The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme: parental perceptions of its impact in school and at home

Abstract

The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme is an example of an individualised intervention to support pupils experiencing a range of social and emotional needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore parents’ constructions of several aspects of the programme: its aims and how these are achieved; its impact on children, within school and home contexts; the function and value of parental contact with ELSAs; and ways in which the programme could be improved. A thematic analysis of the data indicated that a majority of parents perceived the programme to impact positively on social and emotional aspects of development, with skills learned within the ELSA sessions transferring to the home context. Parents also noted several ways in which the programme could be enhanced: improved home–school communication; agreed and measurable targets and outcomes; and plans for children’s next steps. Implications for developments and extensions of the ELSA programme are discussed and the role of educational psychologists within this process is highlighted.

Keywords:

• Educational psychologists
• constructions
• parents
• ELSA programme
• emotional literacy
• intervention

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all of the schools and parents who kindly participated in this research. Lucy Wilding would also like to thank all of the tutors of the Doctorate in Educational Psychology programme at Cardiff University and offer special thanks to her partner, Sam Wilkinson.