HC Deb 26 January 1977 vol 924 cc686-8W
Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether, in view of the limited resources available to his Department, he will reject the recommendations of the Trethowan Report that clinical psychologists should expand into the fields of (a) physical handicap, (b) mental handicap, (c) child health and (d) adolescent services when these fields are adequately serviced by educational psychologists, thus preventing an uneconomic and wasteful duplicating of scarce skilled manpower;

(2) on what grounds he thinks it necessary to introduce a clinical psychologist into the assessment of children and young people with physical and emotional handicaps whose treatment is educational and whose placement in special schools Circular 2/75 recommended should be on the basis of an educational psychologist's professional judgment.

Mr. Moyle

These Questions suggest misconceptions about the recommendations of the Trethowan Committee. I am advised that these do not conflict with the recommendations in the Department of Education and Science's Circular 2/75 concerning the ascertainment of children who require special education. We are considering what advice to give health authorities about the Trethowan Committee's recommendations and will bear in mind the resource implications.

Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what proposals he has for discussing with representatives of educational psychologists the recommendations of the Trethowan Report before any of them are implemented;

(2) what discussions he has had with educational psychologists over the Trethowan Report's recommendations that clinical psychologists should expand their rôle to do the work traditionally done by educational psychologists; and if he is satisfied that if such work is done by clinical psychologists they will have an acceptable background and experience in education.

Mr. Moyle

The Association of Educational Psychologists was invited by the Trethowan Sub-Committee to comment on its draft recommendations, and I understand its views were taken into account in the preparation of the final report. The Trethowan Report is not yet published, but advance copies are being sent to various organisations in the educational field which have been invited to comment on the Court Report on Child Health Service, so that they can consider the relevant passages of both together. The Trethowan Report does not recommend that clinical psychologists should take on work traditionally done by educational psychologists.

Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied that he has sufficient clinical psychologists to meet the public needs in geriatrics, mental illness and neurological sciences.

Mr. Moyle

It is for individual health authorities to determine the needs of their areas. While I am in general anxious to see clinical psychology services developed, the constraints of the present financial situation must be borne in mind.

Mr. McNamara

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, as the draft circular "The Rôle of Psychologists in the Health Service" suggests the possibility of confusion and conflict in the area of psychological work with pre-school children, the mentally handicapped and children placed in assessment centres and as the treatment in all these cases is educational, if he will recommend that educational psychologists should be the sole psychologists working in this area

Mr. Moyle

I assume my hon. Friend has in mind the passageIt is important that both clinical and educational psychologists should fully understand the different expertise peculiar to each discipline and should be ready to accept that there has to be some overlapping of function. I do not read this as implying confusion and conflict.