Reducing Emotional Dysregulation in School (REDS) Plan
A REDS Plan is a specialist school psychological intervention to help children and young people (and the adults around them) manage their emotions in a school setting. Delivered by highly qualified clinical psychologists and psychological therapists, this practical intervention also helps key adults understand and support the child/young person in a therapeutic way.
What is a REDS Plan?
Often, children and young people can struggle to manage their emotions within a school setting. This might be for a number of reasons, such as difficulty in coping with transitions, finding it hard to manage changes or challenges within peer relationships. The aim of using a REDS plan is to identify times when a child or young person might struggle in managing their emotions, so that responses are consistent across all staff and help the child/young person to regulate their emotions in order to stop situations from escalating. When everything else has failed, it can be helpful to have a plan to follow which helps adult brains to regulate.
How does a REDS Plan work?
Who is involved?
It is important to work collaboratively with the child or young person and key adults in their life across home, education and other settings to explore ‘risk and resilience’ factors. This helps us gain a shared understanding of their strengths and needs.
Involving and supporting the child’s participation is vital so that they, with their key adults, can explore practical ways to manage emotional dysregulation and promote emotional wellbeing.
REDS Plan details
There is a lot of flexibility in the plan so that it can be tailored to individuals as necessary.
However, we would consider the following as the minimum input in creating a comprehensive plan:
| 3 hours | Consultation with key adults (parents/carers, class teacher, pastoral lead, SENCO) |
| 2 hours | Observation/direct work with the child/young person |
| 2 hours | Constructing the plan with input from all parties |
| 1.5 hours | Meetings |
| 1 hour | Review (after 2-3 months) |
| 0.5 hours | Liaison |
Total: 10 hours
Cost: £1500 (including travel and admin costs)
Who is the plan delivered by?
Gateway Psychology specialises in working with children, young people and families. Our clinicians are highly qualified clinical psychologists and psychological therapists who all have many years’ experience in working with children and young people. We have a thorough understanding of trauma and attachment, and have extensive training in specific therapeutic models and assessment methods.
We also know that schools play an essential role in shaping children’s lives. We know that teachers and staff work incredibly hard to help children and young people feel supported and safe as they progress through the education system. Our REDS Plan is designed to provide specialist support to teachers and schools to help children who might need extra input.
How can a REDS Plan be funded?
*Pupil Premium Plus (PPP) is funding to support the needs of Looked After Children, as well as those who have left care through adoption, a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or a Child Arrangement Order (CAO). PPP funding is available to pupils from reception to Year 11
Optional extras
We also offer an optional 3-hour training session to all staff to support the implementation of the REDS Plan, as well as to think more widely about trauma and attachment and how this influences emotional dysregulation.
This is an opportunity to think about why typical behaviour strategies in school such as behaviour points, detentions and isolation, don’t work for pupils who have experienced early trauma and attachment difficulties.
Please note that this training session is will incur an additional cost.
What do teachers and schools think about our training?
“Informative and helpful course. Engaging and educational, with practical tips to apply to real life situations.”
“Excellent – relevant, responsive to audience. Lots of practical examples. An epiphany.”
“Very informative. Looking forward to applying in school.”
“Very informative. Great to learn about things that relate to daily struggles and having strategies to try to support the children.”
“Having light bulb moments and being able to think of specific children and now understand how to help more and support them.”
“Brilliant explanation of attachment and trauma, and strategies to support this.”
“Absolutely brilliant. Great delivery and genuinely useful for what we need. Thank you! :)”
“This was fantastic CPD that was both relevant and interesting because it will allow us to develop and use strategies throughout school.”