ROASA

So often we hear the phrase 'He just kicked off for no reason', but the truth is there is usually an explanation for this type of behaviour and having a better understanding of the features/traits that underpin this can help to formulate a way to bring change. Although the Roots of Aggression Signposting App (ROASA) has not been designed by a psychologist and does not seek to diagnose children, it is the result of years of experience gained whilst working in an SEMH setting and additionally by providing outreach support in mainstream settings. This included working with and supporting, children who demonstrated a broad range of complex additional needs and attachment and mental health challenges. It has been designed to give education professionals ideas and direction when a child's behaviour is aggressive and the cause isn't obvious.

Information in the app is supported by years of de-escalating aggression day to day and hours of research behind the scenes to find the causes that underpin these behaviours. No child starts out bad or naughty so something must have happened along the way. So often this is buried deep in their past which can make it very difficult for educators to pinpoint.

The ROASA app is not a diagnostic tool and is not a replacement for services. It won't fix the problem but it will potentially give guidance as to where to look and help signpost the root cause of the behaviour. Additionally, it may help staff to empathise better with the child and offer some direction on the next course of action.

The ROASA app uses knowledge of working with hundreds of children with social, emotional, mental health, additional learning needs and attachment theory to signpost 10 different roots of the child's aggression. It facilitates this by using the answers to between 4 and 20 questions that focus not only on the child's behaviour in certain situations, but also, more importantly, on their personality. To be effective it will require good knowledge of the child as well as the skill to be able to see beyond the behaviour that a child/children use to mask their true feelings.