The following training workshops have been developed specifically for those who support children in residential care settings and/or work in schools and colleges:

• Autism Awareness

  This workshop seeks to raise understanding and awareness of autism.

  We will discuss diagnostic criteria then go into greater depth about the difficulties faced by children on the autistic spectrum including social communication and social interaction issues, sensory needs, managing change and behaviours of concern.

  Strategies we can use to help support children with autism in the school setting will be discussed.

  The goal of this workshop is to help those attending to ‘think autism’ and to better understand how differently they see and experience the world around them and how we can help support them in achieving to their full potential in education.

• Autism and Mental Health

  This workshop is designed to raise awareness of the mental health needs of children on the autistic spectrum.

  The causes and risk factors associated with the development of mental health issues are discussed.

  We will also talk about mental health prevention and discuss ways of supporting the mental health needs of autistic children in education.

  The goal of the workshop is to help those attending understand that autism friendliness equals emotional well-being.

• Understanding attachment disorders in children and adolescents

  This workshop seeks to raise awareness and understanding of attachment theory and attachment issues that might impact on a child in the school environment.

  The session includes an introduction to attachment theory and attachment types.

  We will also talk about how children with attachment disorders present in school and how we can help support children who have attachment disorders in education.

• Understanding trauma in children and adolescents

  In this workshop we will introduce what is trauma and discuss how young children become traumatised.

  We will also think about how to support traumatised children in the school environment.

  The ultimate aim is to help those attending to understand and make sense of behaviours presented by their students in the context of their early or ongoing childhood experiences.

• Recognising and managing anxiety in children and adolescents in the school environment

  This workshop has been developed to help raise understanding of the signs of anxiety in children and how to support anxious students.

  We will reflect on our own experiences of anxiety and think about how we cope when anxious.

  We will think about triggers to heightened anxiety and how we can help reduce and manage anxiety in the school environment.