Teach Secondary Issue 14.2

DOTHIS THANK IN ADVANCE EXERCISEBETTER CLASS CONTROLWITHTHESE TIPS FROMROBIN LAUNDER... Self-harm continues to increase in prevalence among adolescents, with school staff often being among the first to notice signs of it in a young person’s behaviour. However, recent research has highlighted that school staff often lack confidence in discussing self-harm, potentially leading to unhelpful responses following disclosures by students – such as anxiety, shock and panic – that can impact upon a young person’s trust and willingness to share (see tinyurl.com/ts142-LL2) . To address this, our team at the University of Cambridge has co-produced a free training toolkit for all school staff on how to recognise and respond to self-harm effectively. SORTS (Supportive Response To Self-harm) is a comprehensive, school- based training intervention comprising a website, e-learning module and downloadable resources. EVIDENCE-BASED The SORTS toolkit is based on existing research evidence, developed in collaboration with the CharlieWaller Trust (charliewaller.org) and a range of school mental health professionals. We conducted focus groups and interviews with young people, as well as teaching and non-teaching school staff, to co-produce the toolkit. Based on their feedback, we developed a training resource aimed at secondary schools and colleges (see tinyurl.com/ ts142-LL3). SORTS presents a whole-school approach that involves training all school staff (including those in admin and support roles) in how to build a supportive school culture, with a range of free resources that schools can download via the SORTS website (sorts4schools.org.uk/resources ). The SORTS e-learning training module takes around 30 minutes to complete, and can be incorporated into staff induction sessions or other forms of staff CPD. The training includes evidence-based information on self-harm behaviours and risk factors, quiz questions to test learners’ knowledge and video scenarios depicting student/staff interactions. HOWTO RESPONDTO SELF-HARM Be sure to familiarise yourself with your school’s safeguarding procedures, and consider which colleague(s) would be best to inform and seek support from in the event of any self-harm safeguarding concerns coming to light. When students present suspected or clear signs of behaviours linked to self-harm, there are three key things to be aware of: • Young people may engage in intentional self-injury to manage distressing emotions. Intentional self-injury can occur inmany different ways that are often hidden. • Demonstrating an understanding of self-harmwill signal to the young person that they are accepted, and that the school knows how to help them. Allow time for the student to respond, and then recap what they have told you to show that you have actively listened. • It’s important that you respond calmly and with empathy. Inform your school’s safeguarding lead so that a plan can be put in place for the student, and always seek personal support when processing the information shared with you. Further advice on how to respond supportively can be found in our e-learning module. To bypass the kind of defiance that can arise when an instruction is given, make a point of thanking the student for following your instruction before he or she has actually done so. Before Jack puts his gum in the bin, for example, say, “ Put the gum in the bin, Jack – thanks. ” Prior to the point where Jill finally stops chatting to her friend, say, “ Thank you, Jill, for being quiet while I read the story. ” Using this technique implies the expectation that the student will follow the instruction – though it’s important to use a friendly tone when doing so, to ensure there’s no suggestion of sarcasm. On a related note, try to get into the habit of saying ‘thank you,’ rather than ‘please’. ‘Thank you’ is just as respectful as ‘please’, but the latter has something of a begging quality. ‘Thank you’, as explained above, is stronger, since it assumes compliance . Robin Launder is a behaviour management consultant and speaker; find more tips in his weekly Better Behaviour online course – for more details, visit behaviourbuddy.co.uk LAUREN HITCHCOCK IS A RESEARCHERWITHIN THE SORTS TEAM; THE FREE SORTS TOOLKIT AND E-LEARNING MODULE CAN BOTH BE ACCESSED FROM SORTS4SCHOOLS.ORG.UK ; FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE SORTS TEAMAT SORTS@PSYCHIATRY.CAM.AC.UK FOCUS ON… SELF-HARM 76 teachwire.net/secondary