What is ELSA?

ELSA is  an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. ELSAs are trained and supervised by Educational Psychologists. The ELSAs' aims are to help ensure that children feel emotionally safe and happy at school. The ELSA intervention is part of our holistic approach to meeting the needs of our pupils at all levels. ELSAs help children to understand their emotions and respect the feelings of those around them. They provide a consistent private space, time, and the opportunity for children to think about their personal circumstances and how they manage them.

Some ELSA work is delivered on an individual basis but sometimes small group work is more appropriate, especially in the areas of social and friendship skills. Sessions are fun, using a range of activities such as: games, therapeutic stories, role-play with puppets or arts and craft.

ELSA sessions take place in a calm, safe space to ensure that the child feels supported and nurtured. 

ELSAs aim to provide support for a wide range of emotional needs such as:

• Recognising emotions
• Self-esteem
• Social skills
• Friendship skills
• Managing 'big' feelings
• Loss and bereavement
• Anxiety                                                 

Children are usually referred for ELSA support by their class teacher, the SENCo or by parents' request. Referrals are reviewed  to identify and prioritise which children require the sessions. Sessions are then planned to facilitate the child in developing new skills and coping strategies to manage social and emotional demands more effectively. Each session lasts from 20- 45 minutes, usually weekly, for 6 to 12 weeks before being reviewed. Clear programme aims need to be set early on and each session has an objective - something the ELSA wants to help the pupil understand or achieve. ELSA is not there to 'fix' a child, it is to establish a warm, respectful relationship with a pupil and to provide a reflective space where they are able to openly share their thoughts and feelings. For ELSA to be effective it is really important that the focus of the work is on something that is difficult in school. An ELSA intervention should not be used to target something that is only a problem at home. This is because the ELSA cannot monitor the effectiveness of the intervention. The ELSA will liaise with teachers, and sometimes parents, to discuss progress. Once the sessions finish, the child will hopefully be able to implement and transfer any guidance and any new skills taught into their regular routine. It may be that further support is required in the future, with a similar or different focus, in which case the child can be re-referred back to an ELSA.