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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?