Getting On Track In Time (Got It!) is a school-based early intervention program supporting children’s social and emotional development. The program is a three-way partnership between participating families, Northern Sydney Child & Youth Mental Health (CYMHS) Clinicians, and the NSW Department of Education. The Got It! program is being implemented to public primary schools across N.S.W.
Got It! focusses on equipping schools and parents with additional skills to support children’s emotional and social development. Got It! aims to identify potential difficulties early in a child’s development, and “catch” them while they are small and more easily addressed.
The Got It! team engages with participating schools for a 12-month period, with two main streams of intervention:
Whole of School Education & Training Program:
Parent/carer and teacher education sessions are offered to all teachers and parents with children from K-6. The sessions will assist teachers and parents to use Emotion Coaching techniques to address difficulties with behaviour and emotion regulation that are common in primary school-aged children, both at home and in the classroom.
For schools who already have a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program in place, the Got It! team will work with schools to optimise its delivery to ensure sustainability and long-term success. If schools do not have an SEL program in place the team are happy to provide information and start this conversation.
Early Intervention Program:
Parents/carers and teachers of children in Kindergarten to Year 2 are invited to complete a screening questionnaire looking at children’s behaviour, emotions, and peer relationships. Based on these questionnaires, families who indicate a level of concern will be contacted by the Got It! team. Some children will then be invited to participate in a small group program which will be held at their school, once per week for the duration of a term.
The early intervention group is unique in that a parent/carer attends each week with their child.
Alternatively, families may be provided with relevant information and/or referred to other services and supports.
The program is delivered by a team of mental health clinicians from Northern Sydney Local Health District in partnership with a teacher for the school. The Got It! team works together with education staff and parent/carers to support children in their social and emotional wellbeing.
The Got It! program is modelled from the Schools: Early Action program in Victoria, and has been introduced with great success in other health districts across NSW.
For further information about the Got It! Program please do not hesitate to contact our team directly if the program is not currently at your child/ren’s primary school. If we are already at your primary school you can still call us directly or speak to your School Principal or class teacher for further information.
