FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER

Hello! My name is Hayley Brown and I am the Family Support Worker and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead in school.

My role in school is to assist staff, children and their families in securing the support they require to enable their child's progress. I can help you with any worries that you may have in relation to your child's education, behaviour and wellbeing or act as a link between teachers, agencies and yourself.

Advice and support is confidential although concerns relating to the safeguarding of children will always be dealt with in accordance with the school's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. My main aim is to be open and honest with you and work to support any concerns for the overall wellbeing of your children and family. I may not have all the answers, but hopefully I can help you to work out how to find them!

Support includes:

• Promoting good attendance and punctuality.
• Promoting self-esteem, confidence and positive mental health.
• Promoting positive behaviour.
• Providing one-to-one support with life changes and difficulties including anger/emotions, social media, bullying, bereavement, separation/divorce or health issues.
• Supporting with parental issues i.e. Domestic Abuse, housing, finance, health and development concerns.
• Being the link between school and Early Help Services.
• Making referrals to other agencies as needed.
• Liaising with a range of external services such as social care.
• Assistance in completing paperwork and forms e.g. housing, special educational needs, school places and benefits.

 

ELSA

Hello! My name is Mr Bacon and I am one of the ELSAs at Riverview along with Mrs Patel.

ELSAs do a lot of work supporting children across the school in a number of different ways.

What is an ELSA?

ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant and they are trained by Educational Psychologists to plan and deliver programmes of support to pupils who are experiencing temporary or longer term additional emotional needs. The majority of work is delivered on an individual basis, but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in areas of social and friendship skills.

In ELSA we aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs:

- recognising and understanding emotions

- building self-esteem

- social skills

- friendship skills

- anger and behaviour management

- loss and bereavement

- relaxation techniques

- transition/change

How does ELSA work?

Children are referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, senior leader or SENCo. We then identify and prioritise which children require a weekly programme or, if more appropriate, put supported strategies in place within a class setting. ELSA programmes run for 6-12 weeks. With the programme set, we then plan support sessions to facilitate the pupil in developing new skills and coping strategies that allow them to manage social and emotional demands more effectively.

Supporting - not fixing

Remember, ELSAs are not there to fix children's problems. What they do is provide emotional support to those who need it. They aim to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where children are able to share honestly their thoughts and feelings.

For children with complex or long term needs, it is unrealistic to expect ELSA intervention to resolve all of their difficulties, however, support will be designed to target specific aspects of a child's needs.

If you are concerned about the mental health or wellbeing of your child, please discuss your concerns initially with your child's class teacher.