Using Motional across schools, social care and the wider children’s system
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has implemented Motional across schools, the Virtual School, Social Care, Education Welfare and Youth Justice services as part of a wider relational and trauma-informed approach to supporting children and young people.
For the Barnsley Virtual School Head Teacher and team, Motional has become more than just a wellbeing tool. It has helped create a shared understanding among professionals, strengthened earlier intervention, and supported schools in responding more consistently to emotional wellbeing needs and behaviour.
“School leaders are pragmatic. They don’t want wishy-washy. Motional fits with that – it gives you steps to take, data, and progress. It’s played a huge part in improving attendance…and we’ve halved the rate of exclusions for our children across the area.”
– BMBC, Virtual School Head
Barnsley began using Motional to help professionals better understand the emotional drivers behind behaviour, distress and disengagement.
Rather than relying purely on behavioural responses or external referrals, Motional helps staff build a clearer picture of what children and young people might actually be experiencing emotionally – and what support may help.
For Thomas and the wider team, one of Motional’s biggest strengths has been its practicality.
“It gives us a better understanding of the young person, and interventions to use with them. It paints a picture of the child, tells us what we need to do next, and gives us a way of measuring progress over time.”
This has supported schools and professionals in moving toward more relational, emotionally informed practice, while still providing staff with the structure and clarity they need in busy educational environments.
Building a shared language across services
Motional is now used across:
- Primary and secondary schools
- The Virtual School
- Social care teams
- Education Welfare
- Youth justice and criminal justice services
This has helped create greater consistency across professionals and settings.
Rather than emotional wellbeing being approached differently in every service, Motional provides a shared framework and language that professionals can use together when discussing need, planning support and reviewing progress.
This has been particularly valuable when children are supported by multiple adults and agencies.
“Motional helps us know young people quickly. It puts colour into the picture. It helps professionals understand why a child might be behaving the way they are, and what needs to happen next.
– Tim Gater – Learning Engagement Mentor – Children with a Social Worker
The Virtual School team also use Motional to support conversations with schools around attendance, behaviour and inclusion – helping schools better understand the emotional context behind behaviour before situations escalate further.
Improving attendance and reducing exclusions
Barnsley has used Motional as part of a wider inclusion and attendance strategy focused on earlier intervention and more coordinated support.
By identifying emotional wellbeing needs earlier and supporting staff to respond more consistently, schools have been able to reduce escalation and strengthen engagement.
The impact has been significant.
“We’ve halved the rate of exclusions for our looked-after children across the area.”
The ability to combine relational practice with practical strategies and measurable progress has been particularly important for schools.
“Schools need short, sharp and direct input. They want something practical. Motional gives them a stepped approach, clear strategies, and a way to track whether things are improving.”
Supporting reintegration and relational practice
Motional has also been used to support reintegration work with children at risk of exclusion or returning from alternative provision.
By helping adults better understand emotional regulation, relationships and sense of self, schools have been better able to create supportive environments that reduce crisis-driven responses and improve readiness to learn.
In some settings, Motional has been used alongside wider relational and trauma-informed approaches to strengthen staff understanding and support planning.
The Barnsley team describe this as helping professionals move beyond simply managing behaviour, toward understanding the needs sitting underneath it.
“Sometimes behaviour changes completely once adults understand what the child is communicating. If a child feels unsafe, overwhelmed or disconnected, the response needs to start there.”
A more joined-up approach to supporting children
For Barnsley, the biggest impact of Motional has been its ability to connect understanding, practical action and measurable progress across the wider system.
Rather than operating as a standalone intervention, Motional has become part of a broader relational framework supporting schools, professionals and services to work more consistently together.
“It’s helped us create a shared approach across education and care services. Staff feel clearer, schools feel more supported, and children experience more consistent responses around them.”
As Barnsley continues to expand its use of Motional, the focus remains the same:
supporting children earlier, more consistently, and with greater understanding across the whole system.