Wellbeing

Wellbeing Spotlight: Collaborative and Proactive Solutions

Last week I attended a three-day professional learning conference run by Dr Ross Greene, focusing on Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS - which I know is a bit confusing as the acronym is the same as our school name!) The training included an introductory day, an advanced day, and a “live day” where we observed real CPS conversations with children, their parents and teachers.

CPS is built on a simple but powerful idea:

“Kids do well if they can.”

When a child is struggling, it’s usually because they’re missing a skill—such as flexibility, emotional regulation or problem-solving—not because they’re choosing to be difficult. CPS provides a clear, empathetic process for understanding what’s getting in the way and working with children to find mutually satisfactory solutions.

Across the three days, we explored:

• How to shift from asking “What’s the behaviour?” to “What’s the unsolved problem this child is having?”
• Ways to identify the lagging skills that might be behind challenging behaviour (e.g. difficulty handling transitions, managing big emotions, or seeing another point of view).
• A step-by-step conversation process where adults listen deeply to the child’s concerns, share their own concerns, and then brainstorm solutions together.
• How this approach can be used proactively – before things escalate – so that school feels safer and more predictable for students.

What this means for our school:

This professional learning fits strongly with our existing work at Caulfield Primary on School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) and our school values. CPS doesn’t replace what we already do; it strengthens our approach by helping us:

• Understand our students better
• Reduce repeated conflicts and power struggles.
• Support students to build communication, emotional regulation and problem-solving skills.

For Families:

CPS can also be used for problems at home. If it is something you would like to hear more about, or you're curious how it might support your child, please feel free to get in touch with me at school. 

Dr Ross Greene has many books including; Raising Human Beings, The Explosive Child and Lost & Found. He also has a website www.livesinthebalance.org. These are definitely worth exploring if this article has sparked your interest.

Warm regards,

Joanne Weston

Wellbeing & Inclusion Leader