Please reach us at admin@nurturingprogress.co.uk if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Consultation is a form of assessment that aims to develop an understanding of the current situation and support the planning of next steps by gathering information from key adults.
We want to be able to support adults to understand how to provide the support children and young people need. To do this, we need to spend quality time with the adults who are dealing with the current situation. In many cases a solution-focused approach can move forward directly to conversations about solutions.
We believe that it is the collaborative conversations with teachers and other adults that are the most powerful agents for bringing about change.
For more information about consultation, please see the information page in the resources section.
The SEN Code of Practice states that it is important for education staff to seek outside agency involvement when trying to understand and support the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN). It is also important that suggestions from professionals are put in place and then that the impact of these changes are reviewed over time.
Whilst we cannot be responsible for any decision the Local Authority make about EHC Needs Assessments, a consultation and a review would form part of the plan do review cycle expected from external professionals.
Sometimes there is a view that an EP assessment means one particular way of working, or doing one particular thing and so it can be a confusing term. However, an Educational Psychology assessment is really just anything that the Educational Psychologist does to try and help develop an understanding of the current situation and find ways forward. We know that every child and every situation is different, so no two assessments are the same.
We use a variety of different ways to try and understand the situation, which usually starts with consultation with the adults around the child/Young person. After this, we can then decide if we need to gather more information by speaking to the child, doing some work with them, or doing other things like observing their class.
Some more helpful information about our role with individual children and young people can be found our Resources section. Alternatively you can read about Educational Psychologists and assessments here: About Educational Psychology - edpsy.org.uk
As above, there isn't a set definition of a 'full assessment' although this might mean an assessment that looks at a variety of different needs that they child or young person has, for example considering their communication needs as well as their emotional needs and their learning needs.
Each assessment for each child is different and the amount of time spent gathering information and the range of needs that require support can be negotiated. There is no 'requirement' to have all of the areas of need identified, particularly when applying for an EHC Needs assessment.
As we don't take a 'one size fits all' approach this is difficult to answer until we understand a bit more about the current situation and what you would like support with.
We do offer an initial joint parent-teacher consultation with a short record of the information gathered and next steps which is currently £450.
Following this, various next steps can be considered that may take different amounts of time, for example further information gathering, supporting staff or training.
Please contact us for more information.
Our work focusses on supporting children and young people aged 0-25.
We also work with parents or education staff in order to facilitate them to support children or young people in their care.
There are various ways to contact us. Email is usually best. You can email admin@nurturingprogress.co.uk or you can contact the individual EP if you like. We also have a phone number; 07721 406507. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
We are committed to providing a professional and supportive service to children, families, schools, and other professionals. We welcome feedback and take all concerns seriously.
If you have a concern or complaint, please raise it via email in the first instance to the EP that you have been working with. We will aim to respond within five working days of receiving your message. Please bear in mind that we all work part-time which means that responses and follow-up actions are likely to take a little longer than in a full-time setting. Your patience is appreciated.
We endeavour to give all concerns careful and thoughtful consideration. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, sometimes we may also need to seek further supervision and guidance from a colleague, which can also take some further time. If further time is needed to investigate or address the matter in more detail, we will provide an update within the five-day window, including a clear outline of the next steps and an estimated timescale for resolution.