the Australian Educational and Developmental Psychology Association
AEDPA

The AEDPA represents registered psychologists in Australia with advanced training and qualifications in educational and developmental psychology; concerned with optimising the learning, development, and wellbeing of individuals, groups, and organisations across the lifespan. 

The AEDPA is uniquely positioned in the Australian landscape of professional psychology organisations as the only membership body solely focussed on Educational and Developmental Psychologists.  While the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. (AAPi) provide broad support for all psychologists, AEDPA specifically targets advocacy, professional development, and public promotion of evidence-based information, on behalf of Educational and Developmental Psychologists.

The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychology Association (AEDPA) is committed to promoting the expertise and role of Educational and Developmental Psychologists. Our goals are to:

• Advocate for Educational and Developmental Psychology and Psychologists.

• Support the maintenance and development of high-quality Educational and Developmental Psychology university training pathways.

• Build the professional practice and competency of psychologists working in the Educational and Developmental Psychology field.

• Provide professional advice and support to our members.

• Support the Australian public’s access to educational and developmental psychology services.

• Provide public access to educational materials about educational and developmental psychology.

Advocacy

The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychology Association (AEDPA) is committed to advocating for increased recognition of its profession within Medicare, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and other mainstream funding models for disability, learning, wellbeing, and mental health. This includes educating the public and government about the diversity of Area of Practice Endorsements within psychology; highlighting the specific skills and knowledge of Educational and Developmental Psychologists.

Equity

The AEDPA seeks to address inequalities in the way Educational and Developmental Psychologists are recognised and funded in Australia. This includes addressing inequalities that affect all psychologists within the Medicare Benefit Scheme and National Disability Insurance Scheme. It also extends to the underrepresentation of postgraduate training programs across Australia in Educational and Developmental Psychology.

Collaboration

The AEDPA encourages collaboration among stakeholders, including professionals, organisations, government, families, individuals, and communities, to better serve the needs of those requiring their services. This includes working with existing psychology professional bodies where there are synergies.

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Educational and Developmental Psychology as a field necessitates strong advocacy to highlight its critical role in facilitating the lifelong learning, health and well-being of individuals and communities. It is an Area of Practice that often flies under the radar, but its contribution to improving educational outcomes and promoting healthy development across the lifespan is undeniable.

Advocacy helps ensure equitable resource allocation, policy support, and recognition for this skill set within broader psychological and educational contexts. There are clear inequalities in the way the Australian Government, Universities, other private and public bodies allocate funding, with a clear lack of recognition of the training of Educational and Developmental Psychologists.

We aim to address gaps by focusing on the unique needs of our endorsement and the Australian public, creating a robust network championing policies, practices, and educational resources that uniquely serve professionals, organisations, government, families, individuals and communities. Our primary goals relate to the increased recognition of Educational and Developmental Psychologists in Medicare, the National Disability Insurance Agency/Scheme (NDIA/S) and other mainstream funding models for disability, learning, wellbeing, and mental health.

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