We support children and young people aged 5-18 working in both primary and secondary school settings.

Our team has experience with working with children and young people, supporting their mental health and emotional wellbeing through collaborative, interactive and engaging sessions tailored to the interests and needs of each child.  We have team members who have experience of working with pupils with significant behaviour and conduct needs, experience and knowledge of EYFS, knowledge of SEND and supporting assessment requests and implementing strategies.  We also have staff who have worked in schools for a number of years and are therefore familiar with the environment.

Anyone can refer in to HSO.  We accept referrals from schools, homes and external services.

Referring in to HSO is simple and effective: you will have a conversation with a member of the senior leadership team with regards to the needs of the pupil in the first instance.  You will then be sent a referral form, which is quick to complete.  HSO communicates throughout the referral process to ensure that the referees are aware of when support can commence.

Face to face sessions are run in both primary and secondary schools.

Sessions are 50 minutes, this can be tailored to the age and needs of the child/young person to ensure they are able to access the support and engage.  We start with an initial round of six sessions and then regularly review the impact before agreeing on delivering more.  The number of sessions for each pupil is bespoke to their needs and can change.  Some might benefit from 6 weeks whereas other pupils may require more.

At HSO, we love to see progress and the positive impact our sessions are having.  When we start to see a consistent improvement in a child/young person’s behaviour, mental health or emotional wellbeing needs, we will look to being the process of discharging them from the support.  This process is done in collaboration with the original referee and will provide a summary of the sessions, content, strategies and advice and guidance for future support where relevant.

Each session is monitored and fedback to the referee.  We provide comprehensive weekly reports, detailing the content of the sessions as well as including advice and guidance for schools/home.  These reports also contain information on strategies implemented and the plan for the following session and also enables us to share any completed and relevant resources with the adults around the child/young person.

HSO is still here to provide support.  We are aware of the length of waiting lists and the need for early support and intervention.  We are more than happy to engage support for the child/young person whilst they are on a waiting list so they are able to access strategies and guidance whilst they wait.  As soon as the external service engages, we share all relevant information sensitively and efficiently to ensure a smooth transition between support services.

Yes. We can support class teachers, SENCos, and any other staff in need of advice and guidance.

Yes. We can work with the families to build positive relationships with the schools, share relevant session content and resources and also signpost to other services where the need might arise.

We are always seeking funding to be able to offer as many sessions as possible to be able to reach more children and young people in Hertfordshire.  We have been fortunate to receive funding from Borough Councils and Housing Associations as well as other charities and funding organisations.  We also explore match funding opportunities with local schools to provide support on a rolling basis.

When a child/young person is discharged from our support, we continue to monitor their progress within school with all relevant adults.  In some cases, pupils benefit from a few recap sessions later down the line and this is agreed on a case by case basis.