A Solution Circle is a 30 minute creative Problem Solving Process for getting unstuck…Ideal for busy people! lt was designed by Marsha Forest & Jack Pearpoint. This is a short and powerful tool. It is effective in getting “unstuck” from a problem in life or work. Solution Circles are tools of “community capacity”. It assumes and demonstrates that nearby people – in any community or work place have the capacity to help – if asked. It requires a person to ASK – not an easy thing in our culture of privacy and “do it alone”. This tool puts all the values we espouse into practice and demonstrates that TOGETHER WE’RE BETTER. Course Category Problem Solving Description A Solution Circle is a 30 minute creative Problem Solving Process for getting unstuck…Ideal for busy people! lt was designed by Marsha Forest & Jack Pearpoint. This is a short and powerful tool. It is effective in getting “unstuck” from a problem in life or work. Solution Circles are tools of “community capacity”. It assumes and demonstrates that nearby people – in any community or work place have the capacity to help – if asked. It requires a person to ASK – not an easy thing in our culture of privacy and “do it alone”. This tool puts all the values we espouse into practice and demonstrates that TOGETHER WE’RE BETTER. In this training you will learn how to set up and facilitate Solution Circles Learning Objectives For participants to learn how to facilitate a Solution Circle For participants to understand the underlying rationale and ethos of this way of working For participants to learn the power of team work and problem solving when including challenging individuals Who Is It For? Team Around the Child agencies Parents and Professional working together Families Multi Agency Teams Social workers CAMHS teams Year Managers Primary and secondary staff teams Early Years and School based Practitioners Heads and Deputies SENDCOs Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Local Authority Support Services Course Content This can be introduced in a twilight, half day or even a full day workshop with individualised coaching. We will provide background context for this approach and will directly model the process with real live issues facing participants. So bring your most challenging concerns to this training. The course answers the questions: What to when you are stuck Can we find an alternative to permanent exclusion or special unit or school placement? Struggling with a child for whom praise is ineffective? Feeling isolated in your responses to a child’s needs? Worried about where your instinctive reactions are leading you? Cannot seem to get any consensus view of a young person’s behaviour/needs amongst all the family and professionals involved – is everyone pulling in different directions? We will cover: Setting the tone Background and detailed teaching of process Inclusion values underpinning this work Graphic and process facilitation skills Processes modelled and opportunities to try process out with coaching Practical setting up of insights and solutions circles Lessons learned
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
This is our latest lead workshop/training day and is an extremely innovative, participative and practical guide to successfully creating a truly inclusive classroom in mainstream school settings for children and young people of all ages. This engaging day will equip participants with ways of thinking and planning for the inclusion of all pupils within the curriculum. Course Category Teaching and Learning Inclusion Description This is our latest lead workshop/training day and is an extremely innovative, participative and practical guide to successfully creating a truly inclusive classroom in mainstream school settings for children and young people of all ages. This engaging day will equip participants with ways of thinking and planning for the inclusion of all pupils within the curriculum. There’s no better way to get set up, get trained, and get going on your inclusive classroom. The most knowledgeable trainers will teach you all the basics in face-to-face training sessions, and guide you through more advanced concepts and ideas. So whether you’re brand-new to inclusion, a seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, we will help take your skills to the next level. Testimonials ‘Yet again inspiring and opening more doors than I can go through’ ‘This opened a lot of avenues for thought and reflection. It will help me to help colleagues to see where they can improve practice to create a more inclusive environment within the whole school.’ ‘Some great ideas and restored my self belief! Fantastic’ Learning Objectives Increased skills in diversifying/differentiating the curriculum Reflection on attitudes to individual learning and the curriculum Linking learning style research to real classroom inclusion of high profile/need pupils Improved teaching skills for those with severe and complex needs and behaviour Challenge to attitudes and mindsets Who Is It For ? School based Practitioners Heads and Deputies SENCOs Learning Support Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Course Content The course answers the questions: How do I begin differentiating? How do I include a pupil with very complex learning needs? How do we go about practically including high profile children or young people? Best delivered over the course of 2 days, ‘Inclusive Classroom’ introduces participants to 6 guiding Ideas that increase effective inclusion in mainstream settings. Setting the tone for learning Resourcing schools and classrooms effectively The essential 4 questions! What is the essential learning in this lesson? How do the students learn best? What needs modifying? How will students demonstrate their learning? Building on strengths and talents Beyond the IEP The curriculum content of inclusive classrooms If you liked this course you may well like: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SPACE WHERE EVERYONE LEARNS
So you appreciated a Keys to Inclusion day? Wondering what next? The Next Set follows on from our lead workshop/training day and is both values driven and a practical guide to successful strategies for further developing inclusive practice in educational settings for children and young people of all ages. Course Category Inclusion Description So you appreciated a Keys to Inclusion day? Wondering what next? The Next Set follows on from our lead workshop/training day and is both values driven and a practical guide to successful strategies for further developing inclusive practice in educational settings for children and young people of all ages. On this day we explore processes and ideas ranging from the individual practitioner’s imagination through to the creating of a community gathering to strengthen inclusion of disabled and disempowered adults and children. This too is a ‘hearts and minds’ day in which you can expect participants to both laugh and cry in equal measure! The day gives those present lots of opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to the inclusion of pupils who are different and most challenging. Testimonials I have learned such a lot. I have learned so much. Keep an Open Mind. Really inspired! I can’t wait to share the day Learning Objectives Increased confidence regarding developing inclusive practice in mainstream schools Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on behaviour problems Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of disabled children Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards parents and pupils New skills and processes to make inclusion successful Who Is It For ? Early Years and School based Practitioners Heads and Deputies SENCOs Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Parents Local Authority Support Services Course Content The course answers the questions : What next after a Keys day? How do we take people with us? What else can we do to go about including high profile children or young people? What does inclusion really 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 power of imagination Determination and persistence Growing Relationships How to help not hinder Communicating honestly and directly Creating Community Circles If you liked this course you may well like: KEYS TO INCLUSION Or: INCLUSION: IT DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN
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.
This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of boys and how to meet these. We lift the lid on an emerging urgent inclusion issue,namely meeting the emotional needs of boys. Everyone knows a boy. They may be pupil, son, brother, parent or partner. Boys when they become adults are over represented in the prison, and mental health system. Course Category Meeting emotional needs Description This workshop gives an opportunity to focus on the emotional needs of boys and how to meet these. We lift the lid on an emerging urgent inclusion issue,namely meeting the emotional needs of boys. Everyone knows a boy. They may be pupil, son, brother, parent or partner. Boys when they become adults are over represented in the prison, and mental health system. In one recent year 1300 young men committed suicide in the UK. In the UK the commonest cause of death among those aged 16-35 is suicide. Three men for every one woman kill themselves every year (Guardian, June 2006). 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence and 2 women a week are killed by a current or ex partner. Boys and men are a major concern. We need to find ways to allow them 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 ‘Thanks for a super day, lots of good ideas for our citizens of the future. We need to offer them the best and what we would offer our own children’?? ‘Enjoyed the day very much. Brilliant ideas and lots of food for thought. Will use the solution circle. A great tool!’ ‘went well and the ethos/participation was commendably facilititated. well done’. ‘Wonderful day!’ ‘Still getting lots of positive messages this end.’ Learning Objectives Increased understanding of boys’ 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 of boys Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards boys and their emotional challenges New skills and processes to make boys’ 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 The course explores the questions : Is there a problem with boys? What can we do to meet the emotional needs of boys? What helps? What should our priority be with boys? This workshop will explore: Cultural and historical expectations of boys in our society Shared experiences of teaching and parenting boys Circle of Courage as away of understanding emotional needs Fathers, mothers and sons Drinking and drugs: filling the emotional void Depression and suicide Anger and violence Solution Circle Problem Solving around boys needs What boys really need
In this practical and engaging workshop there is input on building an effective team around a child, problem solving as a team, improving communication and handling conflict. Communication with parents, problem solving and collaborating is explored. Empathy with parents who are ‘labelled’ is encouraged. Course Category Parents and Carers Description In this practical and engaging workshop there is input on building an effective team around a child, problem solving as a team, improving communication and handling conflict. Communication with parents, problem solving and collaborating is explored. Empathy with parents who are ‘labelled’ is encouraged. A key aspect of this day is ‘reframing’ how we think about the most difficult, hard to work with parents who attract many labels. Participants soon discover that they are more similar than they realise to those labelled ‘others’. The day gives those present opportunities to reflect on their attitudes and practice in relation to parents who are different. Practical ideas for joint problem solving and active engagement are fully explored. Testimonials “Made me more aware of how to approach parents and carers” “It (the conference) couldn’t have been improved. All the speakers were good” “I’ll have a more positive approach to welcoming people” “It will encourage us as practitioners to listen and think a little more. Learning Objectives Increased confidence in working with parents Access to a wider range of practical and thoughtful strategies when collaborating with parents and carers Deeper understanding of core values surrounding inclusion of disabled children in collaboration with parents and carers Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards parents with a focus on labelling and stigmatisation New skills and processes to make joint work successful Who Is It For ? Early Years and School based Practitioners Children Centre Staff Heads and Deputies SENCOs Advanced Skills Teachers Primary and secondary teachers Local Authority Support Services Social Workers Health Workers Course Content The course answers the questions: Why is this parent impossible to work with? Where do I begin to communicate with some parents? How can I collaborate with parents and carers to include high profile children or young people? Best delivered over the course of a full day we will cover: The importance of WELCOME Labelling and reframing: Setting the tone: Reframing language to describe parents Providing parents with insights about children’s behaviour using stories Circle of Courage as applied to parents Circles of Support The Intentional Building of Relationships Not doing it alone – The Importance of Teams in developing inclusive practice Problem solving: Circles of Adults/Solution Circles Community Guides If you liked this you may like: COMMUNITY CIRCLES
