Dr Kate Hannah HM Inspectors Education Scotland Supporting vulnerable children in Scottish schools www.britishcouncil.ae

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What I am going to talk about… The concept of vulnerability The national framework in Scotland (universal support) Focus on a learner pathway How Glasgow is leading on supporting vulnerable children (targeted support) www.britishcouncil.org

5 minute group discussion task Who is ‘vulnerable’? Why is it important for schools and education systems to recognise vulnerable children? Define ‘vulnerable children’ who are they? And why is it important for education systems to identify them and meet their needs? www.britishcouncil.org

Who is vulnerable? Every child: No child has ever had a perfect life where they have never felt doubt, fear or pressure but for some it becomes a much more serious barrier to future wellbeing www.britishcouncil.org

The concept of vulnerable children in Scotland No single accepted definition Report by 3 Scottish children’s charities identified: Worklessness Poor quality housing No qualifications Maternal mental health problems Long-term illness or disability Low income Material deprivation 3 children’s charities : NSPCC, Action for Children and the Children’s Society suggested there is no single definition of vulnerablility their report identified vulnerable families as having at least 5 of the following 7 key vulnerability factors Vulnerability can stem from socioeconomic disavantage as well as social factors such as parental substance misuse,social isolation and lack of support and intervention for neglected or abused children www.britishcouncil.org

Other factors which cause vulnerability Grooming Poverty Neglect Racial Prejudice Poor Parenting Abuse Bereavement Bullying www.britishcouncil.org

Why is it important for education systems to recognise vulnerable children? Schools can play a key role in the educational social and emotional development of children supporting them to avoid risk factors such as: Physical injury Sexual abuse Mental health problems Suicide violence Crime Educational failure There is considerable evidence of the long-term impact of abuse and neglect on both children and society as a whole. www.britishcouncil.org

What are we doing to help vulnerable children and families in Scotland? In Scotland the Getting it Right for every child (GIRFEC) approach offers a national framework to meet the needs of all children. A child-centred model for multi-agency working which uses ‘wellbeing indicators’ to measure children’s wellbeing: SHANARRI (safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible, and included) SHANARRI is increasingly embedded in school assessment and review processes which measure children’s wellbeing www.britishcouncil.org

Getting it right for every child GIRFEC framework The wellbeing wheel: 8 wellbeing indicators Safe Healthy Achieving Nurtured Active Respected Responsible Included (SHANARRI) Now embedded in our universal support systems in most schools and an important part of the reviews of children’s progress including those with SEN. Children and young people regularly assess themselves against the wellbeing indicators which are also integrated within the four educational capacities as you see on the wheel. Also more importantly the GIRFEC framework is underpinned by legislation through the Children and Young People’s Act www.britishcouncil.org

The second stage involves gathering information and analysis using the My World Triangle. The My World triangle enables assessment and identification of risks and strengths in the child’s world which includes but isn’t limited to their educational experiences. Very important that assessment is appropriate, proportionate and timely A resilience matrix is used when required for more complex situations (handout) www.britishcouncil.org

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How GIRFEC works Universal tool enabling identification of children who may be at risk It supports the participation of the child in the process and his/her family It leads to multi-agency planning to address unmet needs (Child’s plan) It’s about sharing information at the right time Agencies form a team around the child (TAC) Lead professional/named person who knows child well. The Girfec approach includes making a named person available for every child from birth until they reach 18 years www.britishcouncil.org

Liam A learner’s pathway Liam was born in December 2003 www.britishcouncil.org

Liam’s Story Born in April 2000. He and his family were well known to social work services in Ayrshire. He and his brother John had a chaotic home life www.britishcouncil.org

Early life Blighted by: parental drug abuse. poor environmental home conditions. domestic violence. frequent changes of address. Liam’s early life and family history was blighted by parental drug abuse, poor environmental home conditions and domestic violence. Despite this, Liam was regarded as a likeable boy who had positive relationships with his family. www.britishcouncil.org

Early education Liam experienced considerable disruption to his education, due to frequent changes of address particularly when living in Glasgow between 2008 and 2009. His family moved back Ayrshire, and he experienced learning difficulties in two other schools that he attended there www.britishcouncil.org

Primary 3 – Primary 5 Between primary 3 and 5, Liam’s attendance remained poor at 60% and he was excluded for 17 days It is not clear what support Jon received during this time. www.britishcouncil.org

Liam’s fifth primary school: Kirkdale Liam makes progress in achievement His attendance rose to 88% No exclusions in three years Steady pattern of improvement It is particularly significant that during his entire three years at Kirkdale, Liam was never excluded and showed an overall steady pattern of improvement. www.britishcouncil.org

Secondary school Despite additional educational support, Liam found the demands of the secondary school challenging Attendance dropped to 42.8% 12 exclusions Social work notes indicate that Liam was visibly anxious and tearful on his first day at secondary school in August 2013 and clearly he was not coping. He cried and suffered from anxiety at his inability to cope with the work despite the school’s assessment that he could cope. www.britishcouncil.org

From this point onwards and despite attempts by the school to explore strategies for Liam to improve his attendance, he continued to disengage from school often stating he was ill or was experiencing difficult relationships at school with other pupils. From this point onwards and despite attempts by the school to explore strategies for Liam to improve his attendance, he continued to disengage with school often stating that he was ill or was experiencing difficult relationships at school with other pupils. During this time, Jon’s social worker noted that he was also experiencing difficulties in his family life having been exposed to inappropriate adult behaviours including domestic violence. www.britishcouncil.org

Liam’s school and social work services provided: Secondary School Liam’s school and social work services provided: Several Community Assessment Team meetings to support Liam A plan to support his educational difficulties neither partner agencies nor the school had been successful in helping Jon to overcome his anxieties about his educational difficulties at the time of his death. www.britishcouncil.org

