CPD, ITT and Support for Schools and PRU’s

The Pendlebury Centre, as a PRU with a longstanding reputation for excellence, provides support and training for schools.

The Pendlebury Centre is a National Support School and our headteacher, Janice Cahill, is a National Leader of Education (NLE). One of Janice’s most recent contributions to national research and thinking can be viewed here – Attachment and Emotional Development in the Classroom – Theory and Practice (2017).

The Pendlebury Centre has developed and facilitates a range of training opportunities for the children’s workforce on mental health and emotional well-being. The courses are run from the Pendlebury Centre but we can organise bespoke training for both schools and local authorities.

If you would like to discuss or enrol on any of the courses identified below, please contact us.

ASIST Training

What happens at ASIST?
ASIST trains participants to reduce the immediate risk of a suicide and increase the support for a person at risk. The workshop helps participants recognise what a person at risk may need from others in order to keep safe and get help.

Who should attend ASIST?
ASIST is suitable for a wide range of professionals and community members including; natural helpers and advisers, emergency service workers, counsellors, teachers, ministers, mental health staff, workers in health, welfare and justice and community volunteers.

How does ASIST help prevent suicide?
As an ASIST trained first aid intervention caregiver, you will be better able to:
• Identify people who have thoughts of suicide
• Seek a shared understanding of the reasons for thoughts of suicide and the reasons for living
• Review current risk and develop a plan to increase safety from suicidal behaviour
• Follow up on all safety commitments, accessing further help as needed
• Recognise invitations for help
• Reach out and offer support
• Apply a suicide intervention model
• Link people with community resources

The course is recommended by our Department of Health and is delivered not just in the UK but worldwide.

Logistics
The course takes place over two consecutive days and participants must attend all 15 hours in order to pass.

Cost
ASIST course cost £200 per person. This cost includes all course materials, refreshments and a certificate of attendance following the course. We also recommend participants make use of the helpline after, as all the advisors use the PAL model taught in ASIST and can therefore ‘debrief’ participants after they have done an intervention.

Course Booking
The course will be delivered at The Pendlebury Centre on the 12th and 13th January 2017, 9.00 – 4.30p.m.

Seasons for Growth

Seasons for Growth is an innovative grief and loss education programme using the imagery of the seasons to illustrate the experience of grief.

This training aims to strengthen the social and emotional well-being of children and young people who are dealing with significant life changes such as death, divorce, separation, family breakdown and other changes. It does this by exploring the impact and loss on every-day life, and by teaching new ways to respond to these changes.

Young people learn that they are not alone in dealing with the effects of change, loss and grief, and build their communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills within a peer support group.
• Learn about how different people respond to change, loss and grief.
• Understand that it is normal to experience a range of grief reactions.
• Explore new approaches to dealing with change and loss in their lives.
• Build communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Participate in a support network of peers and adults.
• Integrate their new learning into relationships with family, friends and others.
• Helps restore self-confidence and self-esteem.
• Draws on extensive research in developing a sound educative response to loss and grief.

Who is involved in Seasons for Growth?

A trained adult ‘Companion’ facilitates the small group programme where participants support and learn from each other in age appropriate and engaging activities.

Companions can be teachers, psychologists, nurses, counsellors, social workers or others working with young people in the statutory or voluntary sectors.

Companions are trained and supported by our national and regional Trainers.

How is the Seasons programme structured?

The programme consists of five levels:
• Level 1 (ages 6-8 years) (40 minute sessions)
• Level 2 (ages 9-10 years) (40 minute sessions)
• Level 3 (ages 11-12 years) (45 minute sessions)
• Level 4 (ages 13-15 years) (50 minute sessions)
• Level 5 (ages 16-18 years) (50 minute sessions)

Seasons for Growth is implemented over:
• 8 sessions
• 1 Celebration session
• 2 Re-connector sessions

What does this programme achieve?
• Seasons for Growth has a strong, positive effect on young people.
• Parents, Companions, School Principals and Agency Managers believe without exception that the programme is beneficial to children and young people.
• The participants said that the programme has removed their sense of isolation, allowed them to express their feelings without being ashamed of them and helped them to develop trust in others.
• Seasons for Growth contributes broadly to intervention against youth suicide in that it provides an early system of safety, opportunities for identification and referral, and lessening of vulnerability.
As a result, many said, they had been able to:
• Seek support, when necessary, from the Companion outside the formal process of the programme.
• Form friendships and support networks with others in the programme.
• Communicate better with their parents or siblings.
• Understand that life moves on and that changes do happen.
• Cope better with their emotions.

