ELSA Training

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme is designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their learners from within their own resources. Current Pupil Support Assistants (PSAs) and Early Years Practitioners (EYPs) are trained to become ELSAs and who develop and deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of learners in their care. It recognises that children and young people learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.

The Programme

The ELSA programme was originally developed by Educational Psychologists in England and is now used throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Aberdeen City Educational Psychology Service (ACC EPS) is the first and, currently, only Service in Scotland to offer registered ELSA training and status. ACC EPS have been consistently awarded the annual ELSA Quality Mark from the ELSA Network who regulate and authorise ELSA training programmes.

ELSAs work with individual learners or small groups to promote a sense of belonging, emotional safety and connection to the school. ELSAs develop and foster emotional intelligence and social skills in learners of all ages through a range of activities, experiences and games.

ELSAs set targets and track and monitor the progress of the learners they are working with and link with, and work alongside, other appropriate staff for the learner within the school, such as the Class Teacher, Senior Leadership Team, and Support for Learning staff.

ELSA is NOT a behaviour management programme. It is a pro-active intervention to educate children and young people in emotional literacy and emotional regulation; and builds their sense of belonging, connection and engagement with their education setting.

The Training

The training is delivered and supported by Educational Psychologists (EPs) through in-person and digital sessions. ELSA training takes place over one academic year across the equivalent of 6 full-day sessions sharing theory, activities, discussion and videos. The topics covered are:

Emotional Literacy

Building Resilience & Self-esteem

Emotional Regulation

Social & Friendship skills

Loss & Change

Therapeutic & Social stories

Listening, Talking and Playing

Setting Targets for Emotional Literacy

Once training is completed, EPs provide on-going professional supervision (12 hours across a year) to help maintain a high quality of standards in the work undertaken by ELSAs, thereby helping to ensure safe practice for both ELSAs and learners.

The role title of ELSA may only legitimately be used by people who:

Have attended a full ELSA training course delivered by one or more fully qualified EPs (courses lasting the equivalent of 6 days), and

Regularly attend supervision in small groups (with a recommended maximum of 8 ELSAs per group and duration of 2 hours per session), led by a qualified Educational Psychologist (12 hours a year), and

Are currently delivering bespoke programmes of support to individual learners and sometimes also to small groups.

If any of the above criteria do not apply, the role and title of ELSA should not be used. Practising ELSAs are registered with local EPS providers who deliver initial training and on-going professional supervision. The ELSA Network only endorses practice that meets these minimum standards.

Interested?

If you would like to explore this further, please discuss this with your Locality Group or email ELSA@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Please note that invitations to apply for ELSA training normally happen annually around May/June, with all Head Teachers being emailed at that time.

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