Psychological Team Projects

The LOSSS Project

Members of the Psychological Team have been involved in a multi-agency project, which aims to provide a co-ordinated response to multi-agency support for schools and other settings, at sensitive times. The remit includes support for those who have experienced loss, bereavement, trauma and illness.

The exercise has involved:

  • Mapping support services, across Health, the Children, Families and Learning Department, and other agencies
  • A questionnaire study for staff in ‘Children, Families and Learning'' matched by a similar study for Health professionals, involving responses to loss, bereavement, trauma and illness and perceived support needs
  • A referral flow-chart, including access criteria, and a joint strategy
  • Providing a range of relevant, easily accessible resources, including training materials and books

Some leaflets (for parents/carers, teachers and other professionals, and children themselves) are already available, and can be accessed via mgrid, or by making direct contact with educational psychologist team. The LOSSS package has been distributed to all schools and Children's Centres in the borough.

SPACE Project: Sequencing, Planning and Coordinating Effectively 

Members of the Psychological Team are now involved in a sequel to the ‘SPARC' materials, SPACE, which has the following aims:

  • To encourage the development of fine and gross movement skills in infants and children, 0 – 6 years, to support progress through the foundation stage
  • To promote the inclusion of all children, regardless of race, disability and gender 
  • To encourage children to be active, physically healthy and with a healthy lifestyle  
  • To engage local people, parents and carers, and professionals, in promoting the physical health and coordination skills of children

Context

Over the last 50 years, there has been growing concern about the diet and physical health of school children. Providing dietary balance and encouraging a less sedentary lifestyle are now viewed as important priorities.

The government report, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (Children aged 4 – 18 years), published in 2000, provides information on the dietary patterns, nutrient intakes and physical activity patterns of children and young people in Britain today. Between 40 and 60% were found to be largely inactive, spending less than 1 hour a day on activities of moderate intensity. These findings are consistent with other recent reports about the increasing prevalence of obesity in children, mirroring that in adults. Low self-esteem may be an associated problem.

The health difficulties in later life, associated with inactivity, poor diet and lack of exercise, are well documented. However, there are other reasons to be concerned about inactive children. Children need to move, to promote their cognitive, social and emotional development: the brain is activated during physical activity, and this is how those important pathways and connections are set down.

Activity increases blood flow to the brain, which optimises the brain's performance, at the time and in terms of future development.

Project Outline

In order to impact on the activity levels, coordination and general health of children, this project envisages creating a store of ideas for activities which parent, carers and professionals can refer to when planning their time with infants and children. These activities will be based around simple everyday events and will draw on readily available materials.

The materials will be organised in sections, according the setting where activities will be carried out:

e.g.    

  • The garden in winter
  • The garden in summer
  • Bath-time
  • Meal-time
  • The park in the summer
  • The park in the winter
  • The swimming pool
  • Table-top games
  • The kitchen

For each of the settings, there will be a series of activity cards, arranged in order according to approximate level of difficulty. For each activity, there will be a reference to indicate the area of movement skill being addressed, (e.g. fine or gross co-ordination, spatial awareness) and a reference to the ‘Birth to 3 matters' or ‘Foundation Curriculum'.

As an example, ‘The garden in the summer' might include activities such as:

  • Daisy Chains
  • Growing vegetables and flowers
  • Washing teddy's clothes

It is anticipated that there will be between 150 and 200 cards, each with their own range of extension activities.

The process

The materials will be written by a multi-agency group, including:

  • Sure Start staff
  • Educational Psychologists
  • School Medical Officer
  • Foundation Stage staff
  • The Cleveland Unit
  • Physiotherapist
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Health Visitors/midwives

There will also be representation from:

  • Sports and Leisure Section, MBC
  • Vulnerable Children Section
  • Standards Team
  • Healthy Schools
  • Language and Learning Team

The project will be led by Janet Philpott, Principal Educational Psychologist, Di Pollitt, Sure Start Children's Service Locality Manager, and Katrina Blenkinsopp, Physiotherapist.

The materials, which will be written over the school year 2006-7, will be piloted in Middlesbrough, in schools and early years settings, with parents, and through the Portage Service, in Middlesbrough homes.

The Portage Service

One member of the team, Linda Madden, has been responsible for setting up a jointly managed Portage service, along with staff from Sure Start and the Cleveland Unit. Portage is a home visiting educational service for pre-school children with additional support needs and their families.

The development of this service represents an expansion in existing support mechanisms for children with learning and behavioural difficulties, and their families. The service will soon have its own web-site providing important information., including details of how to refer to the service. For informal contact, telephone Linda Madden, on 01642 201857.

SPARC Project: S upporting P ositive A ttention and R eciprocal C ommunication

The SPARC materials were developed in response to diverse concerns about children's social and emotional development, in a joint project involving Janet Philpott, Principal Educational Psychologist, and Di Pollitt, Sure Start Children's Services Locality Manager, both from Middlesbrough's Children, Families and Learning Department.

The SPARC programme is based on the principles of early intervention, to provide the foundations to emotional health, and community involvement, to ensure joint responsibility between parents/carers and professionals.

Background to the development of the SPARC materials

In the Middlesbrough context:

  • Levels of communication skill for children starting nursery vary considerably. Some lack basic social skills, including turn-taking, sharing and listening
  • There is a growing problem in mental health , and consequent strain on professional resources in the area
  • There are variable standards of child-care in early years settings, with more children than ever spending their important early years away from parents
  • There is emotional impact from global events such as 9.11, the tsunami and other terrorist events, reactions exacerbated where there are international family connections
  • There is a need to facilitate the inclusion of pupils with particular difficulties, such as autism, hearing and visual impairment, physical disability and language impairment
  • The materials themselves were written with the following aims:
  • To promote social and emotional development in infants and young children, age 0 – 6 years old, as a continuous process
  • To promote the inclusion of all children , regardless of race, disability and gender
  • To facilitate partnership working in developing the ‘Every Child Matters' strategy
  • To engage local people and professionals in promoting emotional health in children and young people
  • To facilitate the appropriate flow of information between parents/carers , individual settings and schools
  • The materials now play a significant part in Middlesbrough's town-wide strategy for impacting on the emotional health of infants and children.

Examples of the materials are available on the SPARC web-site,

Sparc Matters www.sparcmatters.org.uk