Guidelines for using outside agencies

Specialist support services can be accessed if:

• There is significant concern about a child/young person’s SEMH needs
• The child/young person is not making the expected progress despite school intervention to support the Assess Plan Do Review process

Please see Referral Pathways section for more details of accessing local specialist support services for SEMH needs.

If outside agencies are visiting school, the SENCo, on behalf of the senior leadership team, ensure that all outside agencies are qualified, accredited  and insured.  The advice and strategies they provide should be practical and aim to improve the outcomes for children.

All Educational Psychologists need to be registered with the HCPC.  All registered Education Psychologists can be found on the HCPC register on the HCPC website.

Time out of school may be needed if therapeutic intervention is taking place, e.g. for CAMHS appointments.

When specialist support services are working with individual children/young people in school, it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that:

• parental consent is confirmed for any involvement with any specialist support services
• feedback from the outcome of the involvement is shared with parents/carers
• advice and recommendations have been disseminated to all relevant staff
• advice and recommendations are implemented as part of the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.

Specialist support services can be used in a variety of ways:

• Whole School - teachers/Senior leadership team may seek support from external consultants for advice on:
  • Whole school policy writing regarding SEMH
  • Whole school inclusion, ethos and vision
  • Whole school audits and action planning
  • Whole school training on SEMH
• Classroom support - Specialist Support Services can provide advice and support to teachers on:
  • Adapting the curriculum content and delivery for all learners
  • Class based SEMH interventions
  • Meeting diverse SEMH needs in the classroom