
 Dame Benita Refson DBE 



Benita is Founder of Place2Be and a qualified counsellor. Benita was CEO for 20 years until 2014 when she stepped down and was appointed life time President and continues to support the organisation enthusiastically through her role as President.



Benita received an OBE for Services to Children and Families in 2007; was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of East London in 2009; in 2014 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Institute of Education, University of London and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Birthday 2016 Honours List in recognition of services to education. Currently Benita is Trustee of Children of Success Schools, FORWARD TRUST and a Governor at Bridge Academy Hackney.



This week, Mark spoke to Benita about the issues and potential solutions around child mental health. They talk about Place2Be as well as how we should be helping schools to provide as much help as they can.



Benita believes there is a lot of wonderful practice happening today and discusses the current state of collaboration and co-ordination amongst schools and agencies.



  https://www.place2be.org.uk/ 

Why we should get our Heads Together in APlace2Be to tackle child mental health issues – with Dame Benita Refson DBE – PP248

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Education for Kids


JUST FOR KIDS LAW exists to help children and young people overcome all the difficulties they face, from problems at school and issues with immigration status to trouble with the police.



They work with and for young people to ensure their legal rights are respected and promoted, and their voices heard and valued.







Last time, Lynsie Monroe spoke to three Just For Kids Law team members:



* Chief Executive Officer, Enver Solomon* Natalie Bichard, Youth Advocate* Alex Temple, Public Lawyer and Policy Officer



For part two of this episode, we hear from two young people, Harry and Kadeem, who have supported the School Exclusion Project and campaign as well as advocate for social change on the issue of school exclusion.

Why young people need lawyers Just For Kids – Part 2 – PP258


JUST FOR KIDS LAW exists to help children and young people overcome all the difficulties they face, from problems at school and issues with immigration status to trouble with the police.



They work with and for young people to ensure their legal rights are respected and promoted, and their voices heard and valued.







Aika Stephenson and Shauneen Lambe established Just for Kids Law in 2006. Shauneen, a barrister and an attorney, had previously acted for death row defendants in the US, and Aika, a solicitor, had become a lawyer after working with the youth offending team and remand prisoners at Feltham Young Offenders Institution.



Shauneen and Aika recognised that the children and young people they worked for often needed more than legal representation – they also needed support and advocacy to address the issues that had led them into the youth justice system in the first place – school exclusion and a lack of support for children with special education needs, children with mental health issues, children in the care system who were not receiving support, and children with housing problems.



Since our first youth advocate was appointed in 2008, we have expanded into an organisation offering a unique holistic service that combines direct advocacy with youth opportunities support and legal representation, while we have also used strategic litigation to change the law on issues as diverse as holding of children in police cells, the law of joint enterprise and access to student finance. We have spread our impact through the advice and training delivered by our Youth Justice Legal Centre and widened the scope of our work from casework and campaigning to holding government to account on their child rights obligations through the merger with the Children’s Rights Alliance for England in 2015.



Lynsie Monroe spoke to three Just For Kids Law team members:



* Chief Executive Officer, Enver Solomon* Natalie Bichard, Youth Advocate* Alex Temple, Public Lawyer and Policy Officer





Why young people need lawyers Just For Kids – PP257


Former footballing star, Kris Boyd



This week, a new presenter to the Pivotal Podcast, Cathy Duncan,  spoke to the Scottish former football star, Kris Boyd. After a very successful career, Kris now works to help improve the mental health of those in need.



Kris grew up in the South Ayrshire village of Tarbolton and started his senior football career with Kilmarnock. He transferred to Rangers in January 2006, and was their top goalscorer in each of his seasons at Ibrox. He is the top goalscorer in the history of the Scottish Premier League, with 167 goals in total.



Pivotal Education Principal Trainer, Cathy Duncan



Boyd had a short spell in English football with Middlesbrough, during which time he was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest. He signed for Turkish club Eskişehirspor in 2011, but terminated his contract after five months and moved to the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer in January 2012. He later returned to both Kilmarnock and Rangers.



Having played several games for the Scotland U21 and Scotland B teams, Boyd received his first cap for the senior Scottish national team in 2006. He scored seven goals in eighteen appearances for the senior national side over four years.



