Working with Parents/Carers and Communities Great Yarmouth College

Context What’s going on locally: Mental Health and anxiety - approximately 1120 young people estimated to have a mental health condition and a similar number for emotional and behavioural problems (Mind, 2015) Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group has the highest percentage of young people (0-17yrs) self-harming per 100,000 population (Mind 2015) Panorama report Increasing gang culture and use of weapons reported by Police NEET – 4.3% Great Yarmouth (SEND/Parent/Pregnancy/Mental Health) Our aim: Positive futures – development of the whole person with Individual as key focus Staff wellness linked to student achievement Identifying imbalance in wellbeing and mental health and finding positive solutions to address this

Benefits of parent/carer engagement Research suggests that parent/carer engagement has a positive impact of student achievement and the development of the education provider. However, the engagement generally diminishes as student age increases and is more evident at higher academic levels. This research suggests that engagement is impacted by socio- economic status, health and the educational attainment of the maternal figure. Professor Charles Desforges with Alberto Abouchaar 2003

What are the risks of low parent/ carer engagement? Working in groups, identify the risks in your settings Discuss and put those ideas on paper/post it notes

Lack of engagement with parents/carers…risks include: NEET and reduced positive economic contribution Reduced labour market and sustainability for local business Homelessness Substance misuse Domestic violence/abuse – unhealthy relationships Higher rate of pregnancy Mental Health issues including isolation, anxiety and lowe self esteem Crime/ASB Exploitation

What are your challenges? Working in groups, identify the challenges in your own setting Write down thoughts on paper/post it notes Are there any similarities?

Challenges identified by GYC Low attendance for some aspects of study programme – importance of root cause analysis Financial problems at home High/low expectations of parents and young people Generational low achievement Difficulty in engaging some parents/carers Information sharing amongst professionals

What is working well at GYC Progression and Wellbeing Programme Respect campaign

What is working well at GYC Building positive communities - British and college values Self esteem and building resilience Partnership working Team working to engage with parents and young people Restorative approaches ProMonitor ILP Mentoring and transition Student voice and involvement Focus on positive wellbeing Responsive to local trends Inclusion before exclusion

Community values

Student Involvement Part of induction…

Current activities Discuss in groups, things you have tried to engage parents and young people, what has worked well, what hasn’t worked so well

GYC activities and ideas in progress Bespoke sessions for parents in academic sessions – e.g. English and Maths Parent/carer involvement in inclusion and disciplinary process – links to progression and wellbeing advisors Progress evenings/reports/welcome information/texts/termly update on college activities Moodle training Parents page on website for generic resources and information Wellbeing events for parents and families Progression and wellbeing tutorial sessions for parents/carers Webinars Positive reinforcement cards/postcards sent home to highlight positive elements of students achievements Building positive community sessions with college and partners Increased opportunity for families to engage with social action and community based sessions Increased transition opportunities for mainstream students with SEND/anxiety Use of social media: email, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp Community events

PREVENT/British values video

Any questions?