HAVING recently attended a conference on the next steps for Scotland’s ten year mental health strategy, the predominant concern was what to do to support pupils and those with additional support needs.

As an educational psychologist it appears to me that the transformational power of an economically viable and already existing infrastructure of expertise, quite literally on the doorstep of every family in Scotland, is being ignored by the current administration.

Educational psychology is one of the key professions that serve the needs of the nation’s children, especially the most needy, damaged and vulnerable. When something is being done well, it is easy to not notice it, and think, mistakenly, it is no longer needed.

Could it perhaps be this efficient invisibility that lies behind the Scottish Government’s removal of funding from educational psychology training courses, which, alongside the recent round of cuts in education, is resulting in decreased availability of this expertise to schools and communities?

The educational psychology service is here for a reason. It has evolved in response to societal and human need. Its value was ably demonstrated by the last formal review of the profession where those who use the service called for more educational psychology, not less.

Some 15 years on, for no good reason, training funding has been removed and the profession is being confined to a sick bed, with no concern about its future wellbeing or those it serves.

Attempting to replace this incredible infrastructure with more clinicians and ad hoc voluntary or private individuals in schools could be likened to shutting down the nation’s railway network and gradually replacing it with more buses and cars, without checking that the replacement vehicles are fit for purpose or even if the drivers have a valid licence. It also scapegoats the children by medicalising their difficulties.

The profession of educational psychology in Scotland not only has a unique and distinguished history, its current infrastructure and practice model is the envy of our colleagues in other countries.

In 2002, we saw the publication of the Currie Report as part of a review of educational psychology that mapped out in detail the infrastructure and practices of all educational psychologists in Scotland.

This infrastructure is economic, diverse in duties and far reaching, even to the furthest recesses of rural and remote Scotland.

Every school in Scotland has an educational psychologist with true expertise who is able to work with staff and children in need and who is also potentially on the doorstep of every family with a child who has mental health needs.

I conclude with a plea to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Invest in educational psychology and don’t throw the baby out with the bath water by strangling training courses and leaving it out of future policy and strategy.

In looking after its wellbeing you build the wellbeing of children, families and schools and create a mentally stronger Scotland.