How many does it support?

SMASH (working across 3 schools)
• Number of young people Identified
(referred) – 211
• Number of young people recruited
(appropriate referrals) – 202
• Number of young people taking up
the service – 202

Case Study - Year 9 male pupil accessing the SMASH project

Support provided
The young person was referred to the programme for significant behavioural changes that had been witnessed within the school.
Some of the changes in behaviour where around anger control and emotional self-regulation.
The young person was recruited onto the SMASH project as it was identified that group work would meet his needs.
Intensive family outreach was completed with the parent in the form of consistent telephone contact via text and telephone discussion. The contact focussed on positive updates, alternative support and working in partnership to address needs holistically.
During the intervention it was identified that a team around the family meeting would be beneficial to ensure all services and home were working together to meet the young person’s needs. The SMASH worker co-ordinated and chaired the meeting and the outcome was very successful and together we were able to formally agree a plan and move forward.
Communication had broken down between home and school following the recent change in the young person’s behaviour resulting in several incidents that the school felt required a more punitive approach to managing.
The TAF meeting facilitated the opportunity for a transparent discussion and enabled a collaborative review of the current support plan to successfully modify the interventions and support to meet the young person’s changing need and build positively on communication.
The outcome of the TAF meeting was that the young person would finish the remaining group sessions and access bespoke one to one support that would expand on work completed around anger.

Impact
Impact from the SMASH project was observed at home, school and during the SMASH group sessions. The young person showed an increase in engagement within the therapeutic group, evidenced by an increase in enthusiasm, participation in the group work, the support he offered to his peers and the artwork he produced. The school verbally expressed that the young person was evidently more mature and much better equipped to manage his emotions and behaviours. They stated that the young person’s attitude has improved towards school, enabling him to access lessons more effectively. Mum shared that she was now better equipped with strategies and techniques to facilitate improved communication at home, which has resulted in a significant improvement in their relationship. This was echoed by the young person during the exit My Star interview and within the group session around trusted adults.

Feedback from young person accessing SMASH
“It’s helped me understand things better and helped me learn to talk about how I feel and I’ve been able to make new friends that I have in school because of SMASH

Feedback from parents of young person accessing SMASH
“My child has told me he gets a lot from SMASH and I have noticed a great change. He has opened up and been a lot
calmer so all in all it has been great for Him”

Feedback from school staff on the SMASH project
“I have seen a noticeable change in my students who are attending the SMASH program, they have given me very positive overview of the work they have received”