ReconnectEd’s methodology

Emotion Coaching

The emotion coaching programme is trauma-informed: we know that healthy development of the brain is interrupted by trauma and so we have trained our coaches to understand this.  We are using the freely available resources from the Harvard Centre for Child Development and Oxford University, for the Alberta Family Wellness Trust, who have together produced The Brain Story which uses an evidence-based training package and blended learning approach to teach the learner about the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences.  

We know that the pandemic has also had a negative impact on some young people’s social skills (NFER, 2021) as well as their mental wellbeing.  We also know that poor mental health increases the risk of exclusion (Ford, 2022) and ‘persistent disruptive behaviour’ is the main cause of exclusion (Timpson, 2019).  There is also much evidence to support the importance of caring and nurturing relationships in making a difference to young people’s life chances through an emotion coaching approach. Young people with adversity often have extraordinarily complex lives and we feel they need in-depth support over a longer period.  ReconnectEd’s methodology differs from other interventions as it is founded on an intensive model whereby the coaches are embedded within the school community and have shared experiences; they meet with the young people daily and for up to three years during term time and, as needed, during the holidays. Many other programmes don’t offer daily intervention and run over a shorter, set period thereby often not being able to make a lasting and deep impact.  

Each ReconnectEd coach has a maximum caseload of 20 young people, 10 of whom need intensive support.  With ReconnectEd coaching, we expect the young people to move from needing intensive support to medium-level support to light-touch support, as the model to the right illustrates.  As a result, the coaches have the capacity to work with families, school staff and local organisations, as well as the young people, thus ensuring a joined-up approach to helping the young people to flourish.

Coaching

Young people with adversity often have extraordinarily complex lives and we feel they need in-depth support over a longer period.  ReconnectEd’s methodology differs from other interventions as it is founded on an intensive model whereby the coaches are embedded within the school community and have shared experiences; they meet with the young people daily during term time and ensure a joined-up approach to working with schools, home and local stakeholders.

ReconnectEd coaches meet with the young people every day over the course of a year, and, if needed, for up to 3 years.  Many other programmes don’t offer daily intervention and run over a shorter, set period thereby often not being able to make a lasting and deep impact.  

Each ReconnectEd coach will have a maximum caseload of 10 young people (5 who need intensive support).  With ReconnectEd coaching, we expect the young people to move from needing intensive support to medium-level support to light-touch support, as the model below illustrates.

Local Advisory Group

We facilitate a locally-led advisory group which meets once a term to promote effective communication and joined-up thinking and working locally.  This group comprises local stakeholders including the CEO and Trustee of the local Trust, and senior staff from the local authority and local youth groups, all of whom act as advocates for the programme by making connections and drawing on local intelligence and expertise.  Group members are valued ReconnectEd advisors.