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Early Access Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team

Our Early Access Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team provide education settings with immediate access to our specialists to promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing.




What is EHP's Early Access Social, Emotional and Mental Health Team?

EHP's Early Access Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Team provides early identification and intervention for emerging SEMH needs. Through our Early Access SEMH Team we aim to prevent the escalation of preventable SEMH needs within children and young people.




What does EHP's Early Access SEMH Team do?

EHP's Early Access SEMH Team can prevent the escalation of social, emotional and mental health needs which reduces the risk of associated challenges and barriers to learning. Promoting a healthy and sustainable approach towards SEMH increases the emotional and mental wellbeing of children, young people and staff.

In all cases, early identification and intervention can significantly reduce the need for more expensive interventions or sanctions at a later stage.

-Mental health and behaviour in schools, 2016




What is SEMH?

SEMH stands for social, emotional and mental health. SEMH is usually the underlying cause of actions in children and young people. Positive SEMH is associated with good outcomes and emotional wellbeing. Children and young people who have SEMH difficulties may find themselves struggling academically, socially and emotionally. Early identification and intervention promotes positive SEMH.




Which children and young people will EHP's Early Access SEMH Team support?

EHP's Early Access SEMH Team will support children and young people whose primary area of need is SEMH. Children and young people who our team assess may display:

  • Anxiety
  • Mood issues
  • Challenging behaviour
  • Stress
  • Bullying
  • Relationship issues
  • Withdrawal or isolation
  • Attention difficulties
  • Self-worth / self-esteem
  • Attachment

Our specialist team assess children and young people to identify needs, not to label. Once needs are identified, they can be addressed and met within the education setting.

Who we work with

Our specialist services can be accessed by education, health and other professions working with children and young people.




What types of assessments and screening can EHP's Early Access SEMH Team provide?

EHP's Early Access SEMH Team offer a broad range of assessments and screening to identify SEMH needs within education settings. There are a variety of options for SEMH screening and assessments:

  • Our team can analyse and review existing screening data
  • Our team can train members of staff to carry out screening tests within education settings
  • Our team can carry out screening within education settings and analyse the data
  • Our team can carry out SEMH assessments on children and young people

Offering the above options supports us in offering the most cost effective services to education settings.




Why is early needs identification and intervention important in SEMH?

Early needs identification and intervention is important within SEMH due to the long-lasting impact SEMH needs can have on an individual's future life when left to escalate. Some SEMH needs are preventable when addressed proactively or in the early stages which improves a child or young person's emotional and mental wellbeing in addition to their academic attainment and life chances.

Prevention and early intervention are not only desirable but cost effective.

Future in Mind, 2015




What types of interventions can EHP's Early Access SEMH Team provide?

EHP's Early Access SEMH Team provides a broad range of interventions. Our specialist interventions are effective because relevant information is shared with teaching staff to promote consistency in strategies and techniques used. This sharing of information is part of our transparent service, so the benefits of our interventions extend into the child or young person, their family, the education setting, and the wider community.

Evidence shows that an effective approach to promote positive behaviour, social development and self-esteem is to couple positive classroom management techniques with one to one or small group sessions to help pupils identify coping strategies.

Mental health and behaviour in schools, 2015

We provide education settings with a range of cost effective targeted approaches. Examples include:

  • Understanding and managing feelings
  • Anxiety groups
  • Confidence building
  • Emotional literacy groups
  • Dealing with stress
  • Increasing self-esteem
  • Anger management and resolution
  • Strategies to promote positive mental health
  • Peer mentoring
  • Social skills
  • Building resilience, character and grit
  • Supporting life skills
  • Bullying prevention

Interventions can take place on an individual and group level. Some interventions are more effective as group work, this will be discussed before the start of any intervention.




What types of training can EHP's Early Access SEMH Team provide?

It is important for staff to access training to increase their knowledge of emotional wellbeing and to equip them to be able to identify mental health difficulties. This includes being able to refer them to relevant support either within the school or to external services.

Examples of training and workshops we provide include:

  • Identifying and responding to mental health needs
  • Condition specific training (eg anxiety. mood issues, attention difficulties, autism, attachment, self-harm, eating disorders)
  • Promoting resilience
  • Loss and bereavement / family break up
  • Teaching children to manage their own behaviour
  • How to build children's confidence and self esteem
  • Promoting mental health in school
  • Taking a whole school approach to SEMH
  • Mindfulness
  • Identity (gender etc) and promoting inclusion
  • Behaviour management

As part of our flexible and adaptable service, our SEMHS professionals can also provide bespoke training sessions to suit the needs present within the education setting.




What do EHP's Early Access SEMH Team do for the whole school?

