Special Needs

Counselling for kids

The traditional attitude that says we should hide death from toddlers causes life-long emotional problems, says Liz Koole. She reports on her counselling group for bereaved preschoolers and their parents.

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      string(2849) "Journal of Psychiatry 147, pp 188-194.nnnnnnnnnnthey discovered that they also have a right to grieve andthat this can be combined with being a ‘good enough’parent.they felt better prepared to deal with questions andmore confident about handling their children’s grief afterattending the group,they felt their children had grown in confidence andresilience.From ongoing contact with these families over a number ofyears and reports from teachers, it seems that children whoattend the group are often more emotionally mature andliterate than others their age.“Children’s reactions depend to a great degree on the waywe, as adults, are able to respond, and the foundation we givethem for processing their feelings and reactions. By lettingchildren take part in rituals for grief, by keeping communicationchannels open and truthful, and by talking with children aboutwhat has happened, the best basis is laid for them to processtheir feelings and reactions” (Dyregov 2008 p85).Liz Koole is a senior practitioner at Winston’s Wish, a charityfor bereaved children. The charity provides counsellingbefore and after a bereavement and operates a helpline.nnnMyself as a learner scaleThe AuthorRobert Burden is Professor of AppliedEducational Psychology and former Headof the School of Education at ExeterUniversity.PRICE£40.00To order call: 0121 224 7599 or Fax orders: 0121 224 7598By Robert BurdenJust reprinted by Imaginative Minds – one of the most acclaimedself-perception tests ever produced!Myself as a Learner Scale develops the use of pupil participation in theirown learning and in general fits into the whole ‘pupil voice’ context,helping pupils to devise their own learning programmes and in that respecthelping with their personalised learning.A short, effective measure of pupils’ perceptions of their abilities and approaches tolearning. In its evaluation of pupils’ concepts of themselves as thinkers and learners, itidentifies areas where individuals need more help. The scale is a 20-question test that isquick and easy to administer.Young people’s perceptions of themselves as learners and problem-solvers have beenshown in numerous research studies to be a key element in their learning progress.MALS has been constructed to provide a readily available technique, which can beused by teachers, psychologists and researchers to gain access to this important aspectof learning development.MALS is easy to administer, score and interpret and can be used for gaining informationon large cohorts of students or for more clinical purposes with individuals. It is a validand reliable scale that can provide a valuable addition to any school’s assessmentprogramme or educational psychologist’s repertoire of assessment techniques.The pack contains a user guide, a photocopiable questionnaire and a scoring overlay."
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Special Needs

Counselling for kids

16 Dec 2009

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      string(2964) "Koehler is Assistant Director of Bereavement Services atChild Bereavement UK, and a Clinical Psychologist.References1. Child Bereavement Network (n.d).Key statistics. [online] Available at:<childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/research/key-statistics.aspx> [Accessed17/02/2015].2. Harrison, L. and Harrington, R. (2001).Adolescents’ bereavement experiences:Prevalence, association with depressivesymptoms and use of services. Journal ofAdolescence, vol. 24(2), pp.159-69.3. Holland, J. (1993). Child bereavement inHumberside primary schools. EducationalResearch, vol. 35(3), pp.289-297.4. Abdelnoor, A. and Hollins, S. (2004). Theeffect of childhood bereavement onsecondary school performance. EducationalPsychology in Practice, vol. 20(1).5. McCown, D.E. and Davies, B. (1995). Patternsof grief in young children following thedeath of a sibling. Death Studies, vol. 19(1),pp.41-53.6. Black, D. (1996). Childhood Bereavement.British Medical Journal, vol. 312(7045): 1496.7. Holliday, J. (2002). A review of siblingbereavement – Impact and interventions.Barnardo’s: Essex. Available at: <www.barnardos.org.uk/sibling.pdf> [Accessed17/02/2014].8. Lane, N., Rowland, A. and Beinart, H. (2014).No rights or wrongs, no magic solutions:Teachers’ responses to bereaved adolescentstudents. Death Studies, vol. 38(10), pp.654-61.9. Ibid.Knowledge trails1. Supporting bereaved children – One child in every classroom is likely to experience the death of a member of theirfamily, yet too often their needs are overlooked, says Alison Penny.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/ecu-10-features-22. Counselling for kids: Developing a group for bereaved children under five – The traditional attitude that says weshould hide death from toddlers causes life-long emotional problems, says Liz Koole. She reports on her counselling groupfor bereaved preschoolers and their parents.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/counselling-for-kids3. Life limiting conditions in the classroom – With an increasing number of children with life limiting or life threateningillnesses now being educated in the mainstream classroom, Sally Robinson and Kathryn Summers explore the implicationsfor the type and nature of support needed for teachers.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/lifelimitingconditionshttp://www.childbereavementuk.org/support/schools/school-policy/example-school-policy/http://www.childbereavementuk.org/support/our-app/http://www.childbereavementuk.org/support/our-app/mailto:support@childbereavementuk.orghttp://childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/research/key-statistics.aspxhttp://childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/research/key-statistics.aspxhttp://www.barnardos.org.uk/sibling.pdfhttp://www.barnardos.org.uk/sibling.pdfhttp://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/ecu-10-features-2http://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/counselling-for-kidshttp://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/lifelimitingconditions"
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Special Needs

