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Click to read more about this training, in which we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. Course Category Inclusion Parents and Carers Behaviour and relationships Problem Solving Description In this training we demonstrate a live problem solving approach which is based on the active participation of family members. ‘Family Circles’ is an evolving new approach to problem solving with families and is based on our years of family work and the development and use of the Circle of Adults process. Inspired by our own Parent Solutions work and the Circle of Adults process as well as Family Group Conferencing and other Restorative Interventions we bring you Family Circles. Essentially the approach involves gathering a family together for a process that is facilitated but majors on the family members offering each other their wisdom and ideas. The approach is capacity focused, person centred approach to working with families rather than the dominant deficit oriented and ‘medical model’ of viewing and planning for or doing things to families. This training can be modelled with a group of professionals or better still with a family. In our work with families we develop the importance of naming stories or theories and seeking linkages and synthesis between what is found out and explored about the family situation and its history. We like participants to sit with the uncertainty, to reflect on the question ‘why’ but without judgement of each other. Deeper reflections may span a whole range of perspectives from ‘within person’ considerations, to situational or systemic possibilities. Health or emotional issues can be reflected on alongside organisational or transactional aspects of what is going on for the family. The better the shared understanding the better the strategy or actions which emerge from these meetings. Quality hypotheses with a close fit to reality lead to more effective implementation in the real world. We encourage ‘loose’ thinking, a search for connections, deeper listening, an ‘open mind’, speculation and exploration without moral judgements. From this stance self-reflection as well as reflection on the situation can produce remarkable insights. The quality of theories or new stories generated is directly influenced by family members’ experiences and the models of learning, behaviour and emotion, systems, educational development, change and so on that they have been exposed to.  Learning Objectives To provide opportunities for: Shared problem solving in a safe exploratory climate in which the family will find its own solutions. Individuals to reflect on their own actions and strategies An exploration of whole-family processes and their impact Emotional support and shared understandings of issues at a child, parent, family, school and community level. Feed back to each other on issues, ideas and strategies that are agreed to be worth sharing with them. Who Is It For? Anyone interested in working with families in a way that builds and makes use of their capacities rather than focus on their challenges and difficulties. Social Care teams School staff Community organisers Educational Psychologists Course Content True family empowerment Deepening shared stories and understandings Facilitating groups Problem solving process Handling family group communication Allowing direct feedback and challenge between participants in a safe way Building relationships Process: Family members are welcomed: Introductions are carried out, ground rules and aims clarified whilst coffee is drunk. A recap from the last session is carried out: To follow up developments and reflections after the last meeting. One issue is selected for the main focus Issue presentation: The family member who raised the concern is asked questions to tell the ‘story’ of the issue or problem. Additional questions/information from the group about the problem are gathered: Ground rules may need to be observed carefully here. Individual participants need to be kept focused and prevented from leaping to premature conclusions or to making ‘helpful’ suggestions about strategy. Relationship aspects to the problem are explored. Metaphors and analogies are invited. How would a fly on the wall see your relationship? If you were alone together on a desert island, what would it be like? Impact of previous relationships/spillage from one relationship to another are explored. Eg what situation they are reminded of? For instance, does this situation remind you of any of those angry but helpless feelings you had with your other son when he was an adolescent? This provides opportunities to reflect on how emotions rub off on other people. The parent feels really frustrated, and on reflection we can see that so does the child System/Organisation factors (Family system/school and community systems and so on): What aspects help or hinder the problem? For instance, does the pastoral system of the local school provide space, or time and skilled personnel able to counsel this young person and work actively with their parents? Synthesis. At this stage the Graphic facilitator summarises what they have heard. They then go on to describe linkages and patterns in what they have heard. This can be very powerful. The person doing the graphic work has been able to listen throughout the presentation process and will have been struck by strong messages, emotions and images as they have arisen. The story and meaning of what is happening in the situation may become a little clearer at this point. Typical links may be ‘mirrored emotions’ strong themes such as loss and separation issues, or repeated processes such as actions triggering rejection. This step provides an excellent grounding for the next process of deepening understanding. What alternative strategies/interventions are open to be used? Brainstormed and recorded. ’Either/ors’ need to be avoided at this time also. This needs to be a shared session in which the family member who is presenting the concern contributes as much as anyone. Care is needed to ensure that this person is not overloaded with other people’s strategies. The final selection of strategy or strategies from the brainstormed list is the problem presenter’s choice. Strategies might include: a special time for the young person, a meeting with the child’s parents to explore how she is being managed at home and to share tactics, a home-school diary, counselling, or an agreed action plan that all are aware of, agreed sanctions and rewards and so forth. Strategies may productively involve processes of restitution and restoration, when ‘sorry’ is not enough. Making it right, rather than punishments or rewards, may then becomes the focus. First Steps. The problem presenter is finally asked to agree one or two first steps which they can carry out over the next 3-7 days. It can help to assign a ‘coach’ who will check in with them to ensure they have carried out the action they have named. This is a time to be very specific. Steps should be small and achievable. The person is just ‘making a start’. A phone call, or making an agreement with a key other person not present at the meeting would be ideal examples. Final reflections. Sometimes referred to as a ‘round of words’ help with closure for all involved. Reflections are on the process not the problem. In large families this is best done standing in a circle. In smaller groups all can remain sitting. Passing around a ‘listening stick’ or something similar such as a stone or light heighten the significance of the process ending and improve listening. Finally the problem presenter is handed the ‘Graphic’ this is their record of the meeting and can be rolled and presented ceremoniously by the facilitators for maximum effect! If you liked this course you may well like: Parent Solutions

