Summary - This case study shows Behaviour & Education Support Teams (BESTs) bringing together a complementary mix of professionals from the fields of health, social care and education, to promote emotional well-being, positive behaviour and school attendance.

Case study

Behaviour & Education Support Teams (BESTs) are multi-agency teams bringing together a complementary mix of professionals from the fields of health, social care and education. The aim of a BEST is to promote emotional well-being, positive behaviour and school attendance, by identifying and supporting those with, or at risk of developing, emotional and behavioural problems.

Each BEST works across a cluster of schools consisting of a target secondary school and its main associated primaries, and in the community, alongside a range of other support structures and services. They work with children aged 5-18, their families and schools to intervene early and prevent problems developing further. The Manchester BESTs' workload consists of referrals of individual pupils and their families, issue-led group work, supporting schools in carrying out behaviour audits, holding surgeries for school staff and working with the Adult Education Service on parenting support.

The Manchester BESTs bring together the skills, perspectives and experience of a range of practitioners forming an effective multi-disciplinary team. These offer earlier and more individualised support to children and their families, as well as support to schools to bring about systemic change in the way those emotional and behavioural issues are addressed.