EDUCATIONAL psychologists have warned incoming ministers not to sideline the Currie report which called for a major overhaul of the service.
At a meeting of principal psychologists and education officials, held in Glasgow on Wednesday to review the progress in implementing the report, Anna Boni, chair of the Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists, said: “The Currie report must not become forgotten business, consigned to Room 101, under the new Scottish Executive.”
Psychologists are particularly concerned that a national implementation group set up following the report is looking at only four of 31 recommendations. This is despite an undertaking in February last year that the report would be implemented in full.
But action by the group is confined so far to four of the recommendations, on disseminating good practice, setting up a national task group on self-evaluation, regular inspection of the psychological service and the relationship between devolved budgets and psychologists’ work.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Executive said it had already responded by increasing the number of training places for educational psychologists and increasing the level of financial support for trainees.
“It is our intention to implement all 31 recommendations in the report by Augusty 2003,” the spokesperson said.
After the report was published in February last year, the number of training places was increased from 34 to 48, and funding per trainee from pound;20,500 to pound;24,500.
Cathy Jamieson, then Education Minister, underlined the importance of psychologists “in promoting inclusion through their work with professionals and parents”.