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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Education staff responsible for guidance in early childhood and school education
Belgium - French Community

Belgium - French Community

10.Management and other education staff

10.3Education staff responsible for guidance in early childhood and school education

Last update: 27 November 2023

The Centres for Psychological, Medical and Social Services (CPMS) are facilities which receive and listen to young people, and where multidisciplinary teams operate: educational psychologists, assistant educational psychologists, assistant social workers, assistant paramedics and doctors. They are subject to professional confidentiality requirements, and the services they provide are free of charge. Each school is served by a CPMS.

Each Centre for Psychological, Medical and Social Services is staffed by :

  • a director ;
  • one or more educational psychologists, who hold a university degree in psychology and/or educational science, and other qualifications listed in the decree of 20 January 2002 ;
  • one or more assistant social workers, who are certified social workers or assistant social workers ;
  • one or more assistant paramedics, who hold a  bachelor’s degree in nursing ;
  • possibly one or more assistant educational psychologists, who hold a vocational guidance assistant’s or assistant psychologist’s diploma ;
  • one or more doctors paid on a per session basis ;
  • technical, administrative, and maintenance staff in the education organised by the French Community, but not in subsidised education.

The CPMSs have three main missions :

  • to promote the psychological, educational, medical and social conditions which will give pupils the best chance of developing their personalities harmoniously and of preparing to assume their role as autonomous, responsible citizens and play an active role in social, cultural and economic life ;
  • to contribute to pupils’ educational process throughout their school career, by encouraging the use of means by which they can be led to make constant progress, within an approach of ensuring equal access opportunities to social, civic and personal emancipation. To this end, among other things the centres will mobilise the resources available in the pupil’s family, social and school environment ;
  • with a view to providing orientation for the subsequent course of their life, to support pupils in the development of their personal, educational and work plans and their integration in social and professional life.