Buchanan, Emmeline;
(2025)
An exploration of the role and impact of Assistant Educational Psychologists in Local Authority Educational Psychology Services in England.
Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Educational Psychology Services in England are facing pressure due to the current context of a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system in crisis, with shortages in the Educational Psychologist workforce combined with increased demand for their services. Assistant Educational Psychologists are being employed to promote recruitment into the profession, and to build the capacity of Educational Psychology Services. However, the role and impact of Assistant Educational Psychologists has been under-explored in academic and professional literature. This study aimed to develop further insight into the Assistant Educational Psychologist role in the current context, exploring how the role is understood, the contributions Assistant Educational Psychologists make to service delivery, the impact of the role, and its supports and challenges. A qualitative methodology was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with twelve Assistant Educational Psychologists and seven qualified Educational Psychologists, from sixteen Educational Psychology Services in England. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, through which seven themes were developed. These themes indicated that the Assistant Educational Psychologist role is understood as one that varies to support local needs, and as a learning role. Following intensive training, Assistant Educational Psychologists develop the competence and confidence to fulfil a range of tasks with increasing levels of autonomy, and Assistant Educational Psychologists are highly valued, impacting positively in the EPS and beyond. Participants highlighted challenges including the uncertainty that is experienced in the role, the importance of safe practice, tensions in the profession regarding the permanency of the role, and the high turnover of Assistant Educational Psychologists. This study suggests that to ensure that Assistant Educational Psychologist capacity is deployed in an effective, safe, and meaningful way, Educational Psychology Services need to engage in local and national discussions to inform their decision-making. Strengths and limitations of the study, directions for future research, and implications for the Educational Psychology profession are highlighted.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Ed.Psy |
| Title: | An exploration of the role and impact of Assistant Educational Psychologists in Local Authority Educational Psychology Services in England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10212171 |
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