North Staffs
Younger Mind Information Pack for Schools and Colleges
Designed by pupils of St Edwards Junior High School, Leek
“Counselling is one of a range of services that help to support the health, emotional and social needs of pupils and leads to a healthy school culture.� Evaluation of the Welsh School-based Counselling Strategy: Stage One Report July 2011 Full report can be obtained at www.bacp.co.uk/research/School_Counselling.php
Contents
Page 1
Younger Mind Therapeutic Project for Children and Young People
Page 2
Younger Mind Counselling for Schools
Page 6
Commissioning Younger Mind
Page 8
Service Level Agreement: Younger Mind Counselling in Schools
Page 13
Contact Details
Page 14
Staff Support and Professional Development
Page 17
Evidence-based Research of Counselling in Schools
Younger Mind Therapeutic Project for Children and Young People Younger Mind is part of North Staffs Mind which is affiliated to National Mind. North Staffs Mind has been in Stoke-on-Trent for 40 years and has a strong presence throughout Staffordshire and within the voluntary sector. Younger Mind began life in 2000 with a small grant from Children in Need. The funding allowed Mind to fund a Counsellor to work with Children and Young People within the city. The project developed good links with the local CAMHS and was able to demonstrate a real need for a complementary Mental Health Service for Children and Young People. Based on sound credentials and true recognition of the quality of work being delivered by Younger Mind the project received statutory funding from the local PCT's within Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. Since that time the project has grown and developed. We now employ 43 members of staff who work across the project in various roles and we have placement/volunteer Counsellors. Our staff team are highly trained practitioners with varied therapeutic orientations and experiences of working with Children and Young People. We pride ourselves on a client led service that envelops the ever changing needs of the Children and Young People we endeavour to serve. We believe that given the right environment and conditions, Children and Young People can grow and develop healthy emotional selves, which in turn leads to improved engagement in education and learning outcomes.
Tier 4
Specialist teams
Tier 3
Multi-disciplinary teams
Tier 2
Specialist support
Tier 1
Primary/Universal Services
Our Core service funding sees most of our work taking place within Tier 2. However, due to the complexity of some of our clients, clients’ autonomy to choose and transition practice we can also be seen to be supporting in Tier 3 and periodically at Tier 4. Our ethos is to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, engaging as necessary with other agencies, sharing where relevant essential information and thus providing a strong support network around the child/young person and their family. We know through experience that the outcomes are much better when all agencies involved with supporting a family are working together. Mental Health is still surrounded by stigma, misunderstanding and fear. This is why it is so important that, as a leading service provider to Children and Young People, we try where possible to demystify Mental Health and provide them with the best possible experience. Through having a presence within the school environment on a regular basis, by offering a safe space to express, and through creative approaches within the work we do within the school, we are able to begin to break down those barriers surrounding mental health, encouraging a more healthy understanding, as well as equip young people with the skills, understanding and strategies to positively affect their own lives.
“The greatest gift is to give someone the ability to heal themselves” Caroline Scol, Younger Mind Children’s Service Manager
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Features of a Good Counselling Service
✦
All staff, parents or carers, pupils and school partners are aware that a school based counselling service is being offered.
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Information about the school counselling service should be available and understood by all staff
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Information and publicity materials have been developed and made available for all the different audiences: staff, parents or carers, pupils.
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Counselling is seen as part of a whole school approach to emotional health and wellbeing and school effectiveness.
✦
The service is independent as well as integrated into the school.
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The counselling room is accessible, private, secure, safe and welcoming.
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The counsellor is suitably qualified and is recognised on an Accredited Voluntary Register and is working within an ethical framework, such as BACP or equivalent.
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Appropriate clinical and managerial supervision arrangements are in place.
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Continuing professional development opportunities are available and taken up.
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A member of school staff has been appointed to act as liaison.
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Appropriate induction arrangements have been made.
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The counsellor is familiar and works with relevant legislation and procedures, including child protection and safeguarding procedures.
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The counsellor has a knowledge of mental disorders and the evidence base for effective treatments.
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Pupils have been involved in the development (and evaluation) of the service.
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There are clear referral, including self-referral procedures in place.
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The equal opportunities policy includes sex, disability, race and sexual orientation.
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The complaints procedure is accessible to all.
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There are protocols in place for working with, and referring onto, other agencies.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497825/Counselling_in_schools.pdf
As an organisation, we strive to provide a high quality service, in line with the guidelines above from the DfE. If there are any areas which a schools feels that we could improve, we would welcome their comments and/or suggestions.
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Younger Mind Counselling in Schools Service delivery options: 1 day per week/fortnight ½ day per week/fortnight One off workshops and intervention programmes Crisis management - 1:1 and group Staff training, consultation and support Spot purchase training work for individual clients We would be very happy to discuss the individual requirements of your school and tailor a service to meet those needs as appropriate.
Counselling in school service delivery Younger Mind offers a bespoke therapeutic service that is individual to the needs of the school. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Flexible Commissioning 1:1 counselling Targeted Group work PHSE/Core Curriculum work Consultancy Classroom Observations Parenting support Multi-agency working Training Transition Emergency/crisis assistance Support for staff Attendance at internal meetings or reports may be provided upon request for external meetings Sign-posting and transition support into other relevant services as deemed appropriate
Communication between School and Counsellor Each school assigns their own link worker from whom the Counsellor receives referrals, meets with regularly, passes relevant documentation to and uses as their first port of call. Counsellors adopt each individual School’s policies and procedures whilst working in that particular environment.
Documents in use: • • • • • • • • • • •
Register of attendance Daily summary sheet Core YP – tier 2 clinical assessment tool for identifying potential low mood, anxiety and self harming behaviour YM CAR - the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMBS) CORC - Child Outcomes Research Consortium assessment tool (Clients under the age of 11 years) Young person’s evaluation forms Record of additional support CAMHS presenting issues Five outcomes form – Every Child Matters End of term evaluation report form completed by the Counsellor End of year report
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AN OVERVIEW OF PRESENTING ISSUES Some of the topics young people have brought to their session
Anxie
Self Ha rm
Loss Berea or veme
ty
nt
nce Substa e Misus
Bully
ing
Is
Family / ow n Breakd hips ns Relatio
ol Scho fusal /Re sues
l ioura
v Beha
Anger
Negle
ct/Abu
se
d roun a s Issue xuality Se
Domes tic Abuse Self Es Conf teem/ idenc e
Tran sition
Rela r ancy o n g e r P es d Issu Relate
tion s
hips
of Illness self or others
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Feedback..... ......from
Children and Young People
VERBAL OR WRITTEN COMMENTS from the YOUNG PEOPLE
“I talk t has he to o lp e hold ther pe d me to o anyt hing ple and not in”
ou t ch better ab u m l e fe e elped m y in “You have h lped me sta e h e v a h u o y myself, and ks.” school, than
it h “Than a k did s help s n't e d wo think , I uld ! ” it
“I enjoyed coming because it’s nice to talk about my problems”
“It really e to talk helped m t ody abou to someb ngs” me feeli
......from schools “Pupils have the freedom to talk openly and conf
identially being heard non-judgementally.”
“Emotional Literacy is already extremely importa nt in our school environment and Mind complimented this along with other strategies. Suggestions and advice given have been very helpful - Thank you.” “The Counsellor provided an excellent counselli ng service for our children and young people. She understands the needs of the educ ational environment and adapts her service to meet the school and the student needs.” “Have, as usual been very pleased with the Serv ice - this has been reported formally to the Governing body Most pleased with the flexibilit y of our assigned worker” “Younger Mind has provided quick access to coun selling and support for our children. This has resulted in issues being dealt with imm ediately and not escalating.” “I have seen some cases where students that have received Younger Mind service have become a lot more confident in lessons, want to come to school and have more self esteem than before.”
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Commissioning Younger Mind in Schools and Colleges
6
Younger Mind Working in Schools Costs for Academic year 2016-17 Cost Breakdown
Package
Annual
Per Visit
Hourly
1 Day per week
£7,857
£191.63
£23.95
Half Day per Week
£5,179
£126.32
£28.07
1 Day per Fortnight
£4,603
£112.26
£28.07
Half Day per Fortnight
£2,589
£63.15
£28.07
Package
Total Number of Hours included
✴ Additional Hours in School
Client Hours
1 Day per week
8
5
1
2
Half Day per Week
4.5
3
0.5
1
๏ Office based hours
✴ contact with link worker, phone calls, admin etc. ๏ office based (Thursday) to attend line management, Personal and Professional Development group support, complete paperwork, phone calls, meetings, liaison with colleagues and clinical supervision. (External Clinical Supervision 1.5 hours per month costing £50.00 per session (variable subject to supervisor) each month equivalent to £720 per annum (apportion of cost to your school). This is a requirement for good clinical governance of any therapeutic work undertaken by a professional counsellor) We are happy to provide a service to groups or clusters of schools, which can be a very cost effective way of commissioning accessible emotional and mental health support for children and young people. ✤ Where three full days of counselling support are commissioned together for one year, either by one school or a cluster of schools the cost will be reduced by £1500 overall. Spot purchased work can be commissioned, at a cost of £39 per hour.
Younger Mind will provide: • • • • • • • • • • •
Core Administration costs to collate data and supply reports (annually) Mind Core Management costs (ie Line management, PPD , telephone and office usage etc) Materials/resources for the work with children and young people Counsellor personal and professional training Pension (if applicable) Travel expenses, where appropriate. Agency Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance Organisational BACP membership and BACP Accreditation. 1 week after school has closed for the summer holiday to close all relevant referrals, collate data for reporting, phone calls, meet with clients if appropriate and other relevant administration. 1 week before return to school for the Autumn Term to prepare resources and relevant paper work. As and when necessary the counsellor will complete Child Protection reports in line with school and North Staffs Mind policies, attend TAC/Early help meetings in school, and will liaise with parents and/or other professionals. 7
North Staffs
Service Level Agreement: Younger Mind Counselling in Schools and Colleges
Designed by pupils of St Edwards Junior High School, Leek
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1.
Service Purpose •
To provide opportunity for children and young people to access early support regarding their emotional and mental health
•
To provide a service where the children and young people’s needs are put first – designed around their individual and collective needs, using a range of therapeutic interventions
•
To ensure the school and clients receive a professional and ethical service
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To ensure there is support and guidance available to parents and carers as a result of consultation with the school
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To tailor support according to need
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To work in partnership and consultation with the school
•
Opportunity for staff to identify additional areas for CPD as required.
Younger Mind will: •
Support children and young people with regard to improving their mental health and emotional wellbeing, encouraging better self-esteem, increased self-awareness and greater resilience in the individual and groups of children and young people
•
Support the school to develop seamless pathways to other organisations or agencies where appropriate
•
Support effective communication between services including the counsellor, school nurse, Link Worker, SENCO/class teacher and any other relevant agencies
•
Provide an opportunity for support to parents/carers where appropriate
•
Provide an opportunity to meet parents before counselling commences, for clients under the age of 11 years old
•
Share information in the best interest of the child when appropriate (according to agreed information sharing protocols)
•
Provide consultancy, advice and support to staff working in school who have general concerns about a child’s emotional health and well being and require general advice and support
Monitoring Outcomes •
Emotional and mental health support will be provided within the school setting as agreed with the individual school
•
Improvement in the mental health and emotional well-being of the children/young people seen – monitored and evaluated through Younger Mind evaluation and assessment tools
•
Positive feedback received from children and young people
•
Positive feedback received from school staff
•
Positive feedback received from parents/carers where appropriate
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2.
Service Details •
Schools will commission this service independently, usually on an annual basis
•
In the event of long-term sickness or absence of 2 visits or more, or maternity leave, Younger Mind will aim to provide alternative provision as soon as possible, where appropriate
•
Younger Mind will ensure that all counsellors hold a valid D.B.S check
•
Younger Mind will ensure all counsellors are appropriately qualified practitioners and in receipt of monthly clinical supervision and regular internal line management
•
All counsellors will work within the school’s Child Protection Policy, and agree to follow the school’s policies and procedures, and in accordance with Younger Mind policy and procedure.
Service Monitoring and Evaluation For commissioned work lasting for one year Younger Mind will:•
provide a summary sheet for each visit detailing work completed, and highlighting any actions required, which they will pass to the link worker
•
provide a termly report
•
provide an end of year report, after the summer term is completed giving an overview of the year’s work, statistical data, and information about additional support offered to the clients, the school, parents and involvement with other agencies
Operational Process – School Responsibilities Each school will identify a link person with whom the counsellor can communicate. The link person will:•
Work with the counsellor to discuss priorities for the time slots available
•
Accommodate (as far as possible) any requests made by the counsellor that will enable them to do their job effectively eg having a suitable room for the counsellor to work in with the child/young person or parent etc
•
Ensure that the counsellor is introduced to any key staff and is familiarised with any rules/practices with regard to the school setting procedures and policies
•
Ensure regular communication between the school and service provider (at least once a month)
•
Share any mutually relevant information appropriate to the effectiveness of the Younger Mind service delivery within school (this may be generic or anonymous in nature, or regarding an individual or group within the school)
•
Inform Counsellor of any unavoidable changes to expected to delivery day or times.
•
The school agree to complete a short evaluation survey, on a secure website (Survey Monkey), at the end of the academic year
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Counsellor’s Responsibilities: The Counsellor will: •
Complete a summary sheet after each school visit - a copy will be passed to the Link worker, and a copy retained by the counsellor.
•
Meet with the school link worker regularly to ensure smooth running of the service including sharing relevant information that may impact on the child or young person’s ability to function effectively in school
•
Complete an end of term report every term
•
Complete an end of year report
•
Keep data to ensure that the required information is provided to meet the monitoring outcomes outlined in this agreement
•
Take annual leave during school holiday time to ensure that there is maximum time available to the school
•
Take a half an hour unpaid lunch break, away from clients
•
Share any mutually relevant information appropriate to the effectiveness of the service (this may be generic or anonymous in nature, or regarding an individual or group within the school) according to agreed information sharing protocols
•
Ensure an effective referral pathway to other agencies where appropriate, including Younger Mind Core Services
•
In case of sickness contact both their Younger Mind Line Manager and the school where they are based
•
Ensure that they are in receipt of clinical supervision of at least 1.5 hours per month
•
Adhere to Younger Mind policies and procedures and relevant school policies and procedures.
•
Provide appropriate resources for the service to be creative
•
Ensure any accommodation used is treated with respect and according to Health and Safety guidelines as indicated in the school
•
Ensure the school is informed of any changes to the expected service delivery and/or day
Complaints •
If there are any complaints or unresolved issues regarding the Younger Mind Service, Kate Fitzpatrick (School’s Strategic Lead) should be contacted on 01782 262100
•
If this does not resolve the issue, Caroline Scol (Younger Mind Children's Services Manager) should be contacted on 01782 262100
•
If this does not resolve the situation, Diane Collingwood (Counselling Services Manager) should be contacted on 01782 262100
If there any complaints or unresolved issues regarding the school, Younger Mind will follow the School Complaint Policy Procedure
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Payment Procedure
Payment will be made on submission of invoices to: Jane Considine, Finance Manager North Staffs Mind 83, Marsh Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5HN Email: janeconsidine@nsmind.org.uk Telephone: 01782 262100
NB if you require BACS details please contact our Finance Manager (details above).
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4
Service Delivery Details
School Name Cost Service Delivery Agreement Cost includes: Staffing - Counsellor’s salary Resources - for clinical work Counsellor training Direct line management support Clinical Supervision North Staffs Mind management fee Travel expenses (as appropriate) Public Liability Insurance BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) Service Accreditation
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Signatures
Signed on behalf of the school: Signature: Print Name: Date: Signed on behalf of Younger Mind: Signature: Print Name: Date:
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Contact Details for Younger Mind School and College Counselling Service For further information or to arrange a meeting to discuss Younger Mind Schools’ and colleges Counselling service please see contacts below
Schools Strategic Lead: Kate Fitzpatrick Telephone 01782 262100 Email: katefitzpatrick@nsmind.org.uk Assistant Schools Strategic Lead: Karen Thomas Telephone 01782 262100 Email: karenthomas@nsmind.org.uk Younger Mind Children’s Services Manager: Caroline Scol Telephone: 01782 262100 Email: carolinescol@nsmind.org.uk
North Staffs Mind 83 Marsh Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5HN
Web site www.nsmind.org.uk
Date of Implementation: September 2013 Date of Latest Review: September 2016 Date of Review: August 2017
North Staffs 13
Staff Support
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Staff Support and Professional Development from North Staffs Mind We are pleased to be able to offer a wider range of Staff Support and Staff Professional Development opportunities, as part of our service to schools.
Group Supervision For commissioning schools or colleges, we will offer three free sessions of group supervision, for up to six staff, once a school or college has purchased three sessions within one academic year. Group supervision is a valuable form of support, particularly for staff who work with issues including behavioural, pastoral, inclusion and safeguarding. The benefit of such sessions would be that staff would have a safe place to discuss the impact upon themselves of working with difficult issues with students, and hopefully this would help to reduce staff stress and potential mental health issues arising from some of the more difficult elements of their work, thus enhancing good practice within the school environment. “All helping organisations are, by their very nature, importing distress, disturbance, fragmentation and need. This is usually met by individual workers, who, if they are empathically relating to the client’s distress, will experience parallel distress and sometimes disturbance and fragmentation within themselves. How much of this they will be able to contain and work through will depend on the size of their emotional container.....and will relate to their personality, their emotional maturity and professional development, the amount of pressure and stress they are currently under at work and at home and, most important, the quality and regularity of the supervision they receive.” “Supervision in the Helping Professions”, 2006, page 183. Peter Hawkins and Robin Shohet. Published by Open University Press.
Clinical Supervision Where a member of staff is struggling with work-load related issues, we can offer 1:1 clinical supervision. Once three sessions have been purchased by schools who are commissioning Younger Mind, we would be willing to offer three free additional sessions. This would be offered at a location outside of school, and preferably during the school day. Clinical supervision provides a safe place to explore the impact of working within an educational setting, with its complex range of needs and the challenging behaviour encountered, and allows for personal and professional growth. “In 2014-15 a total of 2.22 million days were lost to teachers’ sickness absence which is higher than in 2013/14 (when 2.21 million days were lost) but lower than in all previous years (2000 to date) with the exception of 2011/12 (when 2.19 million days were lost). The total number of days lost equates to an average of 4.2 days lost for every teacher.” https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/533618/sfr21_2016_MainText.pdf
The benefits of group supervision and 1:1 clinical supervision are that staff who may be having difficulties which could ultimately lead to absence, will hopefully find strategies to help themselves, and they would feel supported enough to continue working and feel happier in themselves and at work. An additional benefit would be that staff could be sign-posted to other organisations if appropriate, including other services offered by North Staffs Mind and other local agencies.
The group supervision and the clinical supervision would be charged at £46/hour. 15
One-to-one Counselling Often staff can be hindered by personal difficulties, which impact upon their professional performance. Counselling can provide a safe, confidential place to work through issues and support the member of staff, which allows them to continue their day-to-day activities within their role in the school. Counselling would be at one of our offices, and facilitated by one of our experienced counsellors. Benefits of counselling may include less absences, better support mechanisms and enhanced performance within the workplace. Please request further information if required.
Professional Development Options TRAINING OFFERED BY NORTH STAFFS MIND We are pleased to be able to offer an enhanced range of training packages at a reduced cost, for our commissioning schools. There are a number of benefits, including:
•
All NSM training is delivered by a dedicated team of practitioners who are experienced trainers, counsellors and in some cases, teachers.
•
This team has a tremendous depth of knowledge in terms of Mental Health in general, and vast experience of working with specific issues, including, self-harm, suicide prevention, building resilience, Mindfulness, anxiety, depression, and stress management.
•
As a commissioning school, you have an existing professional relationship with NSM, and have already benefited from our services. To maximise the impact of any training purchased we will work closely with your staff and YM counsellor.
Packages available:Bronze package:
1 hour free training for a maximum of 20 staff, on a topic related to Mental Health from a choice of the examples below.
Silver package:
3 hours training for a maximum of 20 staff at a time (could be 2 x 1.5 hour sessions or 1 half day e.g.as part of an INSET day) on a topic related to Mental Health, identified by the school at a cost of £250*
Gold package:
6 hours training for a maximum of 20 staff at a time (could be 3 x 2 hour sessions or 2 x half day sessions or 1 full day e.g. an INSET day) ) on a topic related to Mental Health, identified by the school at a cost of £450*
*this represents a reduced cost compared to our normal charges
Examples of Training topics include • • • • • •
An An An An An An
introduction introduction introduction introduction introduction introduction
to to to to to to
Counselling and Listening Skills Loss, Bereavement and Grief Mental Health (an expansion of the Tier 1 training) Trauma how to talk to kids: exploring what helps and what gets in the way Mindfulness for teachers: evidence-based approaches to stress management.
Gold and Silver packages - Please contact us to discuss your specific training needs. For all packages additional training can be purchased by contacting our Training and Development Manager (juliebrunt@nsmind.org.uk or 07876 861370) 16
Evidence-based Research of Counselling in Schools
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DfE 2016 - Counselling in Schools A Blue Print for the Future https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/497825/Counselling_in_schools.pdf
Good mental and emotional wellbeing is an integral part of children and young people’s holistic development. When this development is inhibited, counselling can be an effective and important resource. The aims of counselling are to assist the child or young person to achieve a greater understanding of themselves and their relationship to their world, to create a greater awareness and utilisation of their personal resources, to build their resilience, and to support their ability to address problems and pursue meaningful goals. (pg6) Counselling can be beneficial in a number of ways, for example it can help:
•
reduce the psychological distress that children and young people may experience as a result of facing a range of life difficulties, such as being bullied or experiencing bereavement;
•
support young people who are having difficulties within relationships, for example, with family or with friends;
•
young people who are having difficulty managing their emotions, such as anger; and
•
as part of a graduated response to decide whether or not to put SEN support in place where difficulties are caused by events such as bullying or bereavement. (p17)
Many pupils report improvements in their capacity to study and learn following counselling and frequently report that counselling helps them to concentrate. Pupils also report an increased motivation for school and schoolwork. Headteachers and pastoral care teachers are also supportive of counselling in helping pupils to study and learn, particularly in facilitating the young person’s ability to concentrate in class, as well as increasing their attendance at school and improving behaviour.
“...emotionally distressed young people value an opportunity to talk and be listened to in a confidential environment; and with a counsellor who is trustworthy, friendly and easily to relate to” British Psychological Society 27/01/16
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Research Report DFE - RR 253
The Impact of Pupil Behaviour and Wellbeing on Educational Outcomes Leslie Morrison Gutman & John Vorhaus Institute of Education, University of London Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre Executive Summary A review of previous literature suggests that wellbeing and learning are associated with one another; however, there is less information on how multiple dimensions of wellbeing simultaneously predict later changes in educational outcomes for children and teenagers. This project examines how various dimensions of children’s wellbeing are associated with their educational outcomes, including a review of relevant literature and an analysis using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The analysis of ALSPAC data investigates the association between dimensions of wellbeing at ages 7 to 13 and concurrent (i.e. measured at the same age) and later educational outcomes at ages 11 to 16, including academic achievement (i.e. national exam scores) and school engagement (i.e. being stimulated by school). The dimensions of wellbeing are: •
emotional (including fears, anxiety and mood),
•
behavioural (including attention problems e.g. finds it hard to sit still; activity problems e.g. forgets things, makes careless mistakes; troublesome behaviour, e.g. plays truant, lies, steals things; and awkward behaviour, e.g. blames others for mistakes, is easily annoyed),
•
social (including victimisation i.e. being bullied and having positive friendships), and;
•
school (including enjoyment i.e. likes school and engagement i.e. stimulated by school).
We also investigate whether the relationship between wellbeing and educational outcomes varies for different groups of children. There is consistent UK evidence that some groups of children experience more academic difficulties and have lower achievement than others. However, few studies have considered whether children’s demographic (age and gender, for example) and other characteristics moderate the association between wellbeing and later educational outcomes.
