Supporting the mental health of children and young people: a survey of Scottish educational psychology services

Abstract

The mental health of children and young people is of increasing concern both to educational psychology and to the Government’s priorities throughout the UK. This paper reports the results of a survey of Scottish educational psychology services regarding views and information about meeting the mental health needs of school children. Services overwhelmingly felt they are routinely involved in a certain amount of mental health work in schools, had confidence in their knowledge and skills and indicated a high demand from schools for their expertise. However, their actual involvement indicated that currently educational psychology is peripheral to this field both in service provision and in influencing policy and strategy. Time constraints and staffing were most frequently cited as reasons for limited involvement in this area. Often the role of services was restricted to indirect work, general advice and onward referral to other agencies. The implications for educational psychology services are discussed.