Fife Council Psychological Service (FCPS) is part of Fife Council's Education Service.

Three Area Teams serve West Fife, Central Fife and North East Fife respectively. They are based at:

13 Abbey Park Place, Dunfermline, KY12 7PT: Tel. 01383 602379

Auchterderran Centre, Woodend Road, Cardenden, KY5 0NE: Tel. 01592 583348

County Buildings, St Catherine Street, Cupar, KY15 4TA: Tel. 01334 659327

The Principal and two Depute Principal Psychologists are based at Auchterderran Staff Development and Resource Centre: Tel. 01592 583349.

Statutory functions of the Service relate to studying and giving advice concerning the education of children with special educational needs, and giving advice regarding the assessment of needs within the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

As part of the Education Service the Psychological Service contributes to the implementation of Section 15 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000 which states that, whenever possible, children will be educated in mainstream schools. The Service also contributes to meeting the requirements of the Scottish Parliament's Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) Act 2002 to improve accessibility to school facilities and the curriculum for pupils with disabilities.

Fife Council's Psychological Service's method and means of assessment are consistent with the Education Service's policy on assessment which stresses the importance of the assessment of contextual factors with regard to learning or social, emotional and behavioural problems.

The work of educational psychologists includes: casework consultation (which is the predominant activity of the Service), professional development of Education Service staff, projects/research and policy, training and support for other agencies including the voluntary sector. The aim of intervention is to help clarify problems, identify necessary resources and identify possible solutions within a co-operative and multi-disciplinary framework. The Psychological Service has, as a consequence, moved significantly away from individual, isolated, non-contextual assessment methods. These problem-solving approaches stress the value of effective, least-intrusive interventions at the earliest practical stage and are therefore preventative in their focus.

The Service values informal early intervention in work with young people and their families in co-operation with teachers and has been active in describing effective means of wider co-operation in this preventative focus via staff of the Health agencies, Social Work Service and other Council Department. The links between the Service and the Children's Panel and Reporter's Department are seen as a critical part of this network.

A formal link exists between the Service and the Reporter's Service Staff. Service Staff are also involved in training of Children's Panel members. A priority has been to establish joint training on matters regarding child care strategy, assessment methods, and joint working; the Service is keen to build on these links.

Disabled Access: