ELSA & TALA Support
What is ELSA Intervention?
An ELSA in a school is an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. There is a recognised training course aimed specifically at Teaching Assistants or other specialist school roles. ELSAs are specialists with a wealth of experience of working with children and young people. ELSAs are trained and regularly supervised by Educational Psychologists.
At Freegrounds junior School we have one trained ELSA practitioner, Miss Carpenter who works closely with the SENCO to identify children who may benefit from an ELSA programme. Class Teachers are asked to complete a referral form and parents are asked to sign a consent form.
Supervision
ELSAs must be supervised regularly by the Educational Psychologists who trained them. This supervision is key to good practice and allows the ELSA to bring up any problems with a group of other ELSAs along with the Educational Psychologist.
ELSA Relationship
ELSAs are warm, kind and caring people who want to make children feel happy in school, and to reach their potential socially, emotionally and academically. They understand the barriers to learning that some children and young people might have and can help them with this.
They can support the children’s emotional development and help them cope with life’s challenges. ELSAs will also help children to find solutions to problems they might have.
An ELSA is not there to fix problems but to help them find their own solutions and offer that important support to a child or young person.
Relationships are key in helping children and young people to feel safe and nurtured. ELSA is about creating a reflective space for the child.
What areas does an ELSA help with?
- Loss and bereavement
- Emotional Literacy
- Self-esteem
- Social Skills
- Friendship issues
- Relationships
- Managing strong feelings
- Anxiety and worries
- Bullying
- Conflict
- Emotional Regulation
- Growth Mindset
- Social and therapeutic stories
- Problem-solving
How are children referred for ELSA?
- Class teacher referral
- SENCO referral
- Parent referral through raising concerns with the class teacher
How long should an ELSA Intervention last?
ELSA intervention should be a short-term focused intervention with clear aims. Usually half a term to a full term in length.
What is TALA Support?
Children experiencing social and/or emotional difficulties are referred for TALA support within schools when it is recognised that the child does have emotional literacy skills but is nevertheless not coping well and needs emotional support. Similarly to an ELSA, TALAs provide an emotionally safe space in which the pupil can explore their feelings and experience being heard on a deep level. TALA empowers children to find their own resolutions and build resilience for their future.
How are children referred for TALA?
- Class teacher referral
- SENCO referral
- Parent referral through raising concerns with the class teacher
How long should a TALA Intervention last?
TALA intervention should be a short term focus intervention with clear aims. Usually half a term to a full term in length.