Scotland needs educational psychologists

It is both heartening and reassuring that David Stewart MSP has secured a debate in the Scottish Parliament on concerns over the numbers of Educational Psychologists. Currently, there are a number of issues facing the profession and unless urgent action is taken, it is undoubtedly heading towards crisis.
Increased demand for psychological service exists at a time when the number of educational psychologists has declined. Picture: Gareth EastonIncreased demand for psychological service exists at a time when the number of educational psychologists has declined. Picture: Gareth Easton
Increased demand for psychological service exists at a time when the number of educational psychologists has declined. Picture: Gareth Easton

In late 2013, the Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists (ASPEP) and Scottish Division of Educational Psychologists (SDEP) published a report which identified that the number of trained educational psychologists in Scotland is “dangerously low” and that psychological services in Scotland were reporting a significant increase in demand.

That same report noted that a quarter of practising educational psychologists might retire in the next four years and too few new trainees are being recruited, creating a concern that some councils could breach their statutory obligations on provision of services for those requiring support if the situation does not improve.

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Increased demand for psychological services, with a dramatic escalation in those identified with additional support needs, exists at a time when the number of educational psychologists has declined to the same level as 2001. Indeed, the ratio of educational psychologists to the population is now even worse than in that year, when a review pinpointed an urgent need to train more staff.

On top of the staffing shortage, in 2012 the Scottish Government removed the bursary of £49,000 paid to each Trainee Educational Psychologist over the full two-year period of the course.

The removal of the bursary paid to each trainee by the Scottish Government means that new trainees need to have access to around £25,000 each year for two years to self-fund course fees, travel and living expenses. This has led to a 70 per cent drop in applicants for the selection process for the training courses. 

We are sitting on a ticking time bomb of increased demand and we cannot allow those who require vital psychology services to be left confined to the fringes simply due to a lack of personnel to address this need. It is vital that such a key service receives the support it so desperately needs.

• Tom McGhee is chairman of Spark of Genius and member of the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition