| Summary: | Many studies have focused on the importance of the participation of young people in their education (e.g. Todd, 2012), although fewer papers discuss the practical aspects of seeking their views and fewer again on representing them. The current educational reforms including the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice in England (DfE, 2014a) and the draft, indicative Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Code in Wales (Welsh Government, 2015) have highlighted the importance of seeking young people’s views. The benefits of gathering and communicating young people’s views are well documented (e.g. Mannion, 2007), although the challenges are complex (Ingram, 2013). It is argued that EPs are well placed to gather young people’s views and that the methods that they use affect the information gathered (Harding & Atkinson, 2009). A mixed method approach was used to collect information regarding educational psychologists’ (EPs’) practice in obtaining and representing young people’s views. A questionnaire was used to gather data from local authority Educational Psychology Services across Wales and the results were analysed using descriptive statistics. Eight participants who completed the questionnaire took part in an interview to explore their views in more depth. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The major themes constructed included ‘accessing a true representation of young people’s views’, ‘gaining young people’s views empowers them’ and ‘child-centred practice’. The implications of the present study for the role of educational psychologists are discussed, together with future directions for research and the limitations of the present study.
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