EBSNA is complicated and usually involves a number of different factors at work together, such as mental health issues, sensory overload and friendship difficulties. So, it needs a joined-up approach to support, where you, school staff, other professionals and your child work together. There is support available in Devon, and nationally, to help school staff support children and young people with EBSNA. These are some of the main things that school staff can do. Understand what is motivating your child. You might hear professionals talk about push and pull factors. These are things that push a child away from school and pull them towards home, and vice versa. For example, moving classes, bullying or important relationships changing could all push a child away from school. A parent who is unwell or needs caring for could pull a child towards home. There are several different ways for professionals to see what these push and pull factors are, such as questionnaires and surveys, wellbeing cards and assessment tools. Communicate regularly. School staff should set up regular communication between themselves and your child and also with you. That could include things like emails, phone calls, postcards or meeting your child outside of home or school. Create a clear plan for getting back to education and/or school. School staff can work with you and your child to make a clear plan that sets out how your child will return to education and to school, if that’s what the goal is. It should describe support that’s based on what your child feels they can manage and a step-by-step approach to being in school. If your child is finding the idea of going back to school particularly difficult, the plan could focus on smaller steps – like meeting a friend from school or completing a piece of work at home. For children who have been out of school for a while, school staff may need to think first about how they will get back into learning and not necessarily into school. School staff may consider putting things like tutoring or online learning in place. Ask for a copy of the plan that you can share with your child or young person, so that they are clear what is happening. Help your child build good relationships. Relationships at school are likely to be one of the most important things that will help your child to make a successful return. If you child doesn’t already have a few trusted adult relationships with staff, school can work on developing these with them. If there are difficult relationships then school staff can help your child repair these where possible. School staff can also develop a relational support plan with your child. This usually includes the things that they’re good at and that make them feel safe, the best ways for staff to connect with and understand your child and what can help them feel cared for and supported. Give extra educational support and tutoring. School staff should be able to arrange extra support and learning. Schools should have access to funding and resources to help them do this. Do an Early Help assessment. This is a way of working out what the challenges are and putting a plan in place to support you. One professional will usually lead the Early Help Assessment and process and make sure the right people are involved. You’ll work together with school staff and other professionals to plan the things you want to achieve as a family. The plan will be reviewed regularly to see what is working and what might need to change. That’s usually done at a regular Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting. Make changes to life in school. Adjustments can be made to your child’s school day to make it easier to manage. That could include things like: Extra breaks, sensory or brain breaks and a safe place to go in school when they need it. Time spent with a trusted adult, building and strengthening important relationships. A reduced curriculum or timetable, with specific time set aside to do other activities in or outside of school. Working outside of the classroom environment, such as in a quiet room, learning support or library. Support to manage emotions and develop coping strategies. That might include help with understanding feelings and what triggers them and using calming strategies for anxiety. Opportunities to go to after school activities or one-off activities in school, such as the school Christmas play or sports day. Get support from specialists. That might include support from Young Devon– this is a Devon wide service that supports young people school nurses the social emotional and mental health (SEMH) team the Mental Health Support Team in Schools or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) counselling or mentoring the educational psychology service education key workers – you can find out more about these below Devon inclusion team wider services, such as the family intervention team or social care   Important to know For a child with special educational needs, the same processes should still be happening whether they are in school or not. That means meetings with the SENCO about their support should still go ahead, as should team around the family or team around the child meetings. If your child has an EHC plan, that should also still be reviewed once a year.