Behaviour Support Plan: Good Practice

THE WREKIN PROJECT

SCHOOLS WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAMME

The Background to the Project

In the early 1990’s the Careers Service became aware that there was a significant group of young people, with emotional and behavioural difficulties, who were failing to make a successful transition from school either into work or further education.

The challenging behaviour client group is acknowledged as not being easy to deal with. Typically they will have attended specialist educational provision or, if not, will be part of a disaffected group in mainstream secondary school, creating problems and often failing to attend regularly. They are also frequently young offenders. Key features of young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties are:

• Disruptive behaviour
• Aggression
• Inability to cope with instruction or criticism
• Lack of tenacity
• Frequently abusive
• Low self esteem
• Poor, if any, basic work skills
• Learning difficulties and/or disabilities
• Little or no family support.

The Wrekin Project was set up by Shropshire Careers Service in 1993 with one specialist supervisor whose brief was to work exclusively with the client group.

Referrals

Referrals are generally accepted from any interested agency. Much work has been done to form links between the project and other agencies. Very often the supervisor is involved in a multi agency approach to help the client in the best way possible and to ensure that consistency is achieved. Some of the agencies that we liaise with on a regular basis, and from who referrals often come, are:

• Careers Service
• Education Officer
• Education Welfare Officer
• Mainstream School
• Special Schools
• Special Support Services (Tuition)
• Social Services
• Youth Justice

Age Range

It is preferred that referrals are made in year 10 or the start of year 11; this allows time for both a suitable vocational area to be identified and a placement set up so that the maximum possible time on the project is offered to each client.

Choice of Occupational Areas

The choice of appropriate occupational areas for work experience placements by the client is often a difficult one. It should be remembered that their chosen area often starts from an idea they may have been carrying around for sometime, possibly even the work area they intend to go into when they finish school. This, unfortunately is often unrealistic. The project is keen to avoid ’failure’ within the work experience setting so as not to give another negative message to the client. Therefore a focus of the project is to let the client try out different occupational areas.

Administration of Extended Work Experience Placements

Work experience placements are monitored and controlled by the project supervisor with regular reports to the school. Before a placement commences the supervisor will ensure that the placement has the correct registration and authorisation with the Careers Service for insurance and health and safety purposes. An action plan will then be formulated between the client, school and project. This action plan will include the number of days allocated for work experience, hours of attendance and the days that the young person is to attend school. Young people are made aware that attendance at the work experience placement is conditional upon their continuing to attend school on a regular basis, it is NOT an alternative to school and if attendance falls the placement will cease.

If you wish to find out more about this project contact Sue Chidlow on 01952 684289