This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of children and young people and how to meet these. We lift the lid on an emerging urgent inclusion issue, meeting the emotional well being of all children. In one year 1300 young men committed suicide in the UK. In the UK the commonest cause of death among those aged 16-35 is suicide. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Understanding children’s Emotional Needs Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Behaviour and Relationships Meeting emotional needs Early Years Inclusion Description This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of children and young people and how to meet these. We lift the lid on an emerging urgent inclusion issue, meeting the emotional well being of all children. In one year 1300 young men committed suicide in the UK. In the UK the commonest cause of death among those aged 16-35 is suicide. 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence and 2 women a week are killed by a current or ex partner. We need to find ways to allow children to unclench their hearts and learn to experience, process, communicate and manage their own emotional lives for their own and for the good of the wider community. Testimonials Be the first…. Learning Objectives Increased understanding of emotional needs Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on meeting emotional and behaviour problems Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards children and their emotional challenges New skills and processes to make emotionally challenged children’s inclusion and achievement more successful Who Is It For ? Early years and school based practitioners Key workers Teaching Assistants with support roles Heads and deputies SENCOs Advanced skills teachers Primary and secondary classroom teachers Parents Local authority support services Course Content Shared experiences of teaching and parenting around emotional well being Circle of Courage as away of understanding emotional needs Fathers, mothers and sons and daughters Drinking and drugs, filling the emotional void Depression and suicide Anger and violence Solution Circle Problem Solving What children really need

New Covid 19 inspired course to deepen participants understanding of stress, trauma and anxiety. We will work with them to strengthen them and build resilience. This work is particularly relevant to school and other teams returning to school post Covid-19 lock down experiences or similar. The training can be delivered virtually on Teams or Zoom or face to face safely. Course Category Team Building Leadership Emotional needs Description In this course we deepen participants understanding of stress, trauma and anxiety and will work with them to strengthen them and build resilience. This work is particularly relevant to school and other teams returning to school post Covid-19 lock down experiences or similar. The training can be delivered virtually on Teams or Zoom or face to face safely.  Learning Objectives Participants will: Deepen their understanding of stress, trauma and anxiety Develop creative resources for self-care Experience a reflective space in which they feel heard and validated Share narratives and strategies and develop solidarity Create a shared vision for achieving resilience within teams Who Is It For? Any team that is returning to workplace following Covid-19 lockdown or other traumatic events Any team that wants to build strength and resilience Course Content Overview of session, goals and ground rules Confidential listening: story so far… experiences shared – opportunity for mutual support. All shared in strictest confidence unless serious or dangerous. What we know about staying strong and resilient – taught input with short activities covering: Understanding anxiety and stress and how to manage/process both – what’s there already/what’s needed – building a resilience toolkit. What to do about eating, sleeping and worrying? The nature of change and chaos Building trust in each other – with activity The impact of trauma Empowering cooperative teamwork Importance of nurture and inclusion The long view – the power of individual people in our lives who really care and the impact we each make on young people Share collective ideas and resources for building strength Shared vision for a strong, resilient staff – teams that are abiding, constant, durable, established, fast, firm, lasting, firm but flexible, reliable, secure, sound, steadfast, strong, sturdy, sure and well-founded.

