Linking regulation of practitioner school psychology and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: The need to build a bridge

Abstract

In 2014, the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child presents an opportunity for school psychology to evaluate its achievements relevant to the Convention, as well as its current and future strategic adherence to the Convention’s principles. With analysis of key school psychology documentation from the UK, it is shown that for school psychologists the achievements and strategy relating to the international Convention have been directly, albeit implicitly, supported from ‘top down’, by the post-ratification governance processes and structures of national level agencies which operate school psychology preparation, statutory professional regulation, and non-statutory professional quality enhancement. On account of their use of a scientist-practitioner model, school psychologists are positioned to make a unique contribution to enacting the Convention’s agenda and from recent Convention evaluations five priority areas for strategic development in relation to the Convention are identified. An account of the authors’ commissioned work following a non-accidental child death in the UK illustrates how school psychologists can make significant contributions to Convention priorities from ‘bottom up’ as a result of significant contemporaneous events at local or national level. Implications of the ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ linking of school psychologists’ work with the CRC agenda are discussed with reference to both the national and international school psychology communities and regulatory bodies.