Pastoral Care and Human Skills

Dev Academy Pastoral Care Mission Statement

Dev Academy Aotearoa's core values are integrity, effort and kindness. We uphold these values in how we interact with learners on a daily basis. We aim to make our environment safe, friendly and inclusive so that students from all backgrounds can optimise their learning potential.

We communicate with students in a way that reflects the respect we hold for each other. We are kind, open and curious about the learner’s experience while offering support and guidance where needed. We encourage a holistic mindset where the students can bring their whole selves to Dev Academy and feel a sense of belonging. We encourage self expression and value the differences that each learner brings.

Dev Academy Aotearoa has values which are demonstrated to learners through our established routines and learner activities that prioritise learner wellbeing. We strive to ensure that every learner is offered the care and attention to thrive in an accelerated learning environment. We believe our high learner to teacher ratios; small class sizes; tailored approach to pastoral care support and high expectations of learner achievement contribute to this positive learning environment.

Human Skills (HS sessions)

Human Skills (HS) sessions are a core part of the Dev Academy curriculum. They cover many areas of emotional intelligence, delivered over 9 weeks in a 90 minute session each week.

HS sessions include the development of personal capabilities that may otherwise be called soft skills or transferable skills. The sessions cover the following modules:

Trust, listening and empathy
The Practice of Self Compassion
Giving and receiving feedback
Oranga / wellbeing, calming tools for stress
Bias, Diversity & Inclusion
Courageous conversations, conflict resolution and non-violent communication
Te Tiriti Meets Tech

We provide each student with individual check-ins with the HS teacher to ensure that they all have equal opportunity to seek support. We recognise that it is not enough to simply say the support is available; we must actively check in with each student to gain an understanding of their experience.

We also offer Yoga classes twice a week to assist students with the physical tension and mental stress associated with study.

We encourage students to get adequate sleep, to exercise and to eat nutritious food while they are studying with us.

The teachers offer mindfulness sessions between 2-15 minutes each day before lectures.

The HS teacher will offer general wellbeing/lifestyle advice and if they are concerned about a student’s learning, and they will share this knowledge with the Head of Teaching and Assessment. If the HS teacher is concerned about the mental health of a student they will offer to refer them on following the process below.

Process for escalating support

The HS teacher will record the wellbeing and progress of each student and grade them Ka Tika; Ka Taea Ia; Āwhina; Kia Mataara. If the student is Āwhina 3 times in a row they will be referred to a registered counsellor. If the student is Kia Mataara that day they will be given the numbers of helplines (such as Lifeline) and we will attempt to make contact with a friend or relative who can offer the support they need.

If there is an emergency situation either onsite or a student has named intent to harm themselves or others, we will inform the police.

We will then support all staff involved with this student to seek professional support in the form of counselling or supervision or more informal peer support.

Support plans

Should a student require extra care, the HS facilitator will create a plan for the student to seek support. This may include asking who the student has outside of Dev Academy to talk to, asking them to seek professional support if needed and assisting them to find the right professional for them.

We seek to empower students to grow their self awareness and coping strategies for dealing with stress. We ask what small changes they can make to their daily routine to support themselves. We ask what we can do to ensure their learning environment is optimal and we try to act quickly on this feedback.

Support that is out of scope

Dev Academy teachers and the HS facilitator roles are not mental health nor counselling professionals. Should a student require professional services Dev Academy will assist the student to find the appropriate care.

Each student has access to three sessions with a qualified counsellor paid for by Dev Academy. We encourage students to use these services when we see that they are struggling with issues affecting their learning experience but that are outside of our scope of practice.

If there is an immediate concern to the safety of the student or anyone else, either the Practice Lead or the Bootcamp Leadership Team or HS Facilitator (as appropriate) will call the Mental Health Support service and follow their advice. Dev Academy will enlist emergency services if necessary.

Additionally we will provide students with the following helpline numbers:

Healthline: