Session 5/6
This course is run by the Educational Psychology team and is aimed at teaching assistants who are passionate about supporting children with their emotional wellbeing needs. The ELSA training programme provides TAs with the necessary knowledge, support and resources needed to deliver more individualised and in-depth social, emotional and mental health support to children and young people in school. Their work makes an important contribution to the targeted support your school offers as part of the graduated response.
Course content is as follows:
Day 1 – Introduction to ELSA & The ELSA Project. Emotional literacy and emotion awareness
Day 2 – Attachment. Borba Model of Self-esteem 1. Security. Active listening and reflective conversations
Day 3 – Borba Model of self-esteem 2. Selfhood. Emotion regulation: Working with anxiety and anger.
Day 4 – Borba Model of self-esteem 3. Affiliation, 4. Competence & 5. Mission. Friendship skills. Writing session plans and SMART targets
Day 5 – Grief, loss and bereavement. Therapeutic stories. The use of puppets
Day 6 – Neurodiversity and developing social competence. Social stories and comic strip conversations. Getting ELSA off the ground
Cost: £210 within Torbay / £420 outside of authority
Target Audience: Teaching assistants as selected by HT/SENDCos
Trainers: Educational Psychology Team
Course booking Link: Course: Emotional Literacy Support Assistant Training Programme 2024/25
In order to ensure that ELSAs can practice safely, a contract will be sent out when a place on this course is booked, and this contract will need to be signed and returned by a member of the school senior leadership team (usually the school SENDCo) before a place on the course can be confirmed. In signing the contract, schools guarantee that they will provide ELSAs with the support that they will need – including ongoing attendance at half termly supervision sessions, as well as attendance at all 6 training days. Contact ELSA@torbay.gov.uk if you want more information about this contracting process.
