A Derbyshire County Council service committed to creating resilient school environments where the Social Emotional Mental Health and Wellbeing needs of the whole community are no longer a barrier to learning and inclusion.

Derbyshire’s Behaviour Support Service has produced a new brochure demonstrating the different ways in which they can support and develop the Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs of your whole school community. This can be viewed via the S4S website.

Promoting emotional wellbeing and positive behaviour

The Behaviour Support Service is a team of specialist teachers and trained staff with extensive skills and experience of working in Derbyshire schools and academies to promote positive behaviour and emotional wellbeing.

We work with schools to promote high standards of behaviour whilst focusing on the inclusion of children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs who may exhibit behaviour causing concern particularly if it is impacting upon the learning and achievement of an individual child or young person or that of others.

We are a referral based service offering consultation, advice and support to schools as part of the graduated response to identify, assess and meet the underlying SEMH and behavioural needs of children and young people. We deliver training to support the development of practice across staff and settings. Our aim is to improve outcomes for learning, social and emotional well-being and build the capacity within schools to promote positive behaviour and reduce exclusion.

Schools are increasingly drawing on funding to purchase services that close the gap in achievement and attainment for children displaying challenging behaviour as a result of SEND and SEMH difficulties.

Benefits

• Our flexible and responsive approach enables targeted support to be provided early in a child / young person life or at the onset of difficulties in order for the child / young person to remain engaged with learning.
• Increased understanding of behaviour and SEMH needs
• Support with the development of strategies and delivery of interventions to improve social and emotional learning and manage challenging behaviour.
• Close relationship with school, child / young person and family to foster positive relationships and ensure consistency of approach.
• Partnership working with other services.
• Increased capacity and confidence within schools.
• Access to a qualified team of trainers.

We regularly provide bespoke evidence-based training to schools and clusters in subjects across our full range of expertise to whole staff, groups of staff or as part of individual development. Our teachers regularly receive very positive feedback for the style, content and practical application of their training. Topics include:

• reviewing and implementing a behaviour policy
• understanding behaviour and drawing up personalised plans
• use of assessment tools to inform interventions
• positive classroom management
• increasing engagement with learning of vulnerable learners
• emotional regulation and de-escalation techniques
• positive lunchtimes
• mediation skills
• keeping people safe and minimising the need for physical intervention
• delivery of positive play support programmes to schools
• delivery of the theory and practice of nurture groups.

Derbyshire’s preferred model for managing incidents of challenging and dangerous behaviour is PROACT-SCIPr-UK®. On behalf of the council our trained and qualified teacher’s deliver this nationally accredited model British Institute of Learning Difficulties (BILD) which places a strong emphasis on positive behaviour support, law and guidance, person-centred planning and minimising the need for restrictive physical intervention. It places an obligation on staff in school to consider their practice and actively aim to reduce physical interventions. This stance is in line with recent published Ofsted guidance with regard to Safeguarding and its link to the use of reasonable force and restraint. The PROACT-SCIPr-UK® philosophy also compliments Derbyshire’s Social Pedagogy initiative to improve the quality of life both for its employees and those who use our services.

More information is available from the Services 4 Schools website.