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Email: School.Psych@det.wa.edu.au

School psychologists are a vital but limited school resource who provide support to schools maximise student performance. School psychologists provide support to schools to support the effective implementation of the Plan for Government Schools 2004-2007. Their role involves co-coordinating and managing targeted interventions for groups of students, staff or both as well as individual case work.

Within the Plan for Government Schools 2004-2007 the key risk areas in which school psychologists provide support include:

• Challenging Behaviour, Violence and Bullying
• support schools to undertake a risk assessment and assess the state of school behaviour processes in line with current practice, guidelines and policies
• support  the need for targeted interventions for groups of students and teachers
• support school personnel with the implementation and evaluation of targeted interventions
• support  individual student behaviour needs
• support  school personnel with the development, implementation and evaluation of Individual Behaviour Plans
• support  school personnel with the management of students demonstrating extremely challenging and violent behaviours
• provide consultative support to the school management team
  

• Student Wellbeing
• support  schools to undertake a risk assessment to assess school processes for promoting wellbeing in staff and students and identifying and providing for those at risk.
• support  school personnel develop the skills to engage and build relationships in a way that will enhance resiliency and wellbeing.
• support  schools to identify the need for targeted programmes and to implement and evaluate them.
• develop staff skills to increase the likelihood that students at risk are identified
• support  schools identify students at risk
• provide consultative support to assist school pastoral care/student services teams manage the needs of students at risk
• assess students at risk and develop case management procedures
• provide counseling support for students at risk
• intervene with and refer on students in need of ongoing support
• provide consultative support to the school management team
  

• Building Inclusive Schools
• support  school communities in the development of inclusive cultures and classroom practice
• support Learning Support Coordinators and teachers in developing quality teaching and learning adjustments
• engage in collaborative problem solving processes with schools to determine student educational needs
• support  schools in the Schools Plus application process including assessment of cognitive functioning.
• support  schools in working with parents to develop a better understanding of individual student resourcing issues
  

• Student Learning and Motivation
• support  schools to undertake a risk assessment to determine the extent to which the needs of students at risk are identified and supported. The risk assessment will involve identification of the data gathered and analysis of that data
• support  schools assess their school processes for motivating and engaging students to enhance learning
• support  schools to develop whole school policy and processes for identifying students at educational risk due to learning and or motivational issues
• provide expert assessment for students experiencing difficulty with learning as part of the school based collaboration process
• support  school personnel to implement and evaluate programs to address learning and motivational needs for targeted groups of students
• support  school personnel to use collaborative problem solving processes to develop Individual Education Plans for students at risk
  

• Emergency Management
• support  schools to undertake a risk assessment and review the effectiveness of school emergency management policies, plans and procedures
• provide consultative and direct support to school leaders, students and staff during a critical incident/emergency
• engage interagency partners in school communities following an emergency
• support  school personnel in the debriefing and evaluation their response to a critical incident/emergency
  

• Child Protection
• provide professional development to school personnel on the child protection policy
• support  schools in implementing appropriate prevention education programs
• provide consultative support to school personnel on matters relating to child abuse and or maltreatment
• support  school personnel manage the needs of students who are affected by the various forms of child abuse and or maltreatment
• provide counseling support to students and staff affected by child abuse and or maltreatment