1. Approaches to Managing Children with Challenging Behaviours Presented by: Linda Foley and Katherine Osborne

2. Aims of the session:
To recognise the importance of high quality relationships and knowledge of pupils
To consider the causes and effects of a range of challenging behaviours from pupils
The significance of language in building pupil success, including the impact and influence of adult behaviour
To explore strategies for de-escalating low to high level conflict situations

3. For you, what are the main challenges of managing children with complex behavioural needs?
Use post it’s and large sheets of paper on the wall.
Get staff to write the behaviours that irritate them or makes you feel under pressure / Challenged
Ask staff to put their post it’s on the posters – Talk about different perspectives / sensitivities of individuals – how you are felling at a particular point in time. Mention week before Christmas compared to the week after

4. Factors impacting on children’s ability to cope with the demands of school
Staff
Personal Life
Environment
Friendships
Curriculum
Timetable
Flip chart ready
Post-it notes with one point on and stuck up for reference

5. In March 2015, The Department of Education updated “Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools: Departmental advice for school staff” (June 2014). Children and young people exposed to several risk factors are more likely to experience difficulties with social and emotional development, which then may lead to Mental Health needs.
Please refer to Risk and protective factors for child and adolescent mental health.

6. A child’s behaviour is always a form of communication.
Remember
A child’s behaviour is always a form of communication.
They are always trying to tell us something.
Positive – compliant, cooperative, interested, motivated behaviour
Negative – oppositional, defiant, aggressive, resistance, withdrawn, refusal, argumentative behaviours

7. Functions of Behaviour
Social attention: It may be a good way of getting other people’s attention, even if it is negative, e.g., shouting
To get something: A person may learn behaviours that get them things they want, e.g., food, objects etc
Escape: It may help to avoid things a person doesn’t like e.g. dentist
Sensory: Sometimes people enjoy the feeling that certain behaviours give them, i.e. rocking, humming, etc

8. Special educational provision in schools SEND code of Practice (June 2014)
6.36 Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class, including where pupils access support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
6.37 High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching.

9. Activity: Personal Space & Body Language
Walking towards each other
Reinforce social, personal and intimate space
Circles of danger
Being in a tube – What are the acceptable things to do when some one invades your personal space? What are the unacceptable things?
Body language – Role play – Ask staff to look at body language as well as what is said. LF to be teacher. RG to be child. RG to model LF’’s body language – incorrect and correct version.
Scripts – child help script and adult help script

10. Proactive Language
Tell children what to do – not, what not to do
Use the child’s name at the start of an instruction
Less is more
‘First’ and ‘then’ or ‘this’ or ‘that’
Directive language – ‘time to go back into class’
Avoid closed requests where the child can say ‘no’- ‘would you like to put your coat on?’
Specific praise – ‘good listening’
The language of specific choice

11. CONFLICT Reactions are experiences feeding the CONFLICT SPIRAL
Behaviour- negative behaviour provokes negative reactions from others
Feelings
Negative thoughts and emotions drive behaviour
Experiences result from incidents and perceptions

12. 6 Stages of a Crisis Time Crisis Defensive / Escalation Recovery
Possible need for Restrictive Physical Intervention appropriate for the service user
Defensive / Escalation
Recovery
Anxiety / Trigger
Depression
Follow Up
Need for coordinated letting go, support, reassurance
Adrenalin and cortisol in child’s brain (and adult dealing with the situation)
Affects language centers first – IQ can dip by up to 30% as can hearing
Need for diversion, reassurance, clear limits, boundaries and choices
Need for observation, support and monitoring
Need for positive listening and debrief
Need for diversion, support and reassurance

13. Examples of resources Ten top tips
Strategies for keeping yourself safe
Risk Reduction Plan Pack
Pastoral Support Plan
Universal Provision
Cambridgeshire Policy and Guidance on Effective Management of Behaviour
Beating Bureaucracy

14. How do we de-fuse and de-escalate challenging behaviour?
Low
Medium
High
Refer to Risk Reduction Plan
Whole school risk reduction plan
3 groups. Each group to start with either low, medium or high poster and to look at appropriate strategies
Separate sheet of A3 paper. Staff to take post-it from poster and add strategy next to it.
Groups to move round and add to each others strategies.

15. Restorative Approaches:
Supporting children to come up with their own solutions – encouraging independence and problem-solving skills

16. Restorative debrief questions:
What happened?
What were you thinking about at the time?
What have your thoughts been since?
Who has been affected?
In what way have they been affected?
What do you think needs to happen to make things right?

17. Contact Details www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/send
- search for SEND Specialist Services and your local links will be shown
SEND Specialist Services Manager, SEMH
Links to contact details. Aim for a 4pm finish. SENCOs welcome to stay behind and network for last half hour.