An inclusive whole school approach to SEMH is vital to the success of the individual and school in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. The SEND code of practice and other government legislation comment on the efficacy of supporting SEMH through a whole school approach.

Protective factors for child and adolescent mental health

In the school:

  • Clear policies on behaviour and bullying
  • Open door' policy for children to raise problems
  • A whole-school approach to promoting good mental health
  • Positive classroom management
  • A sense of belonging
  • Positive peer influences

Mental health and behaviours in schools, 2016

EHP's Early Access SEMH Team do many things for the whole school including:

  • Training and CPD for all staff
  • Consultation to staff giving them time and space to talk
  • SEMH workshops and drop ins
  • To provide staff with a range of support for themselves
  • Helping schools to develop an ethos of high expectations, achievement, and wellbeing for all pupils
  • Helping schools to develop policies in line with current legislation and requirements
  • Helping schools to set up clear systems for identifying and helping children with SEMH difficulties
  • Helping schools to set up a graduated approach to SEMH: Assess-Plan-Do-Review
  • Helping a school to develop strategies to promote mental health and wellbeing for all pupils
  • Working with schools to successfully implement the PSHE curriculum
  • Helping schools establish a peer mentoring service
  • Including SEMH in school assembly
  • Help schools work towards ASCEED accreditations in supporting emotional wellbeing http://www.acseed.org/

Whole school approaches support sustainable changes long-term and will be unique to the needs within your education setting.

Emotions can support or impede pupils' learning, their academic engagement, work ethic, commitment, and ultimate school success.

A number of specific social and emotional competencies have positive effects on academic achievement:

  • pupils who are confident about their learning and who have a 'growth mindset' (they believe their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work) persist when faced with challenges
  • pupils who can set goals, manage stress and organise their school work achieve higher grades
  • pupils who use problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles do better academically

Social and emotional competencies have been found to be a more significant determinant of academic attainment than IQ.

The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment, 2014

What can EHP's Early Access SEMH Team do for primary education providers?

What can EHP's Early Access SEMH Team do for secondary education providers?

What can EHP's Early Access SEMH Team do for pupil referral units (PRUs) and specialist education providers?

Key evidence

  • an 11% boost in results in standardised achievement tests has been linked to school programmes that directly improve pupils' social and emotional learning
  • whole-school approaches to social and emotional learning, universally implemented for all pupils, strongly correlate with higher attainment

The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment, 2014




Do EHP's Early Access SEMH Team provide services for children and young people with looked after status?

Yes, children and young people with looked after status are a high priority for all education settings and local authorities. Two-thirds of children and young people with looked after status have special educational needs. Children and young people who are looked after are also more likely to have complex needs due to their looked after status which is why we have created a Looked After Team. Children and young people with looked after status can attend group interventions within the Early Access SEMH team, however individual support may be more suitable through the Looked After Team. Read more about our services by our Looked After Team.

There are some children and young people who have greater vulnerability to mental health problems but who find it more difficult to access help. If we can get it right for the most vulnerable, such as looked-after children and care leavers, then it is more likely we will get it right for all those in need.

Future in Mind, 2015




Do EHP's Early Access SEMH Team provide services for children and young people with adopted status?

Yes, children and young people with adopted status can access services through EHP's Early Access SEMH Team. We have designed an Adoption Team containing specific services related to common needs children and young people who are adopted may have. Read more about the services provided by our Adoption Team.




Why use EHP's Early Access SEMH Team?

There are many reasons to use EHP's Early Access SEMH Team. As a team:

  • We are multidisciplinary
  • We promote early intervention
  • We take a whole school approach
  • We communicate well with schools, parents, and pupils
  • We support you in achieving your desired outcomes
  • We will provide advice / intervention for all children
  • We offer a broad range of interventions
  • We provide immediate access to our services
  • We are school-based
  • We offer a simple way for anyone to refer to us
  • We provide bespoke training to suit your needs
  • We offer flexible intervention packages
  • We have an experienced professional team
  • We work with children and young people from age 0-25

The benefits of early identification and intervention of SEMH needs are wide spreading and long lasting. Our early access SEMH team helps you to achieve a reduction in SEMH related challenges within your education setting.

All children and young people may experience adverse life events at some time in their lives, but some are more likely to develop mental health disorders eg following multiple losses and/or trauma in their lives, as a result of parental vulnerability or due to disability, deprivation or neglect and abuse. These children, young people and their families may find it particularly difficult to access appropriate services, or services may not be configured to meet their psychosocial needs. In addition, they sometimes find it more difficult to access services they may find alienating and may have a lifestyle that is not conducive to meeting regular appointments.

Future in Mind, 2015

Funding

Our services can be funded through a variety of ways.




Get in touch

If you would like to find out more about the services we offer or to book a free initial discussion then please contact us on email office@ehp.org.uk

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