Devon business wins contract with Surrey County Council to boost children’s mental and emotional wellbeing

Newton Abbot-based Thrive® has secured a contract with Surrey County Council as it sets out a new provision of training for Early Years settings which focuses on helping to prevent children’s mental health issues in the future.  

 A total of 40 places on Thrive’s Early Years Licensed Practitioner® course have been funded for nursery and pre-school staff across the county with an emphasis on early identification and support before children start school. As well as helping to support young children during the Covid-19 pandemic, prioritising mental wellbeing at an early age means that children will be calm, happy and ready to engage with learning and with life as they progress through the education system. 

This will be followed up with 60 training places for childminders. The training will give staff an understanding of the neuroscience that underlies children’s behaviour and offer simple strategies to help them identify and support children’s emotional developmental needs at the earliest opportunity. 

 “Surrey County Council is committed to supporting our Early Years providers to give children the best possible start in education. We believe that by getting the right support in place at an early stage, children have the opportunity to learn life skills such as emotional awareness and resilience that will help them to become confident and happy young people. This will bring significant benefits to the children themselves, their families and the wider community,” said Liz Mills, Director for Education and Lifelong Learning. 

 Thrive, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021, is based at Seale Hayne. It trains teachers and other education professionals to support the emotional and social development of children and young people. Thrive’s founders have backgrounds in teaching, education, social work and psychotherapy and the Thrive Approach® is underpinned by a robust framework of neuroscience, attachment theory and child development research.  

 “It’s fantastic to see a local authority taking such a pro-active approach to mental and emotional wellbeing. We know from our experience over the last 25 years that when appropriate support is put in place, children’s behaviour changes and they become much calmer and happier within themselves. This is the key to successful learning and to life-long wellbeing,” said Diana Dewing, Managing Director of Thrive. 

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Photo caption – Photo shows Diana Dewing, Managing Director of Thrive.

For more information about the Thrive Approach telephone Liz Parks on 01392 797576 or 07860 520835 or email liz.parks@thriveapproach.com.