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Around £115,000 has been spent on locum and temporary educational psychologists to plug staffing gaps amid a sharp rise in demand for special needs services over the past year, Express has learned – but there are concerns about how much of this has translated into hands-on support for the children most in need.
The figures, obtained by Express under the Freedom of Information Law, were released by Government just weeks after a union branded Jersey an “unsafe” place for educational psychologists to work.
Educational psychologists are responsible for assessing and identifying children's learning and emotional needs from birth to 19 years old, and for facilitating discussions to consider support arrangements in schools.
The response also revealed that seven full-time educational psychologists are currently employed by the government to support children with special educational needs — with recruitment ongoing for one more full-time position.
This represents an increase from March, when only four educational psychologists were employed by the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department.
As part of its request, Express inquired how many of the seven specialist professionals employed by CYPES were currently not based in Jersey, off sick, on leave, or otherwise away from their role.
The Department, however, refused to release this information because they claimed this could "breach the privacy of certain individuals".
CYPES did confirm earlier this year however that locum staff were brought in when demand was high or when staff were off for extended periods, such as parental leave.
But not only is CYPES relying on temporary workers to supplement the service, it has also emerged that one in five special educational needs assessments have been carried out online over the past year.
Of the 236 total assessments completed between September 2023 and September 2024, 47 were conducted remotely.
CYPES' alleged over-reliance on temporary staff and support being delivered remotely were a major source of contention for a whistleblower within the Education Department who raised concerns back in April.
The source said: "This situation continues to leave children, families and schools vulnerable and not receiving the service or standard of practice to which they are entitled."
While remote assessments can be useful, guidance from the Association of Educational Psychologists—the union currently in dispute with the government— stressed that the practice must prioritise the child's best interests and that remote work should never be chosen purely for convenience.
The AEP's guidance reads: "The decision to work remotely with a child or young person must be determined by whether it is in their best interests and within the context of supporting their wider human rights."
"If undertaking a remote assessment or interaction is, in any way, not in the best interests of the child or young person, the involvement must take place in person."
While acknowledging that remote assessments could improve accessibility for some by removing the need to travel to appointments, the AEP warned they could inadvertently exclude others. Factors like lack of access to technology, language barriers, cultural preferences, and comfort with remote interactions may disadvantage certain children, the union explained.
Tensions between the AEP and Jersey's government extend back many months – but the situation came to a head at the end of last month when it declared it was officially "in dispute" with the Government and branded Jersey an "unsafe" place to work for educational psychologists.
Pictured: The AEP's statement, which was shared on its website.
This followed what the Union described as a "failure" by the Government to "deal appropriately" with concerns raised by educational psychologists working in the island.
As a result, it said it would no longer recommend Jersey as a place to work to its members and would not carry any adverts for positions.
The Children's Commissioner described the situation as "deeply worrying", while the Chair of the group of politicians responsible for scrutinising education policy said that her panel would be keeping a close eye on the situation.
"Best practice would be for [educational psychologists] to be supported in raising concerns. Jersey needs to treat its professional staff well," said Deputy Catherine Curtis.
Since the announcement, CYPES says it has commissioned an independent review of the island's educational psychology services, which support children up to 19 and offer assessments and interventions for those with special educational needs.
The department said it "will be working closely with the Association of Educational Psychologists and colleagues working within this service throughout this assessment process".
Other recent statistics also paint a picture of delays in the assessment and identification of children's special educational needs as demand for educational psychology services has surged in recent years.
The number of requests for formal Records of Needs—documents outlining a student's specific support requirements—increased by around 60% in just one year from 92 in the 2021/22 academic year to 146 in 2022/23.
However, only a fraction of these assessments were completed within the 20-week target that is standard in the UK.
It comes at a time of significant turbulence within the Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department.
CYPES is currently undergoing restructuring once again, with the departure of several senior staff.
The most recent high-profile departure to be announced was that of Seán O’Regan, Director of Education. This announcement comes just one month after the department's Chief Officer Rob Sainsbury stepped down from his role on 31 October.
Educational psychologists' situation “deeply worrying”
"Jersey needs to treat its professional staff well"
Educational psychologists union brands Jersey not a "safe place" to work
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