below.
• What key outcomes have we achieved?
• How well do we meet the needs of our stakeholders?
• How good is our delivery of key processes?
• How good is our management?
• How good is our leadership?
• What is our capacity for improvement?
Please include any performance audits of the service undertaken by the authority.
3. Documents to be provided to the inspection team
A range of documentation requires to be sent along with the profile and then prior to the scoping week. Details and timelines are included in the link above.
4. Timetable advice
This briefing note is designed to assist EPS to develop relevant programmes for inspection.
5. Questionnaires and accompanying leaflets
A set of questionnaires is used to ascertain the views and opinions of key stakeholders about educational psychology provision. With the assistance of the authority and the educational psychology service, separate questionnaires will be issued to the following groups of stakeholders:
All respondents will be given dates by which the completed questionnaires should be returned. Statistical analysis of the responses and collation of comments relating to open questions will be forwarded to members of the inspection team.
Note: Particular advice will be requested from the EPS regarding the selections of children and young people and of parents/carers for their respective samples. The EPS will be asked to send to HMIE lists of the names of children and young people and of parents/carers. The HMIE team will select samples from these lists and ask the EPS to seek express consent from the parents/carers and, as appropriate, children and young people for members of the inspection team to have access to case files. A leaflet has been prepared by HMIE to support these procedures.
Members of the inspection team will comply with HMIE core objectives and values and The British Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Conduct (March 2006) with regard to the examination of case files. They will not access information from health professionals, social workers or other professional groups contained within case files if this information was not also sent to the parents/carers and, if appropriate, to the children and young people. Should any serious concerns arise from the examination of case files, for example with regard to child protection, these concerns should be discussed with the MI upholding the HMI Safeguarding policy.
Guidance on Sampling Children, Young People, Parents and Carers
The inspection team would like a sample of parents/carers and children or young people from each of the categories below. Further information on this sampling will be discussed during the initial telephone call with the MI. Children and young people can be supported by the service, school or college staff, partner agencies or their family to complete the questionnaire.
Following discussion and agreement with the parent/carer, child or young person, please indicate the names of those children and young people who would be willing to be interviewed about their experience of the service, and parents who would be willing to participate in a focus group.
Parents/Carers Sample
- Parents/Carers of children and young people in specialist provision.
- Parents/Carers of children below the age of three, and of five years of age.
- Parents/Carers involved in multidisciplinary meetings where the educational psychologist makes a regular contribution.
- Parents of children and young people in out of authority provision.
- Parents of children and young people in mainstream provision where the educational psychologist has had a substantial role over the last 18 months.
- Parents in receipt of written communication/reports/IEP/CSPs or other planning formats to which the psychologist has made a contribution.
- Parents involved in research, training and/or development work with the service.
Sample of Children and Young People
- Children and young people in specialist provision.
- Children and young people involved in multidisciplinary meetings where the educational psychologist makes a regular contribution.
- Children and young people in mainstream provision where the educational psychologist has had a substantial role over the last 18 months.
- Young people involved in flexible curricular packages, those at college, and those involved with training providers or the voluntary sector.
- Children and young people in receipt of written communication/reports/IEPs/CSPs or other planning formats to which the psychologist has made a contribution.
- Children and young people in research, training and/or development work with the service.
6. Safeguarding/Child Protection Proforma
This important proforma enables HMIE to fulfil its duties in relation to child protection. The Managing Inspector will discuss the completed with you early in the inspection week. After it has been completed once, it can simply be updated for future inspections.