Blog posts

A fond farewell to our Psychological Service Home Visiting Teacher team

Posted on by hcps1980

It is with great sadness that we say farewell to a truly remarkable team that will no longer be a feature of available support in early years. They are talented, dedicated, and supportive people, that have always been valued by children, parents and professionals alike.

The Psychological Service Home Visiting Teacher team has effectively supported children with additional support needs, their families and other practitioners who have worked with them. They have generously shared their expertise since the team were established almost 40 years ago. It has been a privilege to work alongside individuals (both past and present), who have brought such skill, commitment, and a genuine spirit of compassion and collaboration to everything they do.

Although this chapter is ending, we have no doubt that each of them will continue to make a positive impact in their future endeavours.

Finding the Missing Piece: Rights, Voice, and ‘Playful Connections’

Posted on by hcps1980

Play is a huge part of early communication, but for young children with Additional Support Needs, connecting can sometimes feel like a puzzle. Parents, carers, and practitioners often wonder: How do I join in without causing stress? How do I know if they want me there?

To help, the Psychological Service Home Visiting Teachers have created a new booklet: Playful Connections. It shifts the focus away from structured play to focus on what truly matters: building meaningful, joyful relationships.

Honouring Children’s Rights & Voice

At the heart of Playful Connections is a deep commitment to the UNCRC: the right to play, and the right to have choices and feelings respected.

For children with complex communication needs, “voice” is expressed through body language, facial expressions, and sounds. The booklet explores two vital concepts to honour this autonomy:

  • Assent (Saying “Yes” with actions): Reading the subtle, non-verbal cues that show a child is happily engaged and wants us to join in.
  • Consent (Respecting boundaries): Recognising when a child is signaling “not right now” or “I need space,” and safely seeking permission without overwhelming them.

By tuning into these signals, we show children that their choices matter, laying a secure foundation for trust and self-advocacy.

    There is no single “right” way to play. We hope this resource gives you the confidence to slow down, notice the small signals, and build gentle bridges of connection.

    This booklet can be found within the Families or the Practitioner sections of the Blog.

    Preparing our children and young people for meetings

    Posted on by hcps1980
    Sketch of a meeting with child, family and professionals.

    In your preparation for Child’s Plan or Solution Focused Meetings, have you considered how well prepared the child or young person is? It’s important that we respect their rights to be involved in decisions made with and for them. Best practice would be to share information with them in way that actively supports their engagement.

    This link will take you to two videos which could help to show the child or young person what the meeting could look like. Getting ready for a meeting.

    These videos may also be useful as a starting point for parents, carers or any supporting adults who have been invited to a meeting for the first time.

    Moving day for the Psychological Service

    Posted on by hcps1980
    Photo of Culcabock by Helen O’Donohue

    Since the 1970’s the Psychological Service ‘headquarters’ has resided in Culcabock, the old primary school on Culcabock Avenue in Inverness. Many of you will have spent time in the big meeting room for training events. We have now moved to Ness House (next to Drummond School) in Inverness.

    Our email address continues to be highlandcouncilpsychologicalservice@highland.gov.uk

    If you need to post anything, please use this new postal address; Ness House, Upper Floor, Drummond Road, Inverness, IV2 4NZ.

    Transition into Early Learning and Childcare.

    Posted on by babssimons

    January sees another group of “freshers” starting in our Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings. This can be an exciting and yet nervous step for both the children and their parents/carers.

    Successful transitions often need good planning. This is especially the case if the child has additional support needs. Within the blog we have a range of tools and information which can be used to support enhanced transitions. These sit nicely alongside the ‘Being Me!’ documents already in place in ELC settings. These tools cover many different topics. They include timescales and the benefits of planning in partnership with parents/carers, and communication between home and the setting.

    Take a look at the supporting documents within the “Preparing for change – transitions” page.  

    Play Steps – UPDATED

    Posted on by hcps1980

    Play Steps takes a closer look at different types of play demonstrated by children in activities commonly found in Early Learning and Childcare settings.  The sections are designed to be used independently focusing on the interests of the child or the areas where specific needs have been identified. 

    The updated version and more guidance can be found using the following link.

    Play Steps

    From Anxiety to Hope and Action

    Posted on by hcps1980

    Exploring Global Issues with Learners

    On the February In-service day 2024, Highland One World (HOW) facilitated a session supporting school staff to consider how to support children and young people to move from ‘Anxiety to Hope and Action’. The session was jointly created by HOW and the Highland Psychological Service, who had gathered information from young people across Highland, that indicated a high level of concern about a range of ‘world events’ and how children were impacted by media reports about these issues. The session considered with practitioners the world events that are causing anxiety for many pupils – climate change, war, political disruption etc. The session looked at why these issues cause anxiety in some children and gave very practical examples of how children can be supported by the adults around them to take control of the things they can and to take positive action to address some of the issues in a way that reduces the negative impact on them personally. This session has been distilled to a one hour recording that provides accessible, helpful information to any practitioner working with children and young people in this very important area. This session can be accessed here:

    From Anxiety to Hope and Action

    Additional information and a range of resources to support with similar issues can be found at highlandoneworld.org.uk

    Professional Reflective Supervision for Highland Head Teachers

    Posted on by hcps1980

    Many professional groups who work with children and young people receive regular professional supervision to support their safe practice and create a space for reflection and growth (Hawkins & Shohet, 2006).

    Within the context of local authority schools however supervision is rarely provided as a matter of course to senior managers (Lawrence, 2020).

    A research project has been completed recently in Highland with a small group of Head Teachers. They were involved in co-creating a framework for a supervision process and then engaged with this process over a number of months.

    Feedback from the Head Teachers, following their engagement in this research, was very positive and as a result it has been agreed to continue to offer reflective professional supervision to a wider range of practitioners.

    Further information is detailed in this leaflet. If you would like to be paired up with an Educational Psychologist and engage with this offer, please get in touch with bernadette.cairns@highland.gov.uk

    Planning for Christmas

    Posted on by babssimons

    Christmas can be fun and exciting for children and young people, but for those with additional support needs it’s a season that might bring additional challenges. Whether or not you and your family celebrate Christmas, its difficult to avoid the potential impact at home, in the community, and in our schools and nurseries.

    It’s a time that can be confusing for children whose families do not celebrate Christmas. Some children live in a blended family or share their time between two households where family traditions and expectations can be different. Navigating all of this can be an added pressure for children with additional support needs.

    For some practical ideas to support this have a look at the Planning for Christmas page.