Model of Behaviour Support

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Skills such as self-awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills can be focused on and developed as part of the Student Behaviour Plan.
Problem solving and conflict resolution skills development can form part of targeted interventions.
The findings from the 'FRIENDS' research project give a strong indiction that the programme could make a significant contribution to building resilience and improving emotional wellbeing and educational outcomes for young peopel in Irish schools.
The NBSS supports schools in developing students’ social and emotional literacy and positive health and wellbeing skills by planning transition and transfer programmes.

Level 3 Social & Emotional Literacy and Wellbeing Support

NBSS Intensive, Individualised Support

The NBSS model of support draws extensively from Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports (Sugai & Horner, 2002), Response to Intervention (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006) and the Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered Model of Prevention (Lane, Kalberg, & Menzies, 2009) frameworks.

Level 3 of the NBSS model of support is distinctive in that in each instance it is tailored to the specific needs of the individual student. At this level the NBSS works with schools in developing individual students’ social and emotional literacy and wellbeing skills by focusing on areas such as self-awareness, managing feelings, motivation, empathy and social skills, if appropriate and as part of a Student Behaviour Plan. Social and emotional literacy and wellbeing helps students to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express their emotions.

The NBSS works with schools in developing a continuum of support to address students’ social and emotional and positive health and wellbeing needs at Level 1, 2 and 3, for example by:

  • Explicitly teaching social skills
  • Implementing the ‘FRIENDS for Life’ programme, a school-based positive mental health programme that helps students to develop effective strategies to deal with worry, stress and change and teaches the skills required to reduce anxiety and promote resilience
  • Implementing the ‘ALERT’ programme to help students monitor, maintain and change their level of alertness so that it is appropriate to the situation or task
  • Operating the 'Why Try?' programme to teach students critical social and emotional skills required for success in school and life after school.

From the research literature there is evidence that working on emotional and social competence and wellbeing has a wide range of educational and social benefits, including greater educational and work success, improved behaviour, increased inclusion, improved learning and improvements to mental health.

“Students who are anxious, angry, or depressed don't learn; people who are caught in these states do not take information effectively or deal with it well…powerful negative emotions twist attention toward their own preoccupations, interfering with the attempt to focus elsewhere…When emotions overwhelm concentration, what is being swamped is the mental capacity cognitive scientists call 'working memory', the ability to hold in mind all information relevant to the task at hand…. On the other hand, consider the role of positive motivation - the marshalling of feelings of enthusiasm, zeal, and confidence - in achievement.”                               (Daniel Goleman 1995) 

Developing social and emotional literacy and wellbeing skills with students impacts positively on learning and behaviour.