Grief & Bereavement Training Certification programme to help others heal from grief, loss and emotional pain.

Circles of adults is a process that ‘listens deeper’ to generate reflective problem solving that can create lasting behaviour change and effective behaviour intervention plans. This is a particularly valuable process for those looking to enhance their leadership and facilitation skills or to build such processes into their school or team approach to complex pupils. ‘The question is not should they be here anymore. Now it’s how can we figure out how best to include them?’ In this practical workshop session we will explore ways of problem solving around complex situations. The session will be practical and will aim to allow the sharing of experiences and good practice as well promoting innovative approaches to problem solving around systemic, organisational as well as individual inclusion issues. Behaviour problems, relationship challenges and personnel dilemmas can all be worked on with these team oriented problem solving processes. We will introduce participants to a powerful and effective approach. The ‘Circles of Adults’ approach addresses the need for a problem solving process that is able to take an in-depth look at meeting the emotional needs that commonly underlie challenging behaviour in schools. The approach is co-facilitated and is designed to enable the participation of teacher teams to reach a deeper understanding of a young person and to evolve a set of hypotheses and emerging strategies that better accommodate to unmet emotional and learning needs. The approach takes at least 90 minutes and is intended for use with the most challenging young people, those at high risk of being permanently excluded from the regular school system. Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding problem solving around inclusion in mainstream settings Access to a wider range of practical strategies and techniques to impact on communication, realtionship, learning and behaviour issues Learn new problem solving processes Course Content The course answers the questions : How to set up and run a Circle of Adults process How can we work out how to include this child best? How can we understand what lies beneath their behaviour? Is there a more structured way to run this meeting? Can we explore the emotional impact the person is having on us and still agree strategies? How can I get unstuck from this problem?

One of the most frequent telephone queries we receive at Inclusive Solutions is from parents whose disabled son or daughter is about to make the transition from Primary to Secondary School. Typically there is a tale to be told of LA planning procedures that are too little and too late, and a severe lack of confidence from all parties that the transition will be successful. Little wonder that transfers from mainstream to special schools continue to peak at Year 7! Course Category Peer Support Strategic Work Visioning and Problem Solving Person Centred Planning Description One of the most frequent telephone queries we receive at Inclusive Solutions is from parents whose disabled son or daughter is about to make the transition from Primary to Secondary School. Typically there is a tale to be told of LA planning procedures that are too little and too late, and a severe lack of confidence from all parties that the transition will be successful. Little wonder that transfers from mainstream to special schools continue to peak at Year 7! Because of this we have put together a different kind of support plan that aims to maximise the chances of Primary/Secondary transitions being successful. In essence our approach brings together a person centred planning tool called ‘MAPS’ and a ‘Circle of Friends’ recruited from within the Year 7 tutor group. The Circle of Friends forms the core of the MAPS session and are central in developing (with parents and staff) a Plan for embedding the focus child in the new school setting. Community Circles bring together disabled and non disabled pupils in a network of mutual support. Peer support is an approach to impacting on inclusion and transition in primary and secondary schools by actively involving other pupils. Enjoy participating in a multi media workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Watch young people doing their stuff! Testimonials ‘It had a huge impact on all levels’ ‘Very user friendly’ Learning Objectives To be able to understand the values and wider context of peer support To be able to set up and run a peer counselling scheme to reduce bullying To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour change Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary teachers Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support and Guidance staff Advanced Skills Teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Community Development workers Early Years and School based Practitioners Course Content The course explores the questions : How can we improve our transition arrangements? Practically how do we go about involving pupils in this process? Do you have any fresh ideas on transition processes? Take a tour through this range of strategies for bringing about smooth transitions, meeting challenging emotional needs and to develop inclusion. Circles of friends: peer support and inclusion. Pupils work to problem solve with and actively support the inclusion and behaviour change of one of their peers Community Circles of Exchange and Mutual Support set up between disabled and non disabled group Peer support, counselling and mediation: reduce bullying and address emotional needs as older pupils offer active listening support and interventions Cross Age Mentoring: older pupils offer supportive mentoring to younger pupils in the same school or in feeder primary schools MAPS and PATH as person centred planning for transitions