In 2016, Boyd’s younger brother Scott took his own life aged 27. The Kris Boyd Charity was founded in January, 2018. As Kris says:



My wee brother Scott tragically took his own life in September, 2016 and it has left my family devastated. There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about him and I know it’s even worse for my parents, I feel for them even more as they try to get on with their lives as best they can without Scott being a part of it.Is the reason I’ve set up The Kris Boyd Charity solely down to what happened to Scott? No. Is it a big part of the reason? Yes.To be hit with Scott’s tragedy was a big wake-up call for me which led me to start looking into the different circumstances as to why people commit suicide. It is clear to me now that any given individual doesn’t wake up one morning and, on a whim, decide to end it all. It’s a gradual process which takes place over a period of time. My own wife, Christine, suffers from anxiety. Christine has had to fight internal battles that led to her being unable to do certain things over the years and I did not deal with them properly. I was not fully aware of what she was going through and still goes through on a daily basis, I should have been there for her, been more comforting and understanding. I’m the first to admit I’ve had my failings when trying to deal with Christine’s battles with anxiety, however, I am now listening and I’m learning. It is absolutely vital to do both and this is what I want to impart on those who are living with someone suffering from depression or anxiety.The aim of this charity is to educate people and get people to engage with others when they are in need of help instead of dismissing them or brushing of their feelings as being “weak”. We hope that, in time, society can speak openly when they have issues, it’s about them knowing there will be someone there for them who will show decency and a level of understanding. With young people today mental health is being an ever prevalent issue, due to teenagers being so focused on their phones and social media instead of being active and socialising with their peers in person. This also leads to more online bullying as well as unrealistic beauty standards which add mounting pressure on young people, and can lead to mental health issues.https://www.thekrisboydcharity.co.uk/who-we-are/







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How Kris Boyd moved from scoring goals to supporting children’s mental health – and why it matters PP255


Serena Clark, formerly of Ark Globe Academy



This week, Lynsie Monro speaks to Harrow International School Hong Kong‘s Deputy Head of Lower School (Pupil Wellbeing), Serena Clark.







Serena is an award winning mentor and the recipient of outstanding leadership judgements from Ofsted in 2014 and 2018. With extensive experience of delivering the highest professional standards of educational and parochial care, she has been a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead since 2015 with FGM and Positive Handling specialist training. Serena believes in the value of lifelong learning, the equality and rights of every child and the crucial role education has in building our future. 



As you can imagine, Serena is able to share many insights into her experiences of teaching through lockdown, particularly how to maximise learning at a distance. 




Tweets by serenaclarkhk




 

How to maximise lockdown learning with Serena Clark PP254


This week, Mark Bocker speaks to Shahana Knight, Childhood Trauma and Mental Health Specialist.







Shahana is the Founder and Director of TPC therapy Ltd. A mental health service for children and young people. She manages a large team of play therapists who work with vulnerable children in schools, adoption, fostering and homicide across the UK. She is the founder of the ‘Therapeutic Schools Programme’ through which she works with schools across England to put children’s wellbeing at the core of education.



Shahana is pioneering a vision/mission for all schools to become therapeutic. Her unique approach is making a significant impact and has been recognised by BBC newsround and BBC Teach who have both done features in which she has appeared. She is also a finalist in the upcoming Ladies First Awards 2020, in the categories of; ‘Inspirational Women’ and ‘Business Entrepreneur’.



Shahana writes a regular segment in Headteachers Update, the national magazine for primary schools, sharing therapeutic teaching ideas and techniques. She is also a governor of a primary school and sits on two foster care panels.Her own experiences of childhood trauma inform her work, offering a unique perspective based on empathy, understanding and a raw truth that cannot be found in textbooks alone.



In a detailed and expansive conversation, we learn a great deal about Shahana’s work and plans.




Tweets by TPC_PlayTherapy




https://www.headteacher-update.com/best-practice-article/therapeutic-schools-behaviour-incidents-pupils-vulnerable-learner/224984

Why we should get our Heads Together in APlace2Be to tackle child mental health issues – with Dame Benita Refson DBE – PP248

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