A Home and School Support Project for Children Excluded from Primary and First Year Secondary School

BACKGROUND: In the last 10 years the problem of exclusion has reached a crisis point. Research suggests that exclusion is a complex phenomenon that needs involvement from all the involved services such as Health, Education and Social Services. METHOD: One hundred and twenty-four pupils, aged 4-12 years who, through school and social exclusion, were at risk of developing more serious mental health difficulties, were randomly allocated to standard care (n = 62) or standard care plus the new intervention (n = 62). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the primary outcomes between the two groups at either of the outcome assessments. However, the intervention group with non-compliance cases removed from the analysis did significantly better ( p < . 014, 95%CI -12.8 to -1.4). CONCLUSIONS: The Home and School Support project managed to reduce the number of excluded days and the appearance of mental health symptoms for pupils who engaged fully with the intervention. The project also highlights the importance of multi-agency involvement at a very early stage.