Having Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) in every school to support children’s emotional wellbeing and mental health is a key priority for Pembrokeshire County Council’s inclusion service.

Now some LSAs have recently qualified as Emotional Literacy Support Assistants - called ELSAs - who will be operating in a range of Pembrokeshire schools.

ELSAs plan, deliver and evaluate programmes of work for individual pupils, or small groups of children and young people.

These are students whom schools identify as likely to benefit from additional support to develop their emotional wellbeing and resilience and thus prepare them for the challenges of academic learning.

The first cohort of ELSAs - trained and supervised, by the council’s educational psychology service - received their certificates in County Hall on Monday.

Attending the ceremony were council chief executive, Ian Westley; director for children and schools, Kate Evan-Hughes; head of inclusion services, Nichola Jones and county council cabinet members David Lloyd and Sue Perkins.

Also present, demonstrating their support, were headteachers and senior staff from some of the schools who have invested in the well-received project.