Young people

1
Young peoples views on the role of the
designated teacher

• Aim The aim of this presentation is to talk
  about our views on what makes an effective
  designated teacher

Warm up game!
This game focuses on making changes and relates
to our objective For you to identify ways to
make positive changes in your role
2
Taking the time to know the young person

• Getting to know the young person is important so
  that you can identify what they want and need
  one young person might want a regular meeting
  whilst others might not want to appear different
  from their peers.
• The designated teacher should be a reliable
  person as young people looked after often have
  many adults who come and go in their lives, they
  have no consistency. Therefore the designated
  teacher would be one of the few constants in that
  young persons life.
• It also means that the young persons voice will
  be heard and expressed by someone who knows them
  well.
• Sometimes the young person will choose another
  individual who they relate to who can act in a
  mentoring role, rather than the person who is
  appointed as designated teacher, a person they
  can trust and express their feelings to.

3
CommunicationTask!
On your tables, work together to link the
statements in the left column with the follow up
statements in the right column

• 1) We feel that an open door policy is more
  beneficial than inflexible meetings.
  E)So the designated teacher can support young
  people as a problem arises.
• 2) A designated teacher should listen to a young
  persons struggles and jointly plan how they are
  going to resolve any issues or provide support.
  
  B) Joint decision making can then
  empower the young person rather than taking the
  decision out of the young persons hands.
• 3) Regarding communication with carers and
  social workers, whilst it is important to have
  this good link, we feel that not everything needs
  to be discussed outside of school. D)
  Things can be blown out of proportion and
  sometimes easily dealt with in school.
• 4) The designated teacher would ideally show
  that they are actively listening to the young
  person but not show sympathy.
  
  C) But Showing
  empathy and understanding is important to be
  supportive.
• 5) It is important to be sensitive to certain
  triggers which may be sensitive to the young
  person. The designated teacher can communicate
  these triggers to teachers whilst being sensitive
  to confidentiality.
  
  A) The teachers
  do no need to know everything about the young
  persons situation or past.

4
Provides Subtle Support

• It is important for any support to be subtle
  because young people do not always want others to
  know they are in care, to be identified as
  different from their peers.
• Regarding any meetings held in school, the young
  person should know about this before the lesson
  they will be taken out of, so its their
  responsibility to leave the class, rather than an
  adult coming into class to get them, this can be
  embarrassing.

5
Has my best interests at heart

• The designated teacher should be an advocate for
  the young person, flights their corner and always
  has their best interests at heart.
• On occasion, teachers feel that the kindest thing
  to do is to put the young person in a lower
  group, in the hope that the young person will not
  feel too under pressure with the other struggles
  in their lives. It is important to be aware that
  many of us like challenges and high expectations
  of our abilities, not the expectation that we
  wont cope.
• Being flexible is also important. When a
  particular strategy is not working the designated
  teacher should be flexible in their approach to
  try other things and not give up on the young
  person.

6
Peps

• Keeping numbers down is key. On occasion, there
  are too many unwanted people present. This is
  the young persons meeting and therefore too many
  adults makes the young person intimidated and
  unable to express their feelings.
• When targets are regularly discussed and progress
  is encouraged, young people feel that their
  achievements matter. Otherwise the pep can seem
  like a tick box exercise.
• It is important to celebrate the positives in
  peps and not focus on the negatives which can
  de-motivate and demoralise the young person.

7
A worrying statistic... play your cards right
style!

• Around 30 of 19 year olds in the average
  population go into higher education. But what
  percentage of looked after children go into
  higher education?

7
85 of all young people enter education training
and employment compared to what percentage of
leaving care?
65
Around 65 of the general population attain 5
good GCSEs compared to what percentage of looked
after children?
14
3 of all young people have a statement for SEN
compared to what percentage of looked after
children?
28
As a designated teacher you can make positive
changes for the young person ensuring they have
the best possible opportunities in education. Its
time to make a change....because were worth it!
8
Positive change
On your post it, please take a moment to write
down two key things that you would like to change
in order to make positive changes in your role as
Designated Teacher
Thank-you!