Training available on request

Autism and Mental Health

People with autism are more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population. However, the mental health of people with autism is often overlooked or ignored. That’s why it’s really important that the services people with autism use, are able to properly identify their social, emotional and mental health needs so people can get the right support at the right time. This session will increase your understanding of autism and mental health issues and increase your confidence in identifying and supporting the social, emotional and mental health needs of children and young people with autism.

Creative Ways of Working with Children and Young People

The aim of the training is to introduce participants to a Creative Way of supporting children and young people to express themselves, in a safe and confidential environment. This is demonstrated in a number of ways through Expression, Art and Visualisation and Therapeutic stories; and will help them to develop their therapeutic skills and understanding of the benefits of using these techniques with children and young people in order to:

Understand and help resolve issues
Increased knowledge and skills through experiential learning
The impact of creative techniques
Assess the indications and contraindications for using creative techniques

Understanding Trauma informed Practice and Attachment

This session aims to develop an understanding of attachment theory and the different types of attachment, highlighting how this impacts the brain and can affect classroom behaviour. This session also provides practical strategies to support vulnerable children and young people with attachment difficulties to provide the secure base that they need.

Getting it Right: Positive Steps to Support Behaviour and Emotional Wellbeing in Schools

The Inclusion Support Service have developed guidance and resources for schools on identifying and supporting children and young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. We are offering free training to all schools. This course covers how to identify children with SEMH needs, creating learning environments to promote emotional wellbeing and positive behaviour, assessing and planning for SEMH needs, strategies that can be implemented to support SEMH needs. All delegates will receive a copy of the Getting it Right Good Practice Guidance Resource. This course is for school leaders SENCOs and pastoral leads and other agencies working with schools to support them in meeting the needs of children with SEMH needs.

Open for booking in Summer 2021, Please contact Noreen Khan: Nooreen.Khan@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Using Counselling Skills to Support Children and Young People

There has been an increasing awareness of the impact of children and young people’s emotional well-being on their engagement in school and being able to reach their full potential. The use of counselling skills is one effective way to support emotional well-being. Central to counselling is the relationship between skilled helper and client, therefore school staff are in a great position to provide this support as they already have established relationships with the children/ young people. It is important for staff to have an understanding of counselling skills so that they can provide safe and helpful support.

Promoting Friendships and Reducing Isolation: Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends is an approach to support a student who is in danger of feeling isolated or left out. The Circle of Friends approach works by developing a support network around the individual by asking the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty.

Promoting Social Skills: GRASP Intervention

GRASP is a 6 session programme that is designed to provide pupils with a range of skills and understanding, such as problem solving and assertive expression, which will enable them to make confident, positive decisions in social situations with peers.

Understanding and Supporting C&YP who are refugees and migrants

This session will increase your knowledge of the journey of refugees and migrants who come to Wolverhampton, the impact of this journey and how we can support children and young people following this. The session is being run by Dr Heather Thomas from the Wolverhampton Refugee and Migrant Centre alongside the Educational Psychology Service.

Developing and Writing Multi-element Support Plans

Multi-element Support Plans are a tool that focuses on a number of factors and elements that can contribute to improved wellbeing and/or behaviour. They form part of the graduated response to identifying needs and implementing support for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) need outlined in the Getting it Right Guidance. This session will support you to develop and write effective multi-element support plans using examples, case studies and allowing you to reflect on children and young people who you support.

Preventing Escalation of Challenging Behaviour: Emotion Coaching

Emotion coaching is a method of enabling children and young people to manage their own behaviour through helping them to understand the different emotions they experience, why they occur, and how to handle them.

Attachment in the Early Years

This session aims to develop an understanding of attachment theory and the different types of attachment, highlighting how this impacts the brain and child development. The session focuses on children from 0-5 years old and how to identify their needs, work with their families and provide support and the secure base that they need.

Inclusion for Gender and Sexual Diversity

Research suggests that LGBTQI+ young people are more at risk of being bullied, and experience a greater risk of school dropout, social isolation, mental health difficulties and suicide. 80% of transgender adults were aware they were transgender before they left primary school, suggesting a need for staff in both primary and secondary school settings to have awareness of gender identity and potential issues faced by individuals who identify as transgender. This session will provide an introduction into how schools can support the needs of LGBTQI+ children and young people.

Dealing with Conflict and Bullying: Restorative Conversations

A restorative conversation is a useful way of bringing people together following an incident to explore what has happened, discuss the impact of this and agree ways forward. They have been used to successfully resolve conflict, improve relationships and prevent fixed term exclusions.

Responding to Anxiety: Mindfulness

Research findings show that regular mindfulness meditation significantly reduces anxiety. Mindfulness involves paying more attention to the present moment, to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you. We will share strategies that you can use to support children and young people.

Supporting Attendance: support for Emotionally-based School Avoidance

Emotionally-based school refusal (EBSR) is an umbrella term used to describe children and young people (CYP) who have severe difficulty attending school due to emotional factors. There is a broad range of research that has outlined the negative impact of EBSR on outcomes for C/YP. However, it has been found that intervening early and working with parents, schools and CYP themselves is associated with positive outcomes for CYP who have severe difficulty attending school.

Anger: how do we understand and manage this complex emotion?

Anger is not a bad emotion, however it is challenging when anger is expressed in potentially harmful ways. Learn more about how to respond to anger and how to support children and young people to understand it and express it in more helpful ways.