To facilitate a group, family, team or organisation in thinking together around a given challenge or issue here is an opportunity to experience for real the person centred, futures planning tool – MAP (Pearpoint, Forest et. al. 1989). This is a process not a training day. Let us facilitate your planning and refocus your story whilst strengthening you and your group. This tool uses both process and graphic facilitation to help any group develop a shared vision and then to make a start on working out what they will need to do together to move towards that vision. MAPS are great for threshold moments. Is your team stuck? Want to move on, haunted by the past cannot get any useful dialogue about the future? Facing a challenging transition into a new school or setting? Leaving school? Bored with annual reviews, transition plans and review meetings? Want to find a way of making meetings and planning feel more real and engaging? Need an approach, which engages a young person respectfully together with his or her family and friends? Want the ultimate visual record of the process of a meeting, which will help everyone, keep track? Want to problem solve and plan for the future of a small or large group, service or organisation up to the size of an LEA Learning Objectives To create a shared vision To talk through the story so far and reflect upon it To name the worse nightmares that will block progress To strengthen the group by focussing on gifts and capacity To detail needs To specify an Action Plan To create a visual graphic record of the whole event Course Content The MAP process has 6 Steps: The story so far. The group is required to think back over the years to describe their collective experience of changes and events over time within their settings. Stories and events are recorded on the graphic. Building Shared Dreams. The group thinks together about what they would love to see happening for children, families and practitioners in their settings if they could have it all. If there were no constraints on time, money, resources, people or anything else what do they see happening in their imaginations? The various ideas that the group comes up with are then recorded in key words, images and colours on the MAP graphic. The purpose of this Step is to give the group a sense of direction, their North Star, an image of the place they want to work towards. Nightmare. In this Step, the group imagines the worst scenarios. What is the opposite of their dreams? How bad could it get? This is a shorter but powerful process that can give some groups more energy than dreaming together. Gifts and Capacity. In this Step the group is asked to take explicit stock of their capacities and what they already have going for them as they begin working towards the vision. This is a strong reminder for any group of the wealth of knowledge and experience that is already and always in the room. Needs. In this Step the group is invited to begin to name some of the needs they will have if they are to move forward to wards the dream and away from the nightmare. Actions. This is the final Step in the MAP and calls for individuals within the group to name a range of very specific actions (however small) that they will take within a definite time scale. This is not a time for declaring good intentions or suggesting good ideas for someone else to do. The purpose of this Step is to end the MAP process with a range of clearly understood actions that carry this planning process forward into the real world.

Inclusion Facilitation (IF) is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream community of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in the world because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The IF approach works by mobilising the young person’s natural supports to provide support and engage with the person in difficulty. Inclusion Facilitation is designed to create a better life for an individual by the provision of an intense input designed to being about social change. This usually entails a series of visits focused on getting the person out and about to increase confidence, social skills and presence in their local community and to pursue goals and dreams. Uniquely, the work is carried out under the close clinical supervision of a practicing psychologist. What is Inclusion Facilitation Work? ‘We do whatever it takes!’ Usually a Person Centred Planning event would be carried out using the PATHor MAP process – majoring on dreams and goal setting leading to precise action planning.  An experienced psychologist alongside the inclusion facilitator would carry out a PATH. A large graphic will be one of the outcomes of the meetings this is a great visual record and a shared memory of the event. This will also inform the priorities for the inclusion facilitation work Optionally following the PATH event a ‘scoping report’ is created outlining what Inclusion Facilitation could offer and highlighting what dreams and goals the individual has. The PATH is also provides a good opportunity for the Facilitator to meet the focus person in a comfortable positive environment. 12 weekly visits from the Inclusion Facilitator followed by 5 monthly visits is our preferred model but we can be flexible with the delivery of this input. This is just a guideline, however we have received good results using this time frame. After this intensive input the Inclusion Facilitator will hand over to the existing family, carers and PA team to carry on where he or she has left off. This transition time is planned from the outset. An experienced psychologist is there to support the facilitator at all times and will guide all work done by the inclusion facilitator.  Is this just Support work? No! This is proactive engagement – doing whatever is required. We are not just passively or reactively providing what is asked for – we are actively pursuing a good life for the individual. Our work is built on careful research around a person’s interests and what opportunities exist locally. We carry out community mapping.  We actively work to tackle an individual’s own resistance and reluctance to engage more socially. We actively engage with people in social settings that the individual attends to build bridges and connections – we are bridge builders. We build circles around a person. We create the conditions in which friendships can flourish. We have direct psychological supervision and support throughout. This work is short term and intense. Enjoy participating in a multimedia workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Learning Objectives 1.To be able to understand the values and wider context of inclusion. 2.To be able to set up and run an ‘Inclusion Facilitation project to improve the life chances and connections of a child or young person. 3.To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour. Course Content The course answers the questions: What do you do with the child who is isolated by their aggression and anger, through being different, disabled or new to the school or community? Practically how do we go about including high profile children or young people? How can we help some children be friends? We will cover:  Inclusion values underpinning this work The Intentional Building of Relationships –‘Inclusion Facilitation’ work as an example Not doing it alone – The Importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice Practical setting up and running of IF work Lessons learned Stories of IF work

