Psychologists have a vital role to play in schools. From identifying and treating complex psychopathology, through to using psychology as a tool to enrich lives by improving learning, facilitating positive developmental trajectories, and supporting social justice and advocacy, a school psychologist works in a complex and diverse space. In this way, any single day could include questions such as whether a child is socially and intellectually prepared to progress into the next grade; consulting with educators about managing challenging behaviours; conducting comprehensive assessments for cognitive, academic, and psychosocial referrals; writing reports and liaising with other health professionals; providing diagnoses to parents and guardians; providing counselling and evidence-based interventions for young people, teachers, and even parents; and responding to crises and life-threatening events.

Clinical supervision is an essential feature of high-quality psychological practice. However, it has been under-investigated within the field of school psychology and particularly in Australia. An overview of the field of school psychology, its clinical supervision, and its use by school psychologists is provided. Past literature has suggested inadequate engagement with supervision among these practitioners. In order to examine current work contexts and supervision experiences, 77 school psychologists were surveyed. Engagement in supervision appears to have markedly increased since the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Continuing Professional Development mandates in 2010. However, the data indicated that further organisational and policy support of school psychologists is warranted.

In Australia, policies such as the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative have been the impetus for improved collaboration between medical practitioners and psychologists in general. However, policies that promote collaboration between school psychologists and community mental health, health, justice and/or human services professionals are yet to occur. This is despite known benefits arising from integrated service delivery to people with complex needs, including young people. School psychologists are an integral part of the service mix and are in an excellent position to promote collaborative practices and to assist students and families to navigate and access school-based and community-based support. This study, conducted in Queensland, Australia, investigated school psychologists’, guidance officers’ and school counsellors’ current and preferred levels of collaboration, their perceptions of the drivers and barriers to collaborative practices, and their views on how collaborative practices affect students. Results revealed that participants engaged more fully in within-school collaboration than collaboration with professionals and agencies outside of the school; they had a desire to collaborate more fully both internally and externally; and that concerns regarding confidentiality, time restrictions, and lack of access to appropriate services can sometimes make collaboration and information sharing difficult. Implications for school psychological practice are discussed.

Children with chronic illness often experience difficulties at school, yet little is known about the impact of the child's illness on siblings’ school experiences. This study investigated parents’ perceptions of siblings’ school experiences and school support. We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 27 parents of children with a chronic illness who had a sibling or siblings (4–25 years), representing the experiences of 31 siblings. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using content analysis. Parents believed that 14 of 31 (45.2%) siblings had school difficulties related to the ill child, such as increased anxiety or stress at school, lack of attention from teachers, and changes in behaviour as a result of increased carer responsibilities. Parents identified increased absenteeism due to the ill child's hospitalisation and the impact of parent absences on sibling school functioning. Parents described general and psychological support from the school, and the importance of monitoring the sibling at school and focusing on their unique needs. Overall, our findings suggest the need for a school-based sibling support model that combines psycho-education for siblings and school personnel, individualised sibling psychological support, and shared school and parent responsibility in normalising the sibling experience and providing consistent support.