SEEdS service - School consultation meetings
This is part of the SEEdS (Social, Emotional and Educational Support) service aimed at providing support to the adults who are caring for and supporting children who are looked after by Herefordshire Council.
What is a consultation meeting?
A consultation meeting is a problem-solving meeting between the Virtual School Educational Psychologist (VSEP) and a member of school staff, and/or carer, regarding a child*. It might also involve other adults who know a child well, such as social workers, ECHo Team members or outside agencies. A consultation meeting aims to clarify the nature of a child's difficulties and to agree appropriate intervention strategies for school and/or home. Research has shown consultation meetings to be highly effective in enabling school staff to support children's behaviour, learning and emotional development.
Group consultation meetings can take place involving several members of school staff and lead to interventions which may focus on individual pupils, groups of pupils or whole school issues.
Will the VSEP meet the child?
Consultation meetings will usually take place on the basis of school staff and/or carer's observations and does not usually require the VSEP to observe or meet the pupil. In some cases the VSEP will agree to carry out a classroom observation or meet with the pupil individually following the meeting, to investigate any difficulties further.
Will there be a review?
Consultation meetings are usually followed up after a few weeks, to review the progress made and carry out further planning if necessary. This might occur as part of a PEP meeting, CLA Review or EHCP annual review, depending on the child's circumstances.
Will there be a record of the meeting?
A record is usually made of the consultation meeting, in the form of a written report, which is sent to all participants after the meeting. This is saved in the child's EDRMS and Mosaic files.
For further information about Virtual School Educational Psychology school consultation meetings please contact Amanda Cotton, Virtual School Senior Educational Psychologist at Amanda.Cotton@herefordshire.gov.uk
*'Child' refers to any child or young person aged 3 to 18.