'FASD Informed' Team: Alternative Provision Stage 4
- somersetmiracles
- Sep 16, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 15
Become 'FASD Informed' to foster a deeper understanding in creating a more supportive environment for those impacted by Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol. For teams supporting children, young people and adults with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD); complex needs, stuck, educational, medical and home challenges; providing essential FASD safeguarding training.
This course is designed for professionals working in 'Alternative Provision', 'Education Other than School' (EOTAS) this might include but is not exclusive to:
Teachers/Tutors (delivering core subjects, non or accredited learning), Support Workers/Mentors (behaviour, emotional resilience, direct 1:1 support, outdoor learning), Leadership (Provision Leads, DSLs), and specialists like Forest School Leaders, Equine therapy/support, Student Welfare Officers, SEND Coordinator (SENDCo) or similar leadership roles to coordinate and support students with special educational needs, Student Advisor, Head of Department, Key workers, Scribe, Exam Support, Student Nurse, Pastoral, Administration, Technical Support, and Direct Student Support
This programme considers safeguarding the complexities of supporting, for many if not tuned into, a hidden disability; where Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is the most severe of the neurodevelopmental disorders in terms of its far-reaching impact on functioning across the lifespan, and requires a unique approach to support and understanding.
Suicide ideation, self harm and suicide is much higher in FASD where in some areas research identifies suicide as high as 3 - 12 % higher than the general population.
Young people with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure / FASD experience a range of vulnerabilities both from the impacts of teratogen on the brain and body, and from the adverse life experiences commonly associated with this disability.
Supporting academic accommodations therefore, should be much more than making extra time for exams and modified course materials. Its about consideration of a personalised plan for mental health needs, tuning in to day to day challenges in slow processing speed, fixated symptoms, perseveration, confabulation, struggles in reading social cues and making peer to peer relationships.
It is therefore crucial that every setting identifies and supports prenatal alcohol exposure in its student community as early as possible to consider the vulnerabilities and to risk assess accordingly.
Those who are not appropriately trained or knowledgeable can often make assumptions due to the fact that many individuals with FASD can superficially present as more able than they actually are or where their ‘symptoms’ are misinterpreted as ‘behaviour’ due to spiky cognitive and neurodevelopmental profile.
There is also often the assumption that symptoms of FASD will improve over time, or an individual will outgrow their emotion regulation challenges or poor adaptive functioning for example, when unfortunately, the opposite is true; the developmental gap continues to widen and diverge away from the norm over the course of time.
This necessitates increased, rather than decreased, need for support and services. FASD must be understood as an enduring brain injury, similar to any other acquired brain injury.
We provide a bespoke programme to consider the child or young adult you support with complex presentations of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and overlapping complex needs.
Thinking outside the box and adapting in the moment responsively by using alternative provision, supports the needs well of so many children who have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) through Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE).
In alternative provision you will already be highly skilled in providing the tools to identify and overcome institutional trauma and personal challenges.
FASD Informed adds to your portfolio supporting careful consideration of fluctuating environmental capacity, navigating challenges of emerging and overlapping needs and seeking solutions in creative ways to provide a sense of empowerment.
'FASD-informed practice' acknowledges the need to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours, to consider symptoms and to ask.....
‘What does this child need?’
rather than
‘What is wrong with this child?’
We dig deep to tune into the child/ren that you support where we tailor our programme around the child or young adult individual needs. We offer practical application of educational & therapeutic strategies to support the indoor and outdoor classroom where we tune into the brain and central nervous system damage of those who have been exposed to alcohol in the womb.
With up to 428 co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions common to FASD, spanning across 18 of 22 chapters of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) -10. The most prevalent disease conditions include congenital malformations, deformities, and chromosomal abnormalities, mental and 'behavioural' disorders..... we consider the 'symptoms' and look for a positives ways to interpret and scaffold needs.
Our 'FASD Informed' Alternative Provision Professional Stage 4 programme offer's bitesize sessions tailored to your timetable, where we can adjust the time to suit your team in or out of hours or on inset, where you can dip in and out at your pace:
FASD Informed™ Alternative Provision Professional Stage 1:
What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?….. with no assumptions, all the team starting at the same place at a gentle pace; we consider the damage of the brain and nervous system and how this impacts every part of the functioning of the child you support.
Identify how alcohol is Neuro-Developmental Trauma
The impact of alcohol on the brain and its vulnerabilities
Show how alcohol has a direct impact on safeguarding considerations through processing and functioning
Examine how the alcohol informs the spectrum of need and some of its 428 co-occurring conditions including Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Tourette’s etc
Review developmental milestones in the womb; explain the lifelong impact
Recognise the brain functions and how FASD impacts development
Examine the developmental divergence of peers in learning
FASD Informed™ Alternative Provision Professional Stage 2:
Interpreting theory into practice, processing speed, fluctuating capacity, communication, perseveration, confabulation and the impact to learning. We consider how to differentiate the curriculum, providing strategies to consider supporting a spectrum of need; digging deeper into the practical considerations with case study reflection.
FASD Informed™ Alternative Provision Professional Stage 3: Supporting forward planning to support anticipated emerging needs, digging deep into 'switching' techniques, planning well ahead for transitions. Understanding the needs of carers & parents, vicarious trauma, adapting practice to plan to meet short and long term needs.
FASD Informed™ Alternative Provision Professional Stage 4:
FASD NICE Quality Standards, OFSTED good practice informing 'FASD Responsive' Practice, Clinical Guidelines on supporting alcohol exposure and early intervention; personalised care, fluctuating capacity, risk assessment, safeguarding, reflection and case management; good practice in getting support from a wider multi-agency team.
All participants will receive 'FASD Informed' certification, resources and membership of our FASD network of professionals.
We tailor our bespoke online FASD-Informed sessions around the needs of the families you support; every session is unique because we consider carefully the children that you support.
'It was a complete lightbulb moment for me. I attend thinking it ticks a box... this training absolutely is not that as it literally changes lives! I look at every child I support through a new lense.'
So many lightbulb moments where we all now look through the FASD lense providing a personalised approach .... very powerful.
The experience of the speaker was so rich and valuable to my role where they provided such huge insight into the difference my job can make. So inspiring and energising, thank you.'
'FASD Informed' (TM) Education delivered by a strong experienced qualified team, tailoring a bespoke service to support your team in becoming FASD Responsive(TM)
We also offer 1:1 consultation service and attendance of online meetings for stuck or complex cases requiring out of the box thinking to consider the spectrum of needs and to look towards finding a way forwards.
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