10 updates from Wales: summer edition
Working with Senior Specialist EP, Dr Abigail Wright, we’ll bring you updates from Wales across the year. We hope that sharing updates and news from Wales sparks conversation, discussion and inspiration.
1. Evolving the role of EPs in Wales
The Welsh Government and the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) have teamed up to create a useful guide called The Role of Educational Psychologists in Wales. This document dives into the important work educational psychologists are doing to support babies, children, and young people’s learning, wellbeing, and growth across Wales.
The publication underlines how the profession is evolving to meet the diverse educational and developmental needs of Welsh students. It serves as a valuable tool for policymakers, educators, and families seeking to understand the impact and importance of this profession in shaping inclusive and supportive systems.
This resource is accessible in both English and Welsh versions, making it widely available to stakeholders interested in strengthening the framework for educational psychology in Wales.
2. EPs featured in national Early Years film
Educational Psychologists from Cardiff’s Parents Plus team have been featured in a new short film by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, highlighting their work with families to support young children’s emotional development.
Cardiff Parenting & Play Service, part of Early Help, was invited to participate in the film as part of the launch of the Shaping Us Framework – a UK-wide initiative showcasing impactful early years services. The film, recently shared on the Foundation’s social media channels, celebrates the vital role of psychologically informed practice in shaping positive outcomes for children.
3. EPs contribute to Wales-wide parenting campaign
Educational Psychologists from Cardiff Parenting & Play have collaborated with Welsh Government to support the ‘Parenting Give it Time’ campaign, which offers free, accessible advice for parents and carers across Wales.
As part of this contribution, the team helped develop two key resources:
- The Little Book of Feelings a rhyming storybook designed to help parents nurture emotional development from birth
- and a practical booklet on understanding and responding to young children’s behaviour.
4. Psychology-led early intervention: baby’s best beginnings
Educational Psychologists from Cardiff Parenting were recently invited to present at the Parent-Infant Foundation’s May 2025 Network Day, sharing their pioneering Baby’s Best Beginnings approach. This psychology-led model focuses on identifying and coordinating support during pregnancy for babies on the edge of care. By leading multi-agency formulations before birth, EPs help develop trauma-informed, targeted support plans for families. The approach has already shown promising outcomes, including increased family engagement and fewer separations at birth.
Professionals involved have also reported a deeper understanding of vulnerable families and positive changes in their practice because of these early, collaborative interventions.
5. Educational Psychology in neonatal therapy: a holistic start for families
The newly established Neonatal Therapy Service in Cwm Taf Morgannwg now includes educational psychology as part of its multidisciplinary team, offering holistic early intervention for babies and their families.
This innovative service focuses on strengthening parent-infant relationships, supporting early development, and promoting wellbeing from the very beginning of life. By empowering parents and tailoring support to each family’s needs, the service aims to give every baby the best possible start.
6. Raising awareness: building attuned relationships from the start
The Parent Infant Foundation is working in partnership with Dr. Liz Gregory, Wales Development Lead, on a national awareness campaign focused on the importance of early, attuned relationships between babies, young children, and their families.
As part of this initiative, Dr Nicola Canale, Educational Psychologist, will be sharing the coproduction journey behind the campaign at the upcoming Early Years Wales Roadshow. This exciting collaboration highlights the power of psychology-led approaches in shaping nurturing, responsive early environments. Stay tuned for further updates as the campaign develops.
7. Supporting families: new guide for anxiety-based school avoidance
In response to a growing need, Educational Psychologists from Cardiff Educational Psychology Service and Parents First (Early Help) partnered to create a practical guide for parents and carers on Anxiety-Based School Avoidance (ABSA) (Printable PDFs available in English and Welsh). This user-friendly resource offers compassionate advice to help families understand and support children dealing with school-related anxiety.
8. New research highlights impact of ELSA intervention
A recent study published in ‘Educational Psychology in Practice’ shows how the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme is making a real difference in Welsh schools. Researchers Lorraine Silver, Emma Emanuel, and Ellen Jones evaluated how ELSA interventions work overtime and found that emotional literacy got better after just six weeks—and the improvement stuck around for at least 10 weeks after that.
The study collected data from 18 schools, including primary, secondary, special, and PRU settings. Both kids and teachers noticed the positive changes, which were checked through feedback and joint evaluations. The research also pointed out that the strong connection between ELSAs and pupils plays a big role in how well the programme works. Plus, they suggested that providing small, ongoing support could help keep those emotional improvements going strong.
9. West Glamorgan Partnership’s Neurodiverse Programme: empowering needs-led support
The West Glamorgan Partnership’s Neurodiverse (ND) Programme is making meaningful strides in fostering inclusive, needs-led support for individuals with neurodevelopmental differences.
A standout success has been the Myth Busting initiative, co-led by Neath Port Talbot and Swansea Inclusion Services, with a central role played by the Educational Psychology Service. This initiative challenges the misconception that a formal diagnosis is the only route for advice/support, instead championing timely, compassionate, and practical responses.
Highlights include “Time to Talk” sessions for parents, a popular podcast series, and targeted training for school staff. The impact has been significant: 87 families accessed 43.5 hours of tailored support, parental confidence rose by 21%, and 92% of participants found the sessions very helpful. Nationally recognised by Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Sarah Murphy, the project is praised for strengthening school-health partnerships and building sustainable, inclusive systems that prioritise pupil needs over labels.
10. Early years ‘Circles of Support’ community model
On 3 June, the Welsh Branch of the British Psychological Society hosted a public health impact exchange event at the Open University in collaboration with Public Health Wales. The event spotlighted psychologically led programmes making a real difference across diverse populations.
Dr Abigail Wright, Educational Psychology Lead for the branch, presented Neath Port Talbot’s Early Years Community Educational Psychology Team’s innovative ‘Circles of Support’ model. The model offers a circular, community-based approach to supporting young children and their families.
From universal training and resources to individualised early consultations, the model is grounded in a strengths-based, holistic ethos. It empowers families and communities to make meaningful changes that enhance children’s development, learning, and wellbeing. Nationally recognised for best practice, the model exemplifies how educational psychology can drive inclusive, impactful early years support.
If you are interested in sharing updates/news as from the Welsh context, please drop Abigail an email
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