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Executive Summary

1 In April 2004, Post-School Psychological Service ( PSPS) Pathfinders were established for a 2-year period in 12 local authorities: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Midlothian, Perth & Kinross, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian. These represented an extension of the existing work of educational psychology services with the 0-19 age group. Provision was also made for 2 Strategic Officers ( SOs) to support local services and to work strategically at national level. PSPS works collaboratively with key stakeholders, and in particular with Scotland's Colleges, Careers Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and local training providers.

2 Educational psychology services in Scotland have 5 core functions of consultation, assessment, intervention, training and research. They summarise the role of the psychologist in working at a consultative level with young people, parents and other professionals; in assessing needs using a range of methods and approaches; in designing and carrying out interventions to address needs; in offering training and professional development to others who work with young people; and in designing and participating in action research and projects. Within an educational context they are the only professionals whose functions relate to direct work with the individual young person and family, to developmental work at the level of the organisation or establishment and to work at the education authority or council level, in relation both to the individual and to strategic and policy issues. The aim of PSPS in applying these roles was to promote better outcomes for young people and, in so doing, to contribute to the reduction of the proportion not in employment, education or training ( NEET). In seeking to promote better outcomes the aims of PSPS were defined as being:

• to support the young person's transition to post-school by enhancing continuity and progression
• to complement the assessment and advice of college, training provider or Careers Scotland
• to improve the understanding, skills and effectiveness of service providers through consultation, training and action research
• to contribute to strategic developments locally and nationally, including policy development.

3 The aims of this evaluation were to assess the way in which PSPS has developed, the contribution it has made and its effectiveness in promoting better outcomes for young people. Its objectives were:

• to assess the development of PSPS at local, cluster and strategic levels
• to evaluate the role of the Strategic Officers and their contribution to planning and facilitating implementation of PSPS within educational psychology services
• to assess service delivery in the 12 Pathfinder authorities and the part played by PSPS in strategic development
• to assess the extent to which PSPS service delivery has contributed to improved outcomes for this client group.

This has been carried out in 2 evaluative exercises, the first completed by June 2005 and the second by the end of March 2006.

4 The conclusion of the evaluation is that PSPS is a highly successful initiative. The knowledge, skills and expertise of the educational psychologist, based on the distinctive foundation of psychological theory and practice, have contributed significantly to its key aims in terms of development of effective services and enhancing outcomes for young people.

5 Key findings are that:

• Pathfinders were clearly differentiated from non-Pathfinders in the extent and range of post-school psychological services developed by them
• these differences were apparent across virtually every area of PSPS activity
• PSPS in non-Pathfinders was very limited and in some cases almost non-existent
• the support of the Strategic Officers has been crucial to the effective development of Pathfinders
• PSPS has been highly valued by all key stakeholders including young people and their parents and carers
• the initiatives being carried out by Pathfinders have led to a vast number of demonstrable improvements in outcomes for young people
• the extra resources provided to support Pathfinders have been the key factor in the development of an effective range of post-school services.

6 In addition to the key findings reported above, the evidence gathered from the 32 psychological services in Scotland indicates that:

• Pathfinders anticipated a greater range of new PSPS developments in the coming year
• Pathfinders rated their own effectiveness in PSPS service delivery significantly higher than non-Pathfinders
• the gradient of change between April 2005 and March 2006 was significantly higher for Pathfinders than non-Pathfinders in relation to a wide range of PSPS activity
• development of PSPS has far-reaching implications for educational psychology as a profession, but Pathfinders and non-Pathfinders alike have embraced these implications and are keen to develop effective post-school services.

7 The differences between Pathfinders and non-Pathfinders were stark in relation to whether they provided post-school services. This applied to all categories of activity - consultation, assessment and intervention, training and development, and action research and project work. The extent of the differences increased between the first and second evaluative exercises. Structures such as service level agreements with key stakeholders were more in place with Pathfinders, and as the evaluation progressed more services were becoming embedded as part of routine service delivery. In the responses to the questions relating to work with individual young people, although the Pathfinders were focusing on a systemic rather than an individual model of service delivery, this did not result in lower levels of services to individuals. The most striking differences between Pathfinders and others related to current and anticipated PSPS developments. Pathfinders generated a large number of examples while very few were generated by non-Pathfinders.

8 When services were asked to state the single most valuable service they were providing at post-school level by far the most common response related to improving the process of transition to post-school. Of the 12 Pathfinders, 10 gave this a central place. Many other examples of good practice could be highlighted. In one Pathfinder the psychological service was instrumental in leading to the appointment and management of a Transition Co-ordinator, with key functions of identifying all young people deemed to have a disability and likely to experience difficulty with the transition from school to adulthood, ensuring that all young people understand the process and are assisted to express their views, and acting as key worker until they are settled into employment or adult provision. The key factor in promoting service development, and in presenting a barrier to PSPS in non-Pathfinders, was the issue of additional resources.

9 In addition to the key findings reported above, the evidence gathered in relation to Scotland's Colleges indicates that:

• the self-ratings of psychological services regarding their PSPS delivery were fully validated in the ratings assigned to them by Scotland's Colleges on the same questions
• colleges in Pathfinder areas anticipated greater development of PSPS in the coming year than other colleges
• colleges in Pathfinder areas rated the effectiveness of PSPS as being higher than other colleges.

10 Approximately three-quarters of the colleges in Pathfinder areas indicated that they received support from local psychological services. The Pathfinders generally provided a list with many examples of different types of services delivered at strategic and other levels. These included solution-focused training, support in development of college policies such as anti-bullying policy, action research and support for working with behavioural issues, together with reference to established partnerships between the college and the local psychological service.

11 Non-Pathfinders also referred to examples of strategic and other support, but apart from one or two instances, this was at a much less involved level, and the examples were far fewer. Generally the focus was much more on individual students, often with reference to the static model of individual dyslexia assessment that PSPS has worked hard with Scotland's Colleges to replace with more meaningful assessment frameworks. Despite their focus on strategic work, the Pathfinders were actually assessed by Scotland's Colleges as having had significantly more input to individual work than the non-Pathfinders. This suggests a balance of PSPS practice encompassing all 4 key roles, ensuring that direct client support was not omitted.

12 In addition to the key findings reported above, the evidence gathered from Careers Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and other service and training providers (referred to collectively as OSPs) indicates that:

• the self-ratings of psychological services regarding their PSPS delivery were again supported in the ratings assigned to them by OSPs on the same questions
• OSPs in Pathfinder areas rated the effectiveness of PSPS as being higher than other OSPs.

13 Far more OSPs were identified in Pathfinder areas for the simple reason that the Pathfinders were already providing services. The findings point to significantly more Pathfinder activity. In these areas more strategic involvement was reported in terms of consultation, transition planning, contribution to assessment procedures, strategic planning and action research. In relation to work involving individual young people under the three headings of individual consultation, assessment and support, again, although the PSPS focus is not designed on an individual model, the modest involvement reported by the OSPs for individual work favoured the Pathfinders. Nevertheless, the services developed overall were still at a relatively modest level, and only a minority of Pathfinders had focused their PSPS work on this sector. Where services have been provided they have been highly valued.

14 In support of the key findings reported above, the evidence gathered from young people regarding their views and experiences, and other evidence relating to the impact of PSPS on young people, indicates that:

• young people and their parents and carers have valued the work done by psychological services at the post-school stage
• the initiatives being carried out by Pathfinders have led to a vast number of demonstrable improvements in outcomes for young people
• these improvements have been achieved not only through training and strategic work but also through more traditional work in supporting vulnerable individuals.

15 The views of young people regarding post-school service delivery had been obtained by 8 services, 6 of these being Pathfinders. In the Pathfinders this included evaluations from young people following a training event on trauma, bereavement and loss and the ongoing involvement of young people in the development of a 'School Leaver Passport'. Young people were also involved in a post-school transition project and a transition co-ordinator project, in both of which the psychological service played a central role. Several individual case studies demonstrated that while wider training and strategic roles are central to PSPS practice, the work of the psychologist with individual young people continues to play a key role.

