Direct Work Resources for Professionals Working with Children

Direct work is any activity where adults, particularly those within the safeguarding arena, engage with children in a purposeful, planned, and therapeutic manner.

What is Direct work?

Direct work is any activity where adults, particularly those within the safeguarding arena, engage with children in a purposeful, planned, and therapeutic manner. This interaction aims to understand the children's needs, promote their well-being, and help them achieve positive outcomes.

Some examples of direct work include:

Therapy sessions (Group or individual)
Social skills training
Life story work
Targeted work around an identified risk

The Purpose of Direct Work with Children

Direct work is a powerful tool that empowers children, giving them a voice and the support they need to thrive. When used effectively, direct work can enable professionals to:

Understand the child’s world by gaining their perspective, allowing you to see the world through their eyes. This will enable you to understand the child’s lived experiences, thoughts and feelings. This is crucial for identifying the child's needs and promptly providing appropriate support.
Build solid relationships with children which is a crucial aspect of direct work. By establishing trust and rapport, professionals can make children feel more comfortable and encourage them to up and engage more meaningfully. Creating a safe space where children can express themselves without judgement is crucial.
Facilitate communication by helping the child to express themselves. Some children will struggle to articulate their feelings verbally; utilising other direct work resources such as play, art, and storytelling will help them communicate their thoughts and emotions in a way they are comfortable with.
Develop skills and resilience by teaching coping strategies, building social skills, and promoting self-esteem and confidence. Helping children manage stress, self-regulate and navigate challenging situations will help them overcome problems they might face in the future. Developing self-esteem and confidence will help children to build a sense of agency and feel better about themselves.
Address specific challenges by using direct work to help children process trauma, manage mental health difficulties (such as anxiety or depression) and support them during life transitions (such as a new home, starting school or being moved into care).

Direct Work Resources

Direct work is multifaceted and requires a diverse toolkit of resources that will allow you to engage, understand, and support children. Some commonly used direct work resources are listed below.

Building Connection and Trust

Icebreaker Activities: These are great when no relationship exists with the child. You can start with simple games or questions to ease into conversation. "Two Truths and a Lie" or "Would You Rather" are great activities that can ‘break the ice’ and be adapted for different ages; therefore, they are suitable for all children.

Shared Activities: A shared activity with the child can help create a relaxed atmosphere to aid engagement and interaction. Colouring, building with blocks, or even a simple card game can create a comfortable atmosphere for direct work. These activities could also be spread over several sessions and can be used as a starting activity for each session.

Understanding and Assessing Needs

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) is a short behavioural screening questionnaire for children aged 3 to 16. The questionnaire is used to assess children’s mental health and can be completed by children and young people themselves, by their parents or by their teachers. It can be used for various purposes, including clinical assessment, evaluation of outcomes, research and screening.

The Boxall Profile: Assess and support the emotional & behavioural development of all pupils aged 4-18. An evidence-based tool supports a whole school approach to assessing and addressing children and young people’s social, emotional and behavioural development to impact learning, behaviour, attendance and wellbeing positively.

Working with Children's Drawings: This technique uses children's drawings as a window into their inner world. Professionals can gain valuable insights into their thoughts, feelings, and experiences by analysing their artwork's content, symbolism, and style. Drawings can also provide opportunities for communication as you can ask questions about different aspects of the drawing, such as “Why does this person look sad?” or “Why is the sky so dark?”

Understanding Feelings and Developing Skills

Feelings Charts/Games: Visual aids like emotion wheels or games like "Feelings Bingo" help children identify and label emotions.

Books: Choose books that address relevant themes (friendship, loss, new experiences) to spark discussion and normalise feelings. Social stories can also be used.

Mindfulness Exercises: Simple breathing techniques or guided imagery can help children calm down and focus, especially in stressful situations.

Problem-Solving Activities: Use real-life scenarios or hypothetical situations to help children practice problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Communication and Engagement

Storytelling and Metaphors: Using stories and metaphors can be a powerful way to connect with children and explore sensitive topics indirectly. These approaches can help children process their experiences, develop coping mechanisms, and communicate their feelings in a safe and engaging way.

Play Therapy: Play is a natural language for children, and play therapy utilises this to help children express themselves, work through challenges, and develop healthy coping strategies. Therapists use toys, games, and creative activities to facilitate communication and build rapport.

Sand Tray Therapy: This non-verbal therapeutic approach allows children to create scenes and tell stories using miniature figures and objects in a sand tray. It can help children externalise their emotions, explore difficult experiences, and gain a sense of control.

Building Skills and Resilience

Zones of Regulation: This framework helps children understand and regulate their emotions by categorising them into different zones (e.g., green for calm, red for angry). It provides tools and strategies for managing emotions and promoting self-regulation.

Mindfulness Exercises: Mindfulness can help children develop self-awareness, manage stress, and improve focus. Techniques like deep breathing, body scans, and guided imagery can be adapted for children of different ages and abilities.

Social Skills Training: These programs teach children essential social skills, such as communication, cooperation, and problem-solving. They can be delivered in individual or group settings, often involving role-playing, games, and real-life practice.

Specific Targeted Direct Work

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT): This evidence-based therapy helps children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. It involves a combination of cognitive, behavioural, and family therapy techniques to address the impact of trauma and promote healing.

Creative Arts Therapies: These therapies utilise various art forms, such as music, drama, and dance, to help children express themselves, process emotions, and develop coping skills. They can be particularly beneficial for children who struggle with verbal communication.

Animal-Assisted Therapy: Interacting with animals can have therapeutic benefits for children, reducing stress, improving communication, and promoting social-emotional development. This approach can be used with other therapies or as a standalone intervention.

Adapting Resources

Age and Development: What works for a teenager won't work for a pre-schooler. Choose resources that match the child's age and stage of development.
Child's Interests: Incorporate their hobbies or favourite characters. If they love superheroes, use that theme in your activities.
Cultural Sensitivity: Understand cultural backgrounds and their influence on communication styles or play preferences.

These are just starting points. The best resources are those that you feel comfortable using and that resonate with the child. Trust your instincts, be creative, and most importantly, have fun!