Information about other Blackpool Council SEND services
Educational psychology service
Who we are
- We are a referral only service. We only accept referrals from schools
- We are educational psychologists (or EPs) and are among the many people who may work with your child
- EPs have a degree (or equivalent) in psychology – the science of how people think, problem solve, learn, feel and behave
- We have completed further training and qualifications in educational psychology
- We have been teachers or have worked with children and young people
Role of educational psychologists
Educational psychologists work with children and young people aged between 0 and 25 years.
When a request for involvement is made to the educational psychology service, the educational psychologist will talk to the parents and setting to discuss the concerns of the child. The next steps are agreed between the parents, setting and the educational psychologist, and vary according to the needs of the child/young person.
The following are examples of the type of work the educational psychologist might carry out when assessing the concerns outlined by the setting and the family:
- Observing the child/young person in different environments
- Interact with the child/young person to look at their strengths and difficulties in a number of developmental areas
- Work with the setting staff and professionals who support the child/young person
- Listen to the child/young person’s views
- Design interventions or provide the setting with training
- Conduct psychological assessments
For more information, contact your child's school.
SEND support team
All Blackpool schools have access to an advisory link teacher who meets with school staff to plan their work.
The link advisory teachers supports schools with:
- SENCO supervision
- Developing the graduated approach across all areas of SEND
- Supporting the identification of SEND needs in pupils
- Supporting SEND planning of provision and responding to pupil needs
- Supporting the SENCo with SEND action planning, provision mapping, assessments and interventions
- Support with staff meetings and staff training
- Support with identifying common themes around areas of SEND
- Support with priority year groups or classes through observations and recommendations around learning environments
The team offer support in the following areas of SEND:
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- SEMH, including trauma
- Alternative forms of communication (AAC) and assistive technology
This time has also proved to be useful personal support for the SENCO and helps ensure a consistency across Blackpool Schools in relation to a joint understanding of the different areas of SEND and use of assessment to identify needs.
We are a referral only service and we only accept referrals from schools.
The physical and sensory team
The team is made up of a specialist teacher (QTVI), two qualified teachers of the deaf (QTOD),a sensory needs officer, a VI support worker and a rehabilitation officer for vision impairment (ROVI). The team support children and young people with a physical and/ or sensory need and can identify and advise on resources and environmental adaptations to enhance inclusive practice and quality first teaching. The team can provide direct intervention, or work with teachers and TAs to develop classroom management and independent learning approaches. The specialist team can also complete functional vision and auditory assessments onsite.
The service includes:
- Support for children and young people with a hearing impairment
- Support for families of children and young people with a hearing impairment
- Curriculum adaptations and bespoke teaching methods
- Signing support services for children, young people and adults including training and teaching of BSL
- Support to establish BSL signing clubs in schools
- Support with the management and use of hearing aids
- Braille/tactile learning
- VI accessibility audit of the school environment
- Providing modified work and access to modified books library
- Working alongside NVision and other agencies to complete assessments for technology
- Access to guide dogs to support with mobility
- Mobility training for pupils with VI in schools in preparation for adulthood
- Person centred assessments for people with sight loss
- Advice and information on equipment, additional services and equipment for adults with a visual impairment
- Provide rehabilitation for adults with a visual impairment in orientation and mobility as well as independent living skills
- Enabling children and young people with physical disabilities to be educated in mainstream schools wherever possible
- Provide appropriate support for children with physical disabilities, their Parents/Carers and school staff to achieve successful, inclusive education
- Offer advice and training to help maintain access to a full curriculum
- Assist with all aspects of planning and implementing access for children with limited mobility, including building modifications
- Access to PDNet resources
- Support to interpret other professional’s reports
We are a referral only service and we only accept referrals from health professionals or schools.
Early help
The team sits within Family Hubs and provides packages of whole family intervention, utilising the supporting families’ outcomes framework. Working with a strengths-based approach, the team aims to target early support to families to improve outcomes and prevent escalation to statutory services.
The team work in a tenacious and assertive way, delivering evidence based interventions as part of a plan that is co-produced with the family. The team deliver a number of evidence-based interventions and programmes including Triple P parenting, video interactive guidance and SafeCare, as well as practical support for building positive routines and boundaries and supporting families to positively and consistently access services.
Contact numbers
North Hub - 01253 476480
Central Hub - 01253 951190
South Hub - 01253 798016