INTO Special Education Conference Assaults on Teachers Michael Cullinane Regional Director NEPS North East Region 8th December 2012

Shared Responsibility Schools ….Teachers Families and communities Educational services i.e. NEPS, SESS, NCSE HSE services Goal To set out the NEPS response to supporting children presenting with Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties

Two aspects…Role of NEPS 1.Case-work: Consultative service ….. “a collaborative and problem solving approach incorporating assessment and intervention which has at its core a focus on children and their contexts” 2.Support and development work….work of a preventative nature, generalise interventions.. building teacher and school capacity to respond to needs.. Greater reach… Positive outcomes in case-work is dependent on good whole school approaches… well trained teachers…

Case-Work Behavioural consultations are an increasing part of our work.. Functional approach….collaborative…to understand and to intervene…. Observation Interview Checklists Cognitive assessments …consideration of child factors and environmental factors…… …careful recording of nature of problem…. Support the development & monitoring of behaviour and support plans Liaison with HSE services…integrated response… Transition In relation to ASD: align our approach with SESS: Contemporary Applied Behavioural Analysis approach.

BESD – A Continuum of Support Guidelines Sets out a graduated response Classroom support Teacher assessment, class rules & organisation, learning environment, ethos School Support Collaborative response, more detailed assessment, and intervention planning School support plus More intensive, data driven planning and intervention, outside professionals Positive approaches….. A functional approach…. Seeing behaviour as a communication…. Collaborative planning

BESD Guidelines Service priority for last two years in NEPS Presenting these to all primary schools receiving a NEPS service North East Region: Presentation to staffs, SEN Teams, and/or workshops North East Region…181 presentations last year…

Support and Development Work Support and advice on psycho-educational programmes - social skills training, - anxiety prevention - anger management BESD: Whole school approaches, functional approach…responding to behaviour… Two particular programmes: - Incredible Years - Friends for Life programme

Incredibly Years 3 to 8 years: 5/6 day practice based programme 3 strands…. Efficient means of preventing later difficulties….. Effective in developing teacher competence….. Promoting social, emotional and behaviour change… Each session involves 17 teachers → 480 children NEPS has trained 2,500 teachers to-date Plan to run 25 programmes this year We have 129 psychologists trained in IY

Friends for Life Anxiety prevention.. coping skills and emotional building programme… 10 session + 2 booster sessions drawing on CBT principles…10 to 12 weeks Programme: 4 to 7 year and 8 to 11 years Evaluated NBSS, NEPS, SPHE Improved self esteem, less stress, less anxiety….behavioural change…

Friends for Life 50 + NEPS psychologists trained to deliver this programme. Currently, significant pilot underway Some training for teachers available this year….Education Centres If successful.. NEPS will move to training teachers to deliver these programmes…support through cluster meetings…

Conclusion Children with severe and significant BESD benefit from: Individual supports….Individual planning Integrated response…multi-agency Psycho-educational programmes Well trained and well supported teachers As part of an effective whole school response