Consultation Meetings - A Guide

What is a Consultation Meeting?

A Consultation Meeting is an opportunity for the Educational Psychologist and the parent/carer and child or young person to meet with school or Early Years staff and other professionals to share information and come up with a plan of action that will address concerns.

The meeting is meant to be supportive, with everyone working together in the best interests of the child or young person.

Everyone will listen to each other’s views, consider what is currently working, how this is helpful and decide next steps.

Who will be at a Consultation Meeting?

The head teacher or head of the Early Years centre will invite the people most concerned about your child’s situation to come to the meeting with the educational psychologist.

As your child’s views are important, staff in school will discuss with you how your child’s views can be included in the discussion and whether it is appropriate for your child to attend all or part of the meeting.

The meeting will include you, your child, a relevant teacher or key-worker and any other relevant professionals. Everyone who is there has a responsibility to think of ways forward.

• The difficulties that your child is having
• His or her strengths or signs of competence or skill
• What might be contributing to the problem
• What has already been tried
• What has already had some success
• What else might be effective in bringing about a positive change.

At the end of the meeting an Action Plan will be drawn up that will:

• Identify next steps
• Agree roles and responsibilities
• Agree timescales for assessment and any further meetings
• Clarify how the parent/carer will be kept informed of progress.