Logistics
The course takes place over two consecutive days and there will be a ‘Reconector’ session approximately six weeks after the training for each companion. Participants must attend all the sessions in order to pass. Once trained Companions will need supervision and this will be provided through a Stockport Lead.

Cost
The cost of the training is £400 per person for the two day course and reconector session.

Course Booking
The next course date will be in 2017, please register your interest ASAP.

The Pendlebury Centre Approach to Mental Health in Schools

Developing skills in identifying and responding to mental health difficulties in children and young people.

In a world where one in ten children and young people aged five to sixteen have a clincally diagnosed mental health disorder and around one in seven has less severe problems,* practitioners within the children’s workforce require additional skills to support their work at a universal level, particularly if children and young people are to be included within their mainstream settings and their home community. The acquisition of knowledge and skills at this level by all professionals is often referred to as Tier 1 training. It is essential that all professionals have access to training which promotes early intervention and facilitates pathways to additional support for the children and young people within our care and increases both the understanding of mental health issues and the skill level of the workforce.

The course is an integral part of our teaching school training for Initial Teacher Training (ITT). It was cited in the Carter Review of ITT, January 2015, as an example of Outstanding practice which could be transferred to other institutions. This course will provide the opportunity for professionals who are working with young people to enhance their knowledge of child and adolescent mental health through partaking in a series of weekly training sessions.  

Each session will focus on a specific mental health issue, exploring the signs and symptoms of that particular disorder. Topics covered include; Self-Harm, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Autistic Spectrum Disorders and Eating Disorders.
The course emphasises putting theory into practice. A range of therapeutic interventions will be taught, giving participants practical skills in engaging young people.

The course will further provide the opportunity to write reports about the subject matter discussed and gain external accreditation.

Outcomes: after this training course participants will:
1. Have a greater understanding of the mental health system, of safe practice and the need for multi-disciplinary working.
2. be able to identify young people who are at risk of developing mental health problems through a basic knowledge of signs and symptoms of specific mental health disorders
3. be able to engage with a young person who is at risk of developing a mental health problem, using a range of specific skills and strategies.

Logistics
A nine-week training course to commence on Tuesday 10th January 2017, from 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm at The Heaton Sports Centre Green Lane Stockport.

Cost
The course costs £450 plus the accreditation costs £30.

Course Booking
Please register your interest ASAP with Jane Moss, Pendlebury Centre, Edgeley Road, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, SK3 0RJ, or email the information to jane.moss@pendlebury.stockport.sch.uk to secure a place.

* Department for Education – Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools June 2014

Emotional-Social Tracking for Schools, APs and PRUs

Over several years we have developed an Emotional-Social Tracking Tool which sits alongside all our academic tracking. This helps to support progress for all students but particularly for those who are deemed to be more vulnerable and their progress is being impeded by their emotional well-being and mental health status.

We have been awarded the ‘Excellence in Schools Award’ by the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors which acknowledged this tool within our data collection and assessment framework. The tracking tool has been implemented into all Stockport secondary schools to support transition, and we are currently piloting this tool in six of our Primary schools with their Year 6 group to support and enable positive transition. It has also been adopted in several AP’s supported through the NLE/NSS programme

Cost
The implementation of this tool into your school workplace is £1200.
As we are aware that each school has its own discreet data collection we believe the best way to support his implementation is on a school-by-school basis. If you would like any further information, please contact the centre.

Postgraduate Qualification in Emotional Well-being

There is a growing recognition that emotional well-being can be best supported through the mainstream school and one of the recommendations of Future in Mind, is that every school has their own Emotional Well-Being Lead. To support this position and in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University we are offering a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Emotional Well-being) from January 2017. It is worth 60 credits within postgraduate learning frameworks.

It is worth noting that much of the above training / CPD can be ‘APEL’d’ across to this course. Colleagues will have to write a research / investigative / evaluative assignment to gain accreditation. This will give colleagues recognition of the above role and will be the first in the country and responds to Future in Mind recommendations.

Cost & Logistics

Sessions will be held at the Pendlebury Centre and the cost will be approximately £1000 (to be confirmed).

If you are interested in this qualification please contact the centre ASAP.

Other Training:

Over the past few years, the Pendlebury Centre has provided teacher training for the Teach First programme, University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Bright Futures Educational Trust. The formal feedback from these events is overwhelmingly positive.

We can provide a range of bespoke training to support your school development. We have provided:
• Effective use of teaching Assistants
• Working constructively with lower attaining sets
• Working constructively with Challenging Behaviours.
• Autism traits – implementing change within the classroom environment.
• Multi agency working for those with emotional, social and mental health difficulties