16 In addition, some Pathfinders had carried out or contributed to research and evaluation relating to post-school services provided by other agencies, in the course of which they had engaged with young people to ascertain their views. One piece of research examined stakeholder perceptions of the system of transfer from school to post-school settings for a particularly needy group of young people, namely, those with severe and complex learning difficulties and physical disabilities. This project had engaged with some young people and also with their carers, and it led to recommendations designed to enhance the transition process throughout the authority, with proposed improvements in planning, co-ordination, provision of information and communication. In general, the engagement of services with young people had supported them in tailoring their PSPS to address identified needs and to enhance service provision.

17 Pathfinder initiatives that have led to enhanced continuity, consistency and service provision and the increased engagement of young people include: young people having an agreed 'passport' available for relevant agencies and to serve as a basis for planning future transitions such as going from Get Ready for Work to college; school leavers experiencing more direct involvement in the process of assessment, focusing on skills and strengths; direct referral to PSPS available for the first time to support individuals preparing for continuing education, training and employment; and agencies working better together as a result of policy and interagency training developments. A wide range of other training, strategic and individual initiatives has been highlighted, including focus groups of school leavers and students in college with a view to reducing dropout rate and training tailored to suit specific developmental disorders of new students.

18 The initiatives carried out at every level of consultation, assessment and intervention, training and research have been of direct relevance to the key objectives of the project and have been valued by young people. The impact on the lives of young people and their families, both at more general and at individual levels, has clearly been a positive one. The evidence for this area has further validated the evidence gathered from all other sources, and has pointed to enhanced quality of life outcomes for the young people in question

19 In support of the key findings reported above, the evidence gathered from local authorities indicates that:

• no PSPS is provided in a number of non-Pathfinder authorities
• in particular, Pathfinders have a higher overall level of PSPS, with a more strategic focus
• Pathfinder authorities report more PSPS growth over the past year and anticipate more growth in the year ahead
• additional resources are seen as being key to the provision of PSPS, and in non-Pathfinder authorities they are presented as the principal barrier to developing provision
• in addition to wider strategic roles, both Pathfinders and others view the ideal contribution of PSPS in terms of developing effective transition for all young people from school to post-school services, in particular, supporting continuity and progression for vulnerable young people.

20 Responses were obtained from 16 local authorities, representing a 50% return rate. The clearest differences between Pathfinder and non-Pathfinder authorities were for overall contribution of psychological services to the post-school sector, and the contribution to strategic planning and policies. In terms of ideal provision, improvements on the transition process from school to post-school was seen as the key to continuity of provision and to the achievement of a wider range of post-school objectives.

21 The evidence gathered in relation to the Strategic Officers indicates that:

• the development of an effective working model of PSPS across Scotland at local, cluster and national levels has been overwhelmingly the result of the work of the SOs
• all Pathfinder services have received high levels of support from the SOs, and this support has been crucial to their effective development
• support has also been provided to several non-Pathfinder services
• the establishment and maintenance of a PSPS Network has been a central contribution to psychological services
• key stakeholders in Scotland's Colleges, in Careers Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and in other post-school agencies have received an extensive and direct national contribution from the SOs in enhancing their ability to promote improved outcomes for young people
• a significant contribution has been made by the SOs at strategic level to national and organisation-wide policies, practices and documentation.

22 The most significant contribution of the SOs has been the establishment, maintenance and development of an effective working model of PSPS across Scotland, with particular application currently to the work of the Pathfinders. Another contribution of crucial importance has been the establishment and maintenance of the Educational Psychologists' PSPS Network, and of all the communication and support structures associated with it. This has clearly been a major channel of support and information for all Pathfinders and also for non-Pathfinder services. The PSPS Pathfinder website, comprising web pages from the wider Scottish Executive website, was created by the SOs and is accessible to all services. It provides an invaluable source of information and resources. The most helpful SO support to services included: general support and advice, networking and links with other services, sharing of expert knowledge and good practice, providing a national perspective, facilitating cluster meetings, provision of the website, invitations to national training events, promoting involvement of educational psychologists in training and creating a positive climate for development.

23 The extensive involvement of the SOs in supporting Scotland's Colleges and in promoting links between the colleges and psychological services has been highly valued. This has been best reflected in the promotion of collaborative working with Scotland's Colleges at Network and other meetings, in national training initiatives through Beattie Resources for Inclusiveness in Technology and Education ( BRITE) and the Scottish Further Education Unit ( SFEU) and in strategic work at national level. Solution-focused training 'provided a sustainable and effective route into supporting the skills of college staff'. Many valued contributions have also been made by the SOs at national and local level to Careers Scotland key workers and other staff, Scottish Enterprise and other service and training providers. Their contribution to the university sector has also been highlighted by both programme directors.

24 The overall conclusion in relation to the SOs is that they have made a crucial contribution to the development and effectiveness of PSPS in Scotland, both locally and nationally.

25 The evidence gathered in relation to university training programmes indicates that:

• significant developments have taken place at Dundee University (where 3 additional trainee places were funded to support PSPS) in terms of curriculum development and promotion of post-school practice
• both Dundee and Strathclyde universities have taken active steps to incorporate PSPS into their programmes.

The developing field of PSPS requires the training of increased numbers of educational psychologists, curriculum review, additional field placements and practice tutors and an extension of the range of placements to include post-school settings. Both universities have taken extensive account of these implications and have sought to embed PSPS in the delivery of their postgraduate training programmes.

26 The overall conclusion of this evaluation therefore is that PSPS is achieving its key aims and objectives in developing effective services and in promoting enhanced outcomes for young people by:

• supporting the young person's transition to post-school by enhancing continuity and progression
• complementing the assessment and advice of Scotland's Colleges and other service providers
• improving the understanding, skills and effectiveness of service providers through consultation, training and action research
• contributing to strategic developments locally and nationally, including policy development.

27 This evaluation has important implications in relation to the development of effective post-school psychological services in Scotland. These may be summarised as follows:

• the progress made by Pathfinders in establishing a range of effective and highly valued post-school psychological services, and in gradually embedding these within a coherent framework of service delivery, points to the value of maintaining the resources that have supported this project in the 12 Pathfinders
• the progress in Pathfinders, combined with the general lack of progress elsewhere, the perceived need for post-school services, the readiness of psychological services to develop them and the clear barriers presented by lack of resources, point to the value of a further roll out of PSPS in other areas
• any further roll out of PSPS should take account of the number of trainee places required on the educational psychology training programmes at Dundee and Strathclyde Universities
• the crucial role played by the Strategic Officers in continuing to support Pathfinders at this stage in their development, the even more crucial need for their support for any further roll out of PSPS, and the strategic significance of their national role point to the value of utilising their key position so that Strategic Officer posts be maintained and extended
• the advantages of a longer-term national role for PSPS Strategic Officers, as in other areas of applied psychology in Scotland (occupational, clinical and forensic) should be explored
• links between educational psychology and other branches of applied psychology should be developed, ensuring effective signposting for post-school service users.

28 The following recommendations are made to the Scottish Executive:

• it is recommended that the resources that have supported this project in the 12 Pathfinders should be maintained
• it is recommended that there should be a further roll out of PSPS in other areas
• it is recommended that any further roll out of PSPS should take account of the number of trainee places required on the educational psychology training programmes at Dundee and Strathclyde Universities
• it is recommended that the Strategic Officer posts should be maintained and extended
• it is recommended that a longer-term national role for PSPS Strategic Officers should be explored
• it is recommended that the professional organisations for psychology in Scotlandshould be asked to explore the development of links between educational psychology and other branches of applied psychology, to ensure effective signposting for post-school service users.

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