The Extreme Person Centred Thinking Tools are a set of tools to support dreams, build relationships and connections and promote capacity thinking. The aim of the extreme person centred thinking tools training is not to teach people how to facilitate plans, instead it is about sharing tools that can be used to listen and reflect and creatively involve people in planning their own lives. Online Course now available via Teachable Platform – Person Centred Mindset Learn at your own pace… lots of text and video support Course Category Person Centred Planning Description The Extreme Person Centred Thinking Tools are a set of tools to support dreams, build relationships and connections and promote capacity thinking. The aim of the extreme person centred thinking tools training is not to teach people how to facilitate plans, instead it is about sharing tools that can be used to listen and reflect and creatively involve people in planning their own lives. Many of these tools have been taken from MAPS and PATH, and parts also build on the person centred thinking tools. Testimonials Be the first… Learning Objectives This course will provide participants with an understanding of how to use a range of extreme person centred thinking tools to; Use graphics to facilitate creative conversations Learn from people’s stories and histories Listen to and facilitate dreams and nightmares Think about what is positive and possible Connect people with their communities Facilitate inclusion Who Is It For? Person Centred Planning Facilitators Support Workers / Day Centre Officers / Residential Workers Personal Assistants / Teaching Assistants Families Self Advocates Social Workers CAMHS teams Primary and secondary staff teams SENCOs Local Authority Support Services Course Content The course will introduce participants to a range of tools focused around supporting relationships, realising dreams, connecting people with their communities and capacity thinking. Participants will be coached in using the tools and given the opportunity to practice the tools and their graphic facilitation skills in a safe environment. The course will answer the following questions: How can we use ideas from MAP and PATH in our day to day work? How can I use graphics to facilitate conversations? How can we learn more about the people we support? How can we start to think about connecting people to their communities? If you liked this course you may well like: PERSON CENTRED PLANNING USING PATH AND MAPS
Whatever your position in the team, good communications skills are vital. They are at the centre of every work place interaction and can make a real difference to your work environment. Here’s a worthwhile day to increase your skills in this area. These skills will not only help your personal growth but they will increase job satisfaction and in turn relationships with adults and children. Course Category Team Building and Leadership Visioning and Problem Solving Strategic Work Early Years Description “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘we’; they think ‘team’. They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.”PETER DRUCKER. Whatever your position in the team, good communications skills are vital. They are at the centre of every work place interaction and can make a real difference to your work environment. Here’s a worthwhile day to increase your skills in this area. These skills will not only help your personal growth but they will increase job satisfaction and in turn relationships with adults and children. With these new skills you will also increase your abilities in co-operative partnerships and network building. Communication is at the core of what you do; it’s how we influence people. We use it for persuading others, creating alliances, gaining support, motivating others and teaching. Being good at communicating with others will allow you to influence them and this in turn will make you more effective whilst making your job easier. A lot of our time at work consists of acting, taking or giving instructions. Past research shows that lack of good communication at the work place is not uncommon. This has a high cost including tension amongst staff and lower trust levels and effectiveness. Problems can be caused when communication problems result in instructions being misinterpreted. A simple discussion can be turned into a conflict just by poor communication. What communication skills are needed in the 21st century for the most effective leaders and managers of schools, colleges and early years settings? Would the following qualities make sense to you in describing your communication with staff, parents and your wider community? a high concern for both people and outcomes a style motivated by relationship building the flexibility to change leadership styles depending on the challenge the ability to follow as well as lead a team leadership style< able to communicate and engage the emotional support of staff quiet leadership with restraint, modesty and tenacity Perhaps you would add to or challenge this list of attributes? How do you deal with ‘yes buts’ and those who don’t do what you ask them to do? How do you motivate? How do you encourage? During this training we will explore your communication in a range of challenging situations and build consensus around desirable communication skills. Testimonials Be the first to comment on this training… Learning Objectives To explore effective communication skills for leaders and managers Self reflection and feedback opportunities To develop and extend your repertoire of communication skills Deepen your understanding of team members who don’t do what you ask and expect them to do Who Is It For? Leaders and managers of schools, colleges and early years settings Course Content Exploration of typical challenging situations- skill practice Building Shared Vision for communication Opportunities to develop and extend your communication skills for leadership in a safe environment
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