We need to talk about death

27 Mar 2015

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      string(398) "... curriculum to supportsessions on promoting strong freindships, tackling stigmaand discrimination was effective. Some of the projects orinitiatives aimed at providing support– like the provision ofmentors, counselling, learning support assistants and drop-insessions – are now showing outcomes for pupils.A number of reports on this topic also provide usefulpractical advice and ..."
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      string(5597) "alreadywww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 1.1Health Every Child Journal53experiencing some form of mental health problem, thesedifficulties can be exacerbated.Some of the barriers include practical issues. Some parentsmiss meetings at school because of work commitments.Engaging with parents is more likely to succeed when theschool offers a flexible approach. It was noted that parents aremore likely to participate in schemes that take up less time.Any answers?Despite the wide-ranging concerns highlighted by schoolstaff, they reported progress in a number of areas. In agrowing number of schools, avenues for young people toaccess support are becoming more established and a moreembedded part of the school.School staff said using the PSHE curriculum to supportsessions on promoting strong freindships, tackling stigmaand discrimination was effective. Some of the projects orinitiatives aimed at providing support– like the provision ofmentors, counselling, learning support assistants and drop-insessions – are now showing outcomes for pupils.A number of reports on this topic also provide usefulpractical advice and pointers for what school staff should lookout for. For example, Young minds in our schools is a usefulchecklist of warning signs school staff should monitor.The checklist includes: changes in general behaviour(for example, kids becoming anxious or restless, aggressiveor disruptive), changes in patterns of work (including beingunable to settle, losing interest and not handing in work),changes in patterns of attendance (including being reluctantto leave school at the end of the day) and changes inrelationships – for example, having few friends and avoidinggroup activities.The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE) has also produced a range of guidance for theeducation sector. It can be downloaded for free from the NICEwebsite – nice.org.uk. In March 2008, NICE issued guidanceon promoting children’s social and emotional well-being inprimary education. Their guidance for the secondary sectoris expected in autumn this year. The Institute has alreadypublished guidance on depression in children and youngpeople, eating disorders and Attention Deficit HyperactivityDisorder (ADHD). It offers easy to follow charts setting outwhat to do at each stage. Its range of publications also includeadvice and information for young people, their families andcarers. Within this guidance there are lots of ideas – includingself-help options for children and young people.School staff can also find downloadable resources fromthe website of the National Healthy Schools Programme– healthyschools.gov.uk. Many of the national charities andvoluntary sector organisations working to promote themental health and emotional well-being of children andyoung people also provide materials – like:For the primary schools sector, Partnership for Children(partnershipforchildren.org.uk) supports an in-schoolprogramme called ‘Zippy’s Friends’. It helps children todevelop coping skills.The My Life programme produced by the Children’sSociety as a result of the Good Childhood Inquiry(mylife4schools.org.uk) aims to support Key Stage twoteachers through the use of six interactive units thatprovide case studies and activity sheets for use in class.Rethink (rethink.org.uk) has produced several packswritten for the education field – including one for traineeteachers tackling the stigma surrounding mental health.There is also a resource pack with information sheets forschool staff and pupils explaining mental health.A more widespread strategic approach toin-school supportOver the last decade, there has been much emphasis onschools and staff in specialist Child and Adolescent MentalHealth Services (CAMHS) working together. A nationalpathfinder programme with £60 million of governmentmoney, Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS), hasbeen launched to support the development of mental healthsupport in schools. These are welcome developments. Therehas also been a general increase in work at a strategic levelthrough local commissioning structures. Hopefully, this willensure that provision in schools is planned within the rangeof services supporting the mental health of children andyoung people.The growth of consultation support from colleagues inspecialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services isanother welcome development.The challenge, however, remains for making thesearrangements sustainable and mainstream. When staff feelinformed, supported and connected to their local networkof services, pupils with mental health problems can not justcope in school – they can flourish.Dr Cathy Street is the lead researcher for a study intosupport in schools for young people with depression. It isfunded by the YAPP charitable trust.nnn1 Mental Health is Everybody’s Business: A Handbook for Schools and other Agencies in Northamptonshire. (2007) Northamptonshire Children andYoung People’s Partnership2 DCSF and DH (2008) Children and young people in mind: the final report of the National CAMHS Review3 Pettitt, B. (20030 Effective joint working between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Schools. London: DFES RR412/Mental Health Foundation4 Shucksmith, J. et al (2005) Investigating the Links between Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools. Report to the Scottish Executive EducationDepartment Pupil Support and Inclusion Division. Available for download at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/29105508/550915 Study of Glasgow school students by Gordon and Grant in 1997, cited in"
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Special Needs