Key Findings •
Children with higher levels of emotional, behavioural, social, and school wellbeing, on average, have higher levels of academic achievement and are more engaged in school, both concurrently and in later years.
•
Children with better emotional wellbeing make more progress in primary school and are more engaged in secondary school.
•
Children with better attention skills experience greater progress across the four key stages of schooling in England. Those who are engaged in less troublesome behaviour also make more progress and are more engaged in secondary school. 19
•
Children who are bullied are less engaged in primary school, whereas those with positive friendships are more engaged in secondary school.
•
As children move through the school system, emotional and behavioural wellbeing become more important in explaining school engagement, while demographic and other characteristics become less important.
•
Relationships between emotional, behavioural, social, and school wellbeing and later educational outcomes are generally similar for children and adolescents, regardless of their gender and parents’ educational level.
Conclusions and Implications Our study demonstrates the importance of wellbeing for children and adolescents throughout their primary and secondary school education. There are critical periods, however, when specific dimensions of wellbeing are most crucial. For academic progression, better emotional wellbeing is a key factor in primary school, whereas low levels of troublesome behaviour and more school engagement emerge as significant in adolescence. Good attention skills, on the other hand, are important for academic progression in both primary and secondary school. For school engagement, victimisation appears to have a greater impact in primary school, whereas better emotional and behavioural wellbeing and positive friendships are supportive in secondary school. School enjoyment plays a significant role in encouraging engagement in both primary and secondary school. Our findings highlight the significance of behavioural wellbeing or, rather, the lack of it. Attention problems and troublesome behaviours have a marked relationship with later educational outcomes. Strategies are needed to identify and support children with attention difficulties at an early stage in the schooling process, especially girls who are often under - diagnosed (Hinshaw and Blachman, 2005). Early interventions with primary-age children who exhibit signs of troublesome behaviour may also help prevent a downward spiral of disengagement and low achievement. Young children may also benefit from increased support for their emotional wellbeing. Our findings could also contribute to policies regarding the transition from primary to secondary school. Earlier research has found that many children experience a decline in school wellbeing from childhood to adolescence (Gutman, Brown, Akerman, and Obolenskaya, 2009). This is especially worrisome as our findings suggest that school engagement during the early teenage years is a significant predictor of later GCSE achievement. Schools, however, may be able to boost motivation by encouraging teenagers’ enjoyment of school and helping them build positive friendships, as well as supporting their emotional and behavioural wellbeing. These findings coincide with other longitudinal research focusing on strategies to ensure a successful transition to secondary school which include developing new friendships and showing an increasing interest in school and school work (see Evangelou, Taggart, Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons and Siraj-Blatchford, 2008, for a greater discussion of the secondary school transition). For the full report or further reading visit the Department of Education at www.education.gov.uk
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Additional Evidence-based Research of Counselling in Schools
“BACP argues that school-based counselling is the answer to getting young people to access help early, and so prevent problems escalating. ‘The evidence shows it is liked by young people because it’s easily accessible, it’s in a place that they are familiar with, they don’t have to go out of school and take two buses to get to a clinic, their parents don’t have to take time off work to go with them – they don’t even need to be seen with their parents, so it supports their autonomy’” Karen Cromarty, BACP Senior Lead Advisor, Children and Young People, cited in Therapy Today March 2012, Volume 23/Issue 2.Article: ”What do young people want?” Catherine Jackson Page 4 – 9
“Approximately 85% of young people using the service felt more positive about going to school and more able to cope since going to counselling. In particular they valued: the ease of access to services, being able to talk openly and honestly to someone who is trustworthy and understanding, confidentiality and gaining in self-confidence as a result of counselling.” “School-based counselling is an integral part of school provision in Wales according to Independent Evaluation” http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/educationandskills/2011/111103counselling/?lang=en
BACP’s Policy Unit reported to the House of Lords, with regard to school-based counselling:
“Counsellors working in schools offer troubled and distressed children and young people an opportunity to talk about their difficulties and that school-based counselling services in Wales have resulted in improved behaviour, attendance and attainment of pupils in schools and are viewed positively by teaching staff, parents and by children themselves”. Therapy Today November 2012, Volume 23, Issue 4. Counselling in schools debate, p 48
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