Helping Hands Program – Maria Garvey

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Helping Hands Program – A New Approach

The ‘Helping Hands’ program is about giving teachers access to the world of the silent and often unnoticed 85%. It provides cutting edge knowledge, skills and tools for schools to ensure inclusion, wellbeing and psychological safety of students. It provides teachers with a heat map of relationship dynamics that are hidden in the peer group. Vulnerable students can be identified before problems escalate or complaints are made, facilitating measures that assist them, to be put in place. Rather than another ‘add on’ programme, the software instrument integrates with classroom management and helps to reduce rather than increase teachers’ workload.

Our award-winning program has been developed through rigorous research and is based on international best practice and leading thinking. It combines high-quality professional development for school personnel with an easy-to-use diagnostic tool that accesses underlying relationship dynamics in groups. It can pinpoint students who are already excluded from the peer group, as well as identifying situations where there is a potential for bullying to occur or to escalate.

Teachers can use this new knowledge and software instrument to:

  • prevent bullying
  • intervene early before bullying becomes entrenched
  • develop classroom teams that are welcoming to all
  • build support networks around vulnerable students
  • create conditions that make it safe for students to tell
  • help empower students who are victimised
  • ensure that students who engage in bullying behaviour learn to have appropriate levels of power

The software instrument can also be employed for School Self-Evaluation (SSE). It can yield high-quality data with minimum teacher input required in its design and implementation

The Program

The program consists of:

  • Two 3-hour on-site sessions for School Leaders and Student Support teams

and

  • Two I-hour online sessions for all school staff (suitable for facilitation during Croke Park Hours)

 

Dates for follow-up sessions to be confirmed. Additional programs will be provided in response to requests

Unlimited access to the software package is available to schools who adopt the program. Training must be completed in order to access the program.

Cost varies according to school size and is €3 per student. Early adopters’ price of €2 per student applies to all the courses listed above.

For details contact: mgarvey@tcd.ie
Mob: 0863585175