• Access the BPS searchable database of our member abstracts

• Applied Educational Psychology with 16–25 Year Olds
• British Educational Psychology: The first 100 years
• Using qualitative research to hear the voice of children and young people: The work of British educational psychologists

• View past DECP presentations under the Events Tab

This guidance offers a framework to support the thinking and decision making around ethical practice. It does not offer answers to ethical dilemmas but proposes some ways of approaching them. It is purely concerned with the ethics of delivering purchased services by EPs to a range of commissioners, such as academies, individuals and training courses.

Our focus is on safeguarding the interests of the client and promoting ethical behaviour, attitudes and judgements on the part of EPs in order to uphold the highest standards of professionalism.

This guidance is not concerned with the ethics or law relating to employment practice, although we could expect PEPs and other managers to have regard to wider ethical issues relating to the wellbeing and career development of employees.

• Download the Ethical Trading Guideline

Educational psychology services are now offered by a wide range of organisations, for example local authorities, private companies and by sole traders. There are also an increasing number of commissioners. While it is still mostly schools commissioning services, others may also choose to purchase the services of an educational psychologist (EP), e.g. health, social care and other professionals, and parents or carers. This is a guide for all commissioners of educational psychology services. It is intended to provide information that will make it easier for commissioners to choose the right service and get the best out of the service they have chosen.

• Download the Guide for commissioners of educational psychology services

This document provides the basis for the inspection of an Educational Psychology Service, including a self-assessment process, a moderated inspection process and a three-year validation of service quality standards. Evidence can be collected from a range of sources, including service evaluations, satisfaction surveys, performance data, compliments and complaints from service users. Trainee EPs should only be asked to complete appropriate sections.

Below you can download the full standards document and also an attending summary sheet.

• Download Quality Standards for Educational Psychology Services Framework
• Download the Quality Standards Summary Sheet

The Covid-19 pandemic is having a significant influence upon the role of educational psychologists in writing and producing psychological advice for education health and care (EHC) assessments.

Psychologists need to remain legally compliant with the 2014 Children and Families Act when asked to undertake psychological advice, though provision exists in the recent Coronavirus Act to allow for ‘exceptions’ to be made regarding timescales.

Government guidance states that work should be undertaken remotely where possible. At the current time, educational psychologists should not be undertaking visits to schools, homes or any other setting, to gather evidence to contribute to the writing of advice.

Consult the full document for further information.

• Download the DECP guidance on the completion of psychological advice for education health and care plans

• Clarifying and developing the role of the EP in relation to all aspects of Parent and Carer Partnership, Advocacy and Training
• Delivering Psychological Therapies in Schools and Communities
• Promoting Racial Equality within Educational Psychology Services: A report from the DECP Working Party on Anti-Racism

In June 2019 we launched our Position Paper on Children’s Right to Play.

The paper focused on the importance of play, barriers to play, and stated our position, which was drawn from concerns about diminishing opportunities for play in the lives of children.

Authored by educational psychologists and play specialists, the position paper has proven incredibly popular, with coverage in The Independent, The Telegraph and TES.

• Download DECP Position Paper 'Children's Right to Play'

This is an update of a position paper  launched in 2005 by the Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, the British Psychological Society Scottish Division of Educational Psychology and the educational psychology training programmes in Scotland regarding practice in educational psychology assessment.

• Educational Psychology Assessment in Scotland (go to BPS Shop)