The Place2Be is uniquely placed in schools, where it is on-site and easily accessible. Unlike, other services who are not always able to respond quickly or adequately enough (largely due to the high demand for specialist help), The Place2Be is readily available to the whole school and brings a wide range of services right to the very heart of the local community.
• One-to-one counselling sessions - children receive a weekly session with a trained counsellor for a school term or whole school year.
• Group work - weekly sessions with groups of children, focusing on specific issues, such as Friendship, Bullying, or Transition to secondary school
• The Place2Talk - children refer themselves to our lunchtime sessions. They can come alone, or with their friends (last year 64% of the school population used The Place2Talk)
• Circle Time - we regularly assist teachers in running Circle Time sessions for their class as part of the SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) curriculum
• Teachers - We work with teachers and school staff to enhance understanding of children’s needs and behaviours and to improve the emotional literacy of the school community
• Training - We can also provide training for school staff to further develop and enhance these skills
• Parents - support for parents to help them come to terms with events in their own lives, develop their parenting skills, and to better understand their children's behaviour
Why would a child be referred to The Place2Be?
There are many reasons why children come to The Place2Be. These are just a few:
• Abuse
• Anxiety
• Bereavement and loss
• Bullying
• Changes to family structure
• Depression
• Eating disorder
• Erratic and dangerous behaviour
• Learning/communication disability
• Loneliness
• Low self-esteem
• Neglect
• Parental illness, substance abuse, or criminality
• Relationships with siblings
• Self-harm
• Socio-economic disadvantages
• Transfer to new country
• Transfer to new school
• Underachievement
• Victims of war
• Withdrawn behaviour
“I think it’s helpful because you go like fighting and come back laughing and joking together. You have made me happy.” - Child
Does The Place2Be support teachers?
“Just like every other school, we know that there is never enough time to give, especially to those children who need it most: the quiet ones, the sad ones, those who always sit alone, those who can only show their feelings when they lose their temper. We know that we couldn’t do it on our own.” – Head teacher
The Place2Think service supports and enhances the effective working partnership between school staff and The Place2Be project. The Place2Think is delivered by School Project Managers, working in partnership with school staff to build a broad understanding of emotional and therapeutic support and of children’s needs.
The Place2Think provides an opportunity for school staff to reflect on their experience of the child within the context of the classroom and the wider school community with another trained professional. It can also be a rare and important opportunity for the teacher to have the time and space to consider the complexity of the child and their own response and knowledge of the child’s situation.
Does The Place2Be offer training to school staff?
The Place2Be has developed a range of accredited training courses for school staff and has successfully delivered programmes across the UK. These courses aim to equip school staff with additional skills and strategies to work with children at risk. Feedback from this has been extremely positive. Our staff also run INSET training days. For more information visit our Training section.
How does The Place2Be work with parents?
The Place2Be recognises the vital importance of the child’s family in the course of his or her development. Accordingly, The Place2Be provides A Place for Parents in which Parent Workers support parents in individual counselling or in groups to help them explore and express their thoughts and feelings about themselves as parents and about their children. Group sessions also offer practical parenting advice. A Place for Parents is rolling out across The Place2Be and is currently available in 5 hubs.
What do parents say about The Place2Be?
The following are extracts from a parent survey conducted in our Medway Hub:
“The Place2Be helped my son improve at home and at school. I am very pleased with the progress that he has made. I have very good feedback from him. He enjoyed going to The Place2Be.”
"It helped my daughter 100% in Year 3. I hope it has a place in our school for future years.”
“This helped my son realise that lots of kids need help at school occasionally.”
“They are friendly and patient, a very valuable part of the school’s pastoral provision and all the more valuable for being independent.”
“The Place2Be makes a very positive contribution to the life of the school.”