The combination of EPs’ psychological knowledge and knowledge of school systems, alongside the high level of consultation practice potentially suggest a unique contribution in this area. The findings both concur with and diverge from prior studies and highlight a number of areas to extend future practice. Opportunities for involvement in Green Paper proposals were limited in the current sample, suggesting little involvement with policy initiatives. Findings demonstrated that EPs consider they are involved with a relatively high amount of SEMH work through the five core functions of the role (Scottish Executive, 2002), across multiple system levels, and age phases. Quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated and analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. A mixed-methods web-based survey was conducted within England.
PART AND PARCEL PROFESSIONAL
The study aimed to contribute to a stronger professional identity in this area and illuminate the factors supporting or hindering EP engagement with SEMH work. The current study sought to extend previous research by exploring the EP role in supporting children and young people’s social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) in light of recent governmental agendas. Literature suggests that the role of the educational psychologist (EP) is seldom recognised and underrepresented in governmental guidance around mental health (Andrews, 2017 Greig et al., 2019 Zafeiriou, 2017).
Supporting children and young people’s mental health has become a government priority, leading to a Green Paper seeking to enhance support in schools (Department of Health (DoH) and Department for Education (DfE), 2017).
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