Circle of Friends is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream setting, of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in school because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The ‘circle of friends’ approach works by mobilising the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Creating Circles ofFriends Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Inclusion Peer Support Behaviour and Relationships Autism and Communication Description Circle of Friends is an approach to enhancing the inclusion, in a mainstream setting, of any child or young person who is experiencing difficulties in school because of disability, personal crisis or because of their challenging behaviour towards others. The ‘circle of friends’ approach works by mobilising the young person’s peers to provide support and engage in problem solving with the person in difficulty. ‘Circle of friends’ is not the same as ‘circle time’ but many of the skills and techniques used by teachers in ‘circle time’ can be used to support the ‘circle of friends’ process. Over the past 12 years Colin Newton and Derek Wilson have been encouraging the use of ‘circle of friends’ in a wide variety of primary and secondary schools, often with very successful outcomes. Some of these are described in their books ‘Circles of Friends’, (Folens, 1999) and ‘Creating Circles of Friends’ (Inclusive Solutions, 2005). This is an excellent opportunity to learn from Colin Newton and Derek Wilson the educational psychologists who brought this Department of Education endorsed approach to the UK. Learn how to build teams around challenging pupils by drawing on a resource which is always there…. other children. Enjoy participating in a multi media workshop that will challenge, entertain and reach for your emotions. Circles of support are for us all, for life…. and they work! Testimonials ‘Absolutely fantastic session – so thought provoking and positive.’ ‘Well presented excellent course’ ‘Wonderful, mind blowing day. Lots of children and young people there we need to really see – not treat’ ‘Excellent presentation, lively, modern, current – definitely got the attention. Course gave great food for thought and I feel confident that this way of working will have a place in the future of our school. Learning Objectives To be able to understand the values and wider context of inclusion To be able to set up and run a ‘circle of friends’ to reduce likelihood of a pupil being excluded or segregated To understand and be able to maximise the power of the peer group in supporting relationships, achievement and behaviour Who Is It For ? Primary and secondary teachers Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support and Guidance staff Advanced Skills Teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Community Development workers Early Years and School based Practitioners Course Content The course answers the questions: What do you do with the child who is isolated by their aggression and anger, through being different, disabled or new to the school or community? Practically how do we go about including high profile children or young people? How can we help some children be friends? We will cover: The importance of Welcome Inclusion values underpinning this work The Intentional Building of Relationships – ‘Circle of Friends’ work as an example Not doing it alone – The Importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice Practical setting up of circles of friends Lessons learned Stories of circles in primary and secondary mainstream schools ^ Circles of Friends Training in Kiev, Ukraine

How can we interrupt the isolation of disabled, challenging and other ‘different’ children and adults? This is our lead workshop/training day and is both a values primer and a practical guide to successful strategies for developing inclusive practice in educational and non educational settings for children and young people of all ages. This is practical plus being a ‘hearts and minds’ day. What does inclusion mean? Can we imagine what an inclusive school look like? What do we have to do? The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to the inclusion of children and adults who are different or challenging. The Keys can be presented as a powerful interactive Keynote for large conferences. A great way to launch a conference as the first key is ‘welcome’. Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding developing inclusive practice in mainstream schools and other settings Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on behaviour problems Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of disabled and challenging children and adults Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards parents and pupils New skills and processes to make inclusion successful Course Content The course answers the questions : Why inclusion? What is inclusion? How do we go about including high profile children or young people? What does inclusion have to do with me? Best delivered over the course of a full day, ‘Keys to Inclusion’ introduces participants to 6 guiding Ideas that underpin inclusive practice. The importance of WELCOME Inclusion is about Adults’ learning Taking the Long View Giftedness as a new paradigm for understanding disability and difference The Intentional Building of Relationships – ‘Circle of Friends’ work as an example of this Not doing it alone – the importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice.