A closure-threatened university course, which trains experts to help Wales’ most vulnerable children, has been thrown a life-line, thanks to efforts by Welsh Conservatives.
Now local government and university bosses have been told to get together to save the course, Cardiff University’s postgraduate Doctorate in Educational Psychology (DEdPsy), which is the only one in Wales.
The University said it was dropping the course because the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association (WGLA) have cut funding.
The Welsh Government’s U-turn comes after North Wales AMs Antoinette Sandbach and Mark Isherwood raised the problem in the Assembly. They backed a call by the Association of Educational Psychologists for funding to be re-instated as soon as possible.
Welsh councils, who say they are already unable to recruit enough qualified staff – especially those who speak Welsh fluently – also said the course’s closure would make matters worse. Trainees would have to go to England to study and work before qualifying, meaning they were less likely to return to Wales.
Ms Sandbach said:
“I am delighted that the university and the WLGA have been told to sit down together and sort it out. It is totally wrong that children should be put at risk because of a lack of funds.
“This profession is facing a staffing crisis, which is particularly grave for Welsh speaking families whose children need support at a crucial time, in their first language.
“The closure of the Cardiff course would make it much harder for Welsh students to train in this speciality, despite the fact that the jobs are there for them, and that graduates are keen to specialise in this area.”
The trainees are psychology graduates who have worked with children before embarking on the three-year doctorate. After gaining their DEdPsy they must agree to work with an education authority for a further two years– which means staying in England, as working in Wales is not classed as acceptable.
Once fully qualified the educational psychologists work with schools and local authorities to assess the needs of children, with councils then obliged to offer the help.
Education Minister Huw Lewis wrote to Ms Sandbach and Mr Isherwood to explain his re-think on the funding. He said in his letter:
“The Welsh Government recognises the important role that Educational Psychologists have in tackling the challenges encountered by children and young people in education.
“Their work helps to support the wellbeing and enhance learning opportunities for some of our more vulnerable learners.
“I am aware of the terms applied to those similar courses offered in England and the implications this may have for Wales if the current Cardiff University course is discontinued. I also understand those concerns raised regarding the potential impact this may have on the availability of welsh medium Educational Psychologists in Wales.
“Taking these issues into account, I have instructed my officials to work with the WLGA to identify a way forward. As part of this ongoing work my officials recently met with the WLGA and Cardiff University and I understand these discussions are ongoing. Once these discussions have concluded I will ensure that interested parties are informed of the outcome.”
Last month Ms Sandbach asked the six North Wales local education authorities how many educational psychologists they employed. All said they had problems recruiting staff – in 2012 Denbighshire only had one applicant for an advertised job.
In Gwynedd and Anglesey – which provide a joint service – a job has been empty for 10 months, despite being advertised twice across the UK.
Flintshire and Wrexham also provide a joint service, and there the full-time equivalent of 4.8 jobs have been lost.
The AEP says 25 out of 32 educational psychologists in North Wales trained in England, when it involved just a year-long masters course, instead of today’s five years doctorate and post-qualification work. Nine of those 25 worked for several years in England before they returned to Wales.
The six who trained in Wales all took up posts with Welsh education authorities when they gained their qualification. The final person trained in Scotland and later moved to North Wales.
