ABSTRACT
Referrals to an agency outside the school will almost certainly continue to be made for some time, despite a shared aim to work towards supporting teachers in containing most children with educational difficulties within school. In the original child guidance model the starting point was usually the child and the intervention to be followed was determined by an accepted routine. The methods of the old child guidance team are now largely discarded but perhaps it is worth being reminded briefly of the influence which it has had on thinking about children’s welfare before completely dismissing the entire movement. One of the risks which can arise when a child is referred out of the school system is that the school transfers an important part of its responsibility for that child, maybe with relief, or resentment or some combination of both.
