FAQs

We have tried to answer the most commonly asked questions here. If you cannot find the answer to a specific question please get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]

Q: How does the SEA Scale work?

A: The SEA Scale is a brief 25 item questionnaire which takes 3-5 minutes to enter online. It is completed by an adult in either a school or home setting – someone who has known the child for a while. It is ‘strengths’ based and focuses on capabilities rather than deficits.
A total score is calculated which can be reviewed once every six to 12 months when the next assessment is done. It does not compare children to any developmental norms, instead it tracks an individual child’s acquisition of a range of social and emotional abilities.
We are currently working on an accompanying manual to suggest activities to support a child’s progress.

Q: How does the SEA Scale differ from other measures?

A: The SEA Scale specifically focuses on a range of social and emotional abilities and tracks how children adjust to their environments over time. It follows changes in skill rather than measuring problems in behaviour. It is not a deficit model. It is positively framed and takes a strengths based perspective.

‘This makes the SEA Scale unique, in that it…does not simply focus on the number of psychopathological or behavioural characteristics of a child’ Jasmine Williamson MSc student University of Sussex

The SDQ however is a broad measure and feedback to users does not provide enough detail for practitioners to influence their work with children. It misses the impact of trauma on a child’s development and is not able to pick up attachment and relationship difficulties

The SEA Scale uses a 0-10 (never….always) rating scale allowing a breadth of response, whereas others such as the The Brief Assessment Checklist (Tarren-Sweeney, 2013) is rated 0-2 (not true…..mostly true) giving just a small range of response.

It recognises that a child’s acquisition of social and emotional skills takes time and therefore the retest interval is between six and twelve months.

Q: What ages is the SEA Scale used for?

A: The SEA Scale is validated for use with children between the ages of 5 and 13 years of age. It can be used for the early identification of areas where social and emotional competence has room to develop.

Q: Who can use the SEA Scale?

A: Anyone who knows the child can use the SEA Scale. It can be used in a home or school setting. It is based on an adult’s knowledge of the child including the adult’s observation of the child’s ability to make relationships with peers and adults. Therefore it is recommended that adults get to know the child before completing the scale.

Q: Can the SEA Scale be used with any child?

A: Yes the SEA Scale can be used with any child where you want to capture their social and emotional strengths. It can be used in mainstream and special school settings plus any home setting such as foster, adoptive or residential care . The frequency of occurrence of a particular ability can be monitored, helping decisions to be made about where to focus the work.

Q: How can the SEA Scale help individual children?

A: Helping children master a range of social and emotional skills means that they will be able to communicate better with peers and adults. Using the SEA Scale regularly can enable adults to see the areas where a child’s skills are less frequently used. Decisions can be made about which areas of a child’s profile need most attention.

Q: How was the SEA Scale developed?

A: The idea for the SEA Scale was initially devised by a multidisciplinary group of experienced practitioners at The Mulberry Bush. The project was initiated because none of the existing measures adequately considered the social and emotional aspects which are central to the work at The Mulberry Bush. Professor Robin Benerjee, Jasmine Williamson and Dr Helen Drew from the University of Sussex helped create the SEA Scale and gather the initial data.

Q: What research has been done on the SEA Scale?

A: Development of the SEA Scale has involved close collaboration between research and practice since its inception. Williamson (2014) undertook the first study using the newly developed SEA Scale, collecting data from the teachers of 98 children from mainstream and special primary schools. Teachers completed both the SEA Scale and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis suggested three distinct subscales which significantly predicted SDQ subscales.

Drew (2018) incorporated the SEA Scale into her PhD research with 105 children aged 10-14 in foster care. Teacher ratings again showed good concordance with teacher SDQ scales. Research is ongoing to establish whether there are stable subscales within the SEA Scale. The Mulberry Bush School continues to work closely with Prof Robin Banerjee and Dr Helen Drew at the University of Sussex to take this work forward. Further analyses involving data from children at The Mulberry Bush School and other datasets are currently being undertaken.

Q: Do I need any training to use the SEA Scale?

A: The SEA Scale needs to be completed by someone who knows the child and can observe them in their everyday activities. Your knowledge and experience of being with the child is what matters.

The Mulberry Bush Outreach offers various training to help professionals work with children whose early experience might have led them to need help. Mulberry Bush Outreach offers the SEA Scale free of charge to schools with whom they work.

Q: Are there extra resources to accompany the SEA Scale?

A: We are working on a number of resources to accompany the SEA Scale.

Q: What is the cost of using SEA Scale?

A: The SEA scale uses a credit system. 10 credits cost £125. One credit gives access to one SEA Scale assessment. 10 credits give access to the SEA Scale for 5 children if used six monthly i.e twice per year.

Q: How do I pay?

A: Credits are paid for by the administrator for your organisation. The SEA Scale is an online product and credits are purchased using PayPal. You DO NOT need a PayPal account to use this service as a credit/debit card can be used. All transactions are in GBP, although PayPal will charge in your local currency.