Liam took his own life in May 2013. He was just 13 years old Liam took his own life and died of an overdose of paracetamol in May 2013. He was suffering from acute anxiety and depression. Neither social services nor the school were successful in helping Liam to overcome his anxieties about his educational difficulties www.britishcouncil.org

Where did it all go wrong? Group task 15 minutes What are the main reasons in your opinion why the school and its partners failed Liam? What could schools and partner agencies have done better and what could they learn from Liam’s death? www.britishcouncil.org

What our report said (1) The need for much earlier intervention to ensure school attendance and prevent educational failure Unacceptably long time for Liam to have been out of education leading to learning difficulties and self esteem issues Critical of communication between local authorities and partners for failing to track Liam through different known addresses at a time of particular trauma What lessons could be learned from the quality and holistic nature of the support offered Liam by Kirkdale school and the impact of that support on his behaviour, self esteem and willingness to engage with education merits further exploration as best practice. www.britishcouncil.org

What our report said (2) Commended impact of approaches used by Kirkdale school on Liam’s self-esteem and behaviour. The need for enhanced transition arrangements for vulnerable children moving schools A smaller specialist provision at secondary stages more suited to Liam’s needs What lessons could be learned from the quality and holistic nature of the support offered Liam by Kirkdale school and the impact of that support on his behaviour, self esteem and willingness to engage with education merits further exploration as best practice. www.britishcouncil.org

Targeted support for vulnerable children www.britishcouncil.org

The nurture room Watch the extract from some children’s stories As a group, identify the key approaches to nurturing which impacted successfully on children’s ability to cope better with school and social situations www.britishcouncil.org

Vulnerable children www.educationscotland.gov.uk kate.hannah@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk www.britishcouncil.org

What makes a difference ? strong, visionary leadership broaden achievement reduce exclusions/ improve attendance corporate parenting needs to be embedded throughout education system www.britishcouncil.org

What makes a difference at school level? Open, positive, supportive relationships Being listened to, and feeling secure Feeling safe and secure; Staff model positive behaviour Good learning and teaching Sensitive and responsive staff Staff understanding bullying and child protection policies When children and young people have good relationships, they are more likely to feel confident about their learning, have higher self-esteem, to show resilience when faced with personal challenges and to show respect for others. www.britishcouncil.org

What can teachers do to help vulnerable children? build supportive relationships understanding and empathy calm classroom/ethos Children who experience attachment trauma do so because of the break down of relationships in the first place. www.britishcouncil.org

Looking behind ‘acting-out’ behaviour Abused/neglected children suffer deep, long-lasting pain which comes from: grief and loss abandonment and neglect emotional abuse fear or terror of the future depression Much of the behaviour of traumatised children is pain-based and it’s not that they won’t behave like other children – they can’t. Many are hyper-vigilant and that can lead to violent outbursts, silly behaviour, lack of impulse control. Trauma affects the whole person, their mind, their body, spirit and don’t have the ability to regulate their emotions. The chemical reactions which help us to respond to threat (ie fight or flight) in abused children are not switched off when there is no threat to their wellbeing present. This is why inappropriate responses and overreactions occur www.britishcouncil.org

Understanding the impact of trauma on learning hyper arousal shame language delay memory problems need for control attachment difficulties poor peer relationships Hyper arousal –causing disproportionate reactions and dissociation Shame – abused children suffer an overwhelming sense of shame Language delay – from a reduced capacity for listening, understanding and expressing Memory problems – which leads to learning difficulties Need for control – causing conflict with others Attachment difficulties - making attachment to school problematic Poor peer relationships – making school unpleasant and compounding low sense of self esteem (hood up) www.britishcouncil.org

Ten ways schools can help vulnerable children remain engaged with learning understand/empathise manage your reactions plan for macro/micro transitions structure and consistency time in, not time out Understand The most effective strategy a teacher has is a clear understanding of a child’s history and the reasons behind their behaviour. Research shows teachers develop empathy with child and this helps them to feel understood and valued. manage your reactions working with traumatised children can bring strong emotions to the surface in those working with challenging children/ and young people. staying calm will help the child to calm themselves Plan for transitions/changes - many traumatised children or those with autism struggle to cope with changes and many have experienced multiple transitions. These need to be care fully planned at macro and micro level. At school level through MA review well in advance of the change. At classroom level, well-planned micro transitions can have a very positive effect. Teachers prepare children from changes of room or activity by using signifiers such as sand timers, counting down and activity sequence strips in pictures or words. At secondary school, support from a trusted adult is easier. structure and consistency traumatised children and those with autism have little or no internal structure and need firm boundaries, expectations and sensitively, consistently and calmly applied consequences time in, not time out traumatised children experience time out as yet more rejection, increasing feelings of shame. While this may be necessary, it should be for a brief period with reengagement as soon as possible. www.britishcouncil.org

Ten ways schools can help vulnerable children remain engaged with learning connect consequences not punishment acknowledge good decisions/choices support parents carers ensure success Connect – relationships are critical. When responded to with patience and care they will see school as a supportive place. Setting the tone and not allowing he/she to control of you emotionally. consequences not punishment – use natural consequences that relate to the problem behaviour and are designed to repair damaged property or damaged relationships (social stories and cartoon strips) acknowledge good decisions/choices – traumatised children don’t respond well to praise but need positive reinforcement for doing something well – comments on the job that has been well done work better than rather than praising the individuals intrinsic characteristics support parents carers keep regular communication with carers and try to be compassionate ensure success- children with a low self esteem need to experience success in doing something that they value. Find out what they’re good at and provide opportunities to succeed. The principles of CfE should support this www.britishcouncil.org

Vulnerable children www.educationscotland.gov.uk kate.hannah@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk www.britishcouncil.org