The young depressed - how teachers can help

9 Oct 2009

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      string(302) "... stay on site and travel distance between home and school. Where only a small number of children remain, they might be catered for in the kids’ club.In the event of evacuationThe children’s cards would be taken from the office and phone calls made from wherever the temporary school ..."
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      string(5614) "CREATED:  9.30                   On the Heads’ timesheetEmergency ActionGuidelines for dealing with the unforeseenThe following guidance we will hopefully never need to use. However, it is important that we have procedures to follow in case of the unexpected. Although some possibilities are covered here, it can not be totally comprehensive. In the end good sense and judgement are the most valuable assets with the principle of placing the children’s needs first as the drive for the decisions we take.In the event of bad weatherIf the bad weather has occurred over night, the following procedure applies:The same procedure would be used for every day that the bad weather continues.Action checklist in the case of bad weather1. are any peripatetic staff expected on site?2. were any trips arranged involving buses/ coaches?3. have taxis transporting children been contacted?4. are any other groups using the school building during this time?5. had any meetings been arranged involving people from other schools/ institutions6. can someone be on site to answer phone calls and receive any children whose families are unaware of changing circumstances?To contact parents During off-site activities a cascade system of phone calls should be in place so that a limited number of parents need to be rung directly. During preparations the visit co-ordinator should select a small group of trustworthy parents who would be given a contact number and whose numbers would be retained by the co-ordinator. Each of these parents, in turn, will keep the numbers of other parents to ring. The system can also run in reverse in the event of a parent needing to contact the off-site leader.In the event of children being collected early – this would only be an alternative in the  most extreme of situations due to the number of children, the availability of phone lines and the difficulties this would afford many working families. Where essential, year leaders would use the three available phone lines to ring parents of children who are likely to be at home. In some cases they may also be available to collect and take care of children with working parents, with such parents being contacted as to the change in plan.Any children unable to leave the school site would be catered for by staff selected by their willingness to stay on site and travel distance between home and school. Where only a small number of children remain, they might be catered for in the kids’ club.In the event of evacuationThe children’s cards would be taken from the office and phone calls made from wherever the temporary school site was. Local radio stations would also be informed and, if appropriate, signs placed on the gates around school.Checklist in the case of emergencies1. has the immediate safety of the children and staff been secured?2. have the emergency services been called?3. have the relevant families been informed?4. has the LEA been informed and advice taken?5. has the press office been contacted and a statement prepared?6. is the immediate school community aware of circumstances and briefed as to their role and implications?7. have details of events and actions been recorded?8. has consultation with the Chair of Governors taken place and have long-term implications and decisions been discussed?9. has a way of informing the wider school community been decided?10. how will queries be dealt with?Guiding principles1. be aware of facts and gather information if time2. seek advice3. keep people informed including – parents – LEA – Governors – staff4. only named people to speak to the press5. try to keep things as normal as possible for the majority, the majority of the time6. seek counselling opportunities for staff and students over the long term7. speak to other schools who have been through similar experiences8. people will look to you to determine their own reactions9. there probably isn’t anything that hasn’t already happened to someone – you’re not alone!In the event of an emergency on a school tripSchool contact responsibilitiesThe school contact should make sure they have:In the event of a break in on siteRemember personal safety is far more important than the protection of property.1. ensure that if children are still on site any available barriers e.g. magnetised doors are put into operation2. alert colleagues who should call emergency services and seek assistance3. monitor the intruders and check their progressIn the event of trespassers in the playground Where a person who is not immediately recognised as having legitimate reason to be on the school grounds, they should be politely asked if they need any help. Assuming the person seems to have a valid reason they should be directed towards the office where they will be asked to sign in and out and be given a visitor’s badge. If it emerges that the person has no right to be on school premises they should be asked to leave by the nearest exit and observed until they do so. The most senior member of staff available should be informed. Where an intruder refuses to leave, becomes abusive or seems to present a threat to the safety of others, the police should be called without delay. If you feel in anyway threatened do not approach but find a safe place and call the police. Don’t try to physically remove trespassers from the site or engage in arguments with them. Make your point, withdraw and call the police.Lone working and personal securityKey holders responding to an alarmPlease note:· always assume an alarm is genuine· if possible, speak to anyone who has drawn your"
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Leadership

Emergency actions

2 Mar 2007