Abstract
School consultation seems a popular model for educational psychology (EP) practice in the UK. It has been suggested that children and young people (CYP) should participate in joint school and family consultation meetings (Wagner, 2016) and legislation calls for CYP to participate and have a voice in matters that affect them. While research from education, health and social care has demonstrated that it is possible for CYP to participate in meetings about themselves, a shortage of pre-existing studies emerged regarding CYP’s participation specifically in EP consultation meetings. The present research aims to explore some of the gaps identified in the literature regarding EPs’ views on CYP’s participation in EP consultation meetings including what helps and how practice can be developed.A multiple-method approach was employed to explore EPs’ perceptions consisting of two phases, phase one an online questionnaire and phase two appreciative informed semi-structured interviews with six EPs.
Analysis revealed a discrepancy between beliefs and current practice, TEPs/EPs generally believing in participation, but practice often not mirroring this. Attitudes and barriers explored indicated the presence of external barriers and a tension between upholding CYP’s rights whilst maintaining a level of protection. Thematic analysis highlighted four main themes showing what was currently helpful and what might be helpful in the future. These included: organising CYP’s participation; a child-centred meeting; the importance of the facilitator; and ethos.
A unique contribution of this research is the development of a model for consultation meetings involving CYP. The model considers both systemic strategies and practical meeting strategies. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are discussed
| Date of Award | 2 Dec 2021 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Jak L Lee (Supervisor) & Amanda J Gaulter (Supervisor) |