We're All in This Together

Parents of children at risk of exclusion are under pressure to work in partnership with school staff in order to help their children become emotionally healthier and better able to settle to learn. But teachers often find it difficult to engage parents, especially those who feel the school is somehow to blame. The Marlborough Model is a revolutionary way of helping school staff, in partnership with mental health services, to get parents to address their children's psychological and behavioral problems in a collaborative atmosphere of mutual respect and discovery. Underlying the model is the belief that to understand (and manage) how pupils behave in school we need to take into account relationships, between individuals, families and organizations, that extend beyond school boundaries. It provides families with an accessible, stigma-free route to mentalhealth/psychological services and is endorsed by the Department of Families, Children and Schools and by the Department of Health. This hands-on guide sets out the principles and techniques of the Marlborough Model.
It covers the practicalities of setting up supportive mini-communities centred on children who present significant behavioral difficulties, identified by their teachers as putting them at risk of exclusion. 'Graduate parents', who have experienced the programme, help to engage nervous, sceptical or anxious 'first time' parents who would not readily respond positively to an approach solely from professionals.