Educational Psychology Parent/Carer Support Helpline

Educational Psychology Helpline for Havering families

Autumn 2025 – Summer 2026  (term-time only)

Who are you, and what do you do?

Educational Psychologists (EPs) are professionals who apply psychology (the study of thinking, learning and behaviour) to support the learning, development and wellbeing of children and young people. Members of the Havering Educational Psychology Service (EPS)(Opens in new tab) work collaboratively with our local education settings (including pre-schools, schools and colleges) and families to support children and young people aged 0-25.

 

How does this helpline work?

This helpline is a free service for families living in the London Borough of Havering. It provides a reflection space for parents/carers to explore and problem-solve home based issues about their child with an EP.

All helpline sessions are on a Thursday morning during term time. They need to be booked in advance, and a time slot will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Calls can last up to 40 minutes.

All discussions are confidential – you can share as much or as little as you like, none of which will be recorded or shared with anybody beyond the meeting unless we feel worried about your / your child’s safety. We will offer whatever support we can, and if we feel the discussion or issue goes beyond what the helpline can provide, we will try to signpost you to relevant colleagues or services.

Will the EP see my child after the call?

No. This is a one-off consultation service for parents/carers, and the EP will not carry out any follow-up work with your child or speak with their educational setting. It is not a referral route (Opens in new tab) into our school-based support or statutory assessment work.

What can I talk to the EP about?

During the session, the EP will ask how you would like to use your time, listen to your concerns and discuss ideas with you to help you consider what to do next. Topics that you may wish to discuss could include (but are not limited to):

• Supporting your child to maintain positive mental well-being.
• Supporting your child’s engagement with learning at home.
• Concerns about friendships, emotional needs, daily structure and routines.
• Managing dysregulated behaviours.
• Unpicking your child’s worries about going to school.

If your concerns are primarily about the support for your child’s needs in the context of their educational setting, then you may wish to first explore them with a key staff member in the setting, such as their Class Teacher, Form Tutor, or the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), as they are best placed to speak with you about what can be put in place.

If you have a question about an Education Health Care (EHC) Needs Assessment, please refer to the guidance on the Havering Local Offer website (Opens in new tab), or alternatively, you may want to contact the Havering Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) (Opens in new tab) to seek further information, confidential advice and support with thinking through your options.

How can I book a session?

Please fill in the booking form on https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/k55HCnSKBj (Opens in new tab) if you wish to request an EP Helpline session. You will be asked to leave your contact details, and a member of our team will confirm a specific time slot with you by email as soon as possible. 

 

Evaluation and feedback

After speaking with the EP, we ask that you complete a brief survey to tell us about your experience of using this helpline. Responses are collected anonymously, and we would appreciate any feedback as it will help us plan for our support going forward.

Here are some of the comments that parents/carers have kindly shared with us in past years.

• “It was nice to talk openly about the issues I am having”
• “A really helpful and informative service. [EP] had great knowledge and was very understanding and compassionate.”
• “[EP], suggested a number of options, reviewed them with me and sort my opinion on the options”
• It helped me see how I might be able to link up support around my child rather than me trying to do things a bit in isolation with very small pockets of support.
• I found [EP] to be a great source of information for introducing new strategies to go to my son's school with. She was brilliant and extremely helpful.
• “[EP] listened and gave me good advice going forward in supporting my daughter to help her achieve her aspirations and dreams. Would definitely recommend to parents/carers to get advice as I feel that this has gave me other advice that I can put forward and use.”

Page Reviewed: 28/04/2026