BPS welcomes SEND reform programme in Northern Ireland
The society is pleased the reform programme puts a focus on greater inclusion and early intervention.
15 January 2025
This is something the BPS has emphasised in its SEND campaign, which calls among other things for more preventative support for children and families.
The SEND reforms, announced by NI education minister Paul Givan, aim to support greater inclusion, identification of need, early intervention, in-school and specialist support, and workforce development to 'ensure every child gets the help they need'.
Under the proposals, there'll be a move towards a more flexible SEND model and schools will have greater autonomy to meet the needs of children.
The minister stressed that the reform programme would require 'significant and sustained investment'.
The society welcomed the proposals, saying it looked forward to seeing further details of these in the delivery plan and stressed the key role of educational psychologists in supporting children and young people with SEND.
Dr Callum Urquhart, chair of the BPS's Division of Educational and Child Psychology in Northern Ireland, said:
"Early intervention is key in supporting children and young people with SEND and their families and can prevent problems from becoming entrenched from the outset. A key element of this is timely assessment to ensure the specific challenges are properly understood so that early intervention can be targeted effectively.
"Educational psychologists can work proactively with children and their families and teachers to ensure specialist assessment is undertaken so that the most appropriate interventions can be implemented, resulting in a positive impact on children and the best educational outcomes possible.
"The support from educational psychologists works best when there is the opportunity to work with young people and their families over time so that the understanding of the child's needs can be refined and updated based on their response to intervention.
"Therefore, it's vital that the role of educational psychologists in supporting children and young people with SEND is considered as part of any future investment in the SEND system."
One-in-five children in Northern Ireland currently has a special educational need.
The BPS is committed to campaigning for children and young people to have the vital access to an educational psychologist they need to thrive at school and beyond.