Frequently asked questions
Why is my child being referred
The class teacher or SENCo in their school may have noticed some emerging issues and they feel that your child would benefit from some individual time with a Think Children facilitator. Growing up is a difficult process and it is normal for children to have occasional periods of anxiety which may result in issues with behaviour or relationships.
What is Emotional Well-being facilitation?
It involves the child in 1:1 sessions with a trained facilitator, creating a sense of security, which helps the child to clarify or confront issues, re-interpret events, gain self-respect, modify their decision-making process and take responsibility. We also sometimes facilitate drop-in sessions, depending on the school and funding available.
Where and when would the sessions happen?
They are held at school, during normal school hours usually for one hour/week for 12 sessions.
How do I know that you are any good?
Think Children have well over 20 years’ experience of this work and during 2018/2019 we supported 321 children, delivering 3,942 sessions of one to one emotional wellbeing facilitation into 47 primary schools across Nottinghamshire and its borders. An attendance rate of 95% shows the regard the children have for the service. 155 lunch-time drop-in sessions were delivered across 8 primary schools providing the opportunity for children to pop in and talk through issues of immediate concern either alone or as a group of friends. Historically at three month follow-up over 80% of children have shown progress, proving that benefits continue to accrue after intervention, providing lasting benefits.
Will my child be safe with a stranger?
All our facilitators have enhanced DBS checks and are fully insured. They are carefully selected, rigorously trained and regularly supervised.
Who gets to know what happens in the sessions?
The sessions are held in private. Think Children has a legal obligation to report if we consider anyone to be at risk of harm but otherwise anything said by the child will not be passed to anyone else.
Would my child get picked on if she/he was taken out of class?
It is not unusual for children to be taken out of class. We do not encounter problems with this.
Are you part of Social Services?
No. We are an entirely independent, self-governing charity. We are not directed by any central government or local authority agencies.
Yes. You can ask us directly or ask a Health Visitor, Social Worker or the school to contact us for you. We will need your written consent before starting work with your child. However we cannot guarantee accepting the referral. We would need to be certain that our service was right for your child. If we were not already working in their school, then we would have to obtain the headteacher’s consent and cooperation to work on the school premises. We might not be able to start work immediately as we will need to have a worker with the time and the funding to pay them. We will let you know if and when we could start.
If you are unable to work in my child’s school, could you work elsewhere?
We would be happy to discuss this further. Please contact our Quality Assurance Manager, Miss Chris Maxwell, on the number below.
Can I talk to someone to find out more?
If you have any queries before or during the sessions you may contact our Quality Assurance Manager, Miss Chris Maxwell, on telephone number 01636 676887 who will be happy to ring you back.
For further information download pdf document Info for Parents Website PDF 241018: