Care Teams: Best Practice

Jigsaw Meath

December 2013

Group activity

In relation to your school’s care team

What is going well?

What are the challenges?

Care Teams: Supporting

Individual Students

The aim of Care Teams is to offer support to students in a co-ordinated way based on best practice models

Care Teams have a preventative or early intervention function especially for SEBD

A Care Team is a support system not a discipline system

Care Teams supporting students

A care team is a practical response to mental health issues and SEN

Helps define a problem, consider possible alternatives and try out strategies

Allows a co-ordinated approach; forum for staff to share concerns and work towards solutions

Benefits to students and staff

Students who feel supported are more likely to try to access the curriculum

Also more likely to try to manage their behaviour

School staff develop coping skills and strategies through targeted interventions

Reduces stress for teachers; responsibility shared and co-ordinated school response

Care team links responses from home, school and student

Records of Care Team are an indication of the support the school has provided

Mary Donnelly, NEPS Navan

Features of an effective Care

Team

Members from Management; Year Head/Tutor system; Guidance/Chaplain; SEN, SPHE

Role of each team member clarified

Time assigned for meeting and preparation

All staff share common understanding of which pupils may be referred

A lot of work completed to get all staff on board

Team Members have support of all staff

Review built into plan

Members and roles

1. Member of senior management

2. Appropriate Year head/Tutor

3. Guidance/Chaplain

4. Member of SEN team

5. SPHE coordinator

6. HSCL

7. HSE/NEPS (with parental consent)

8. Need Minute taker and good record keeping

9. Need core team but some members e.g. Year Head/Tutor will depend on student being discussed

Referral pathway

Referrals; subject teacher →tutor →yr head →care team

Preparation-appropriate person gathers information from school, parent, student, outside agencies

Are all staff up to date on care Team structure and aware of referral pathways?

What should staff be looking out for? (Signs that a young person may be experiencing difficulty ‘Wellbeing in PP Schools’, pg. 60)

Normally 40 minute session

Meet on a weekly basis

Many schools use different levels of Care Team

Complex cases will benefit from an individual care

team meeting

Some cases will need long-term follow up

Confidentiality/limits/safeguards

Use consultation referral form.

Format of Care Team Meeting

Suitable cases

Cases where there are significant concerns; not just discipline

Learning difficulties; specific and general

Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties including internalising problems (depression, anxiety, school refusal, self-harm).

Family issues

Other syndromes

Physical difficulties

Child protection concerns

Management to clarify with staff what constitutes a suitable referral to care team.

Checklist for suitable cases

Is the behaviour unusual for this student?

Is there a pattern to the behaviour?

What further information do I need to make a judgement?

Who can help me gather this information?

Can I afford to wait?

Is the student in danger?

How can I improve my relationship with this student right now?

Who do I need to consult?

Gathering Information

Effectiveness of meeting is enhanced by

good information gathering

Subject teacher survey

‘My Thoughts about school’ checklist to get

student perspective (Pg. 30/31 CoS)

Gathering Information checklist (pg. 32/33

CoS)

Consultation with parent/guardian

SOME Responses to

groups and individuals

10-20%

FEW Individualised & Specialist supports

2-5%

School-wide Screening

Academic

Success

Social, emotional

& behavioural

competence

ALL

Preventative and

proactive approaches

80-90%

Farouk Model (2004)

4 Stages

Phase 1: Description and Clarification

Phase 2: Reflection

Phase 3 Personal Theory Generation

Phase 4: Strategy Generation

*Group Consultation model with distinct

roles and functions for group members

Phase 1: Description and Clarification

Referring teacher outlines his/her

concerns

Group members listen actively asking

only clarification and information seeking

questions

Phase 2: Reflection Phase

Referring teacher is asked to reflect on his/her concerns

Group members are asked to ask questions about the referring

teacher’s concern and to share similar experiences

‘What works well?’

‘When does X learn well?’

‘When does X behave well?

‘What’s different about those times?’

Phase 3: Personal Theory Generating

Phase

All group members (including the

referring teacher) are encouraged to

share their personal theories regarding

the nature of the problem situation

Phase 4: Strategy generating Phase

Possible Strategies are discussed by the

group

The referring teacher is given time to

reflect on these and may or may not

follow them up after the meeting

Managing care team meeting

Keep solution focused rather than problem

focused; key skill for facilitator

Time must be managed carefully to arrive at

possible solutions

Meeting needs to end with clear plan of action,

i.e. what has been agreed, time frame and who

is responsible

Summary record sheet completed

Review/Follow up consultation

What has gone well?

How did you manage to get things to

work?

What do you need to get these things to

continue to happen?

Redo rating scale from referrer

Any further concerns?

What needs to happen next?

Next steps…

What are the next steps for your school

in developing the care team?