Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Within the code of practice, social, emotional and mental health is defined as follows:

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‘Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or attachment disorder.’

Provision/Strategies applied at YJS

• Assessments through teaching e.g. are there parts of the curriculum they find easier to manage than others? Use these to develop confidence
• Small group work e.g. friendship or social skills, nurture groups
• Play-based activities
• Establish interests 
• Building relationships
• Buddying /peer mentoring
• Giving responsibility for looking after someone else
• Whole school approach to support strategies – consistency 

• Structure should be clear and explicit – what are the expectations?

• A consistent message but flexible approach 
• Reasonable adjustments where required
• Understand the basis for the behaviour e.g. what is the history/context?
• Understand that behaviour is a method of communication e.g. what purpose is the behaviour trying to achieve for the child? What is x trying to tell us with their behaviour?
• Helping the learner to substitute other, more acceptable behaviours
• Use of choices to allow the child some control with the same end 
• result E.g. Would you like to talk to me now or in one minute?
• Teach the learner different ways to get their needs met, e.g. develop social skills, strategies to manage anger
• Develop readiness to learn
• Consideration of the timetable and transitions
• Detailed transition between year groups / phases of education
• Professionals meeting to unpick the behaviour
• Risk assessment 
• Communication with home/family e.g. what is going on at home, other agencies’ involvement?
• Regular review of support plan, e.g. SEN support / individual behaviour
• Unpicking the behaviours: negative and positive behaviours – what lies behind them?
• Multi-professional approach and behaviour chains
• Identifying what is not right through engagement with the learner
• Looking at the history, when did the behaviour start to change or repeat?
• Liaison and collaboration with home is essential to understand the wider picture – consideration of parental sensitivities and potential triggers
• Look at guidance specific to self-harm and liaise with mental health specialists if appropriate 
• Build rapport with trusted adults
• Keep a log and analyse pattern or trends to identify triggers
• Liaison and understanding of the reasons, is there a pattern?
• Allowing plenty of time for movement or frequent small concentration periods
• Have a clear structure to the day
• Have clear expectations regarding behaviours and a clear and consistent response to behaviours
• Being aware of times of the day that may be more difficult
• Consideration of discipline procedures / behaviour policies and any reasonable adjustments that need to be made in line with equalities legislation
• Liaise with parents and carers for shared understanding
• A good transition when the child starts school and between each year group / stage / school – checking the history
• Supportive, structured school curriculum
• Staff to all be trained and aware of any child with attachment difficulties and how to respond to them
• Consideration of discipline procedures / behaviour policies
• Small group/nurture group activities to support personal social and emotional development
• A range of differentiated opportunities for social and emotional development e.g. buddy systems, friendship strategies, circle time
• Restorative approaches
• Look for patterns and triggers to identify what may be causing behaviours
• Positive scripts - positive language to re-direct, reinforce expectations e.g. use of others as role models
• Calming scripts to de-escalate, including for example, use of sand timers for ‘thinking time’
• Limited choices to engage and motivate
• Key worker and adults to check in at the start and end of the day
• Safe place/quiet area in the setting
• Feedback is used to collaborate and plan with parent /carer, to ensure consistency between the home and setting
• Build rapport and trust in a reliable adult.

Local offer links; 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges

https://www.annafreud.org/resources/schools-and-colleges/5-steps/

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/a-whole-school-approach-to-wellbeing/