Since 1997 I have worked in, led, and consulted to organisations providing specialist/therapeutic children’s homes, fostering and adoption services, 16 plus provisions and schools. I have also consulted to and trained social workers working with Looked After Children.

The services and interventions I offer include:

• Consultation for setting up therapeutic children’s homes
• Bespoke treatment models that include assessment, review, and reporting processes
• Therapeutic parenting consultation for care teams and parents
• Trauma informed practice for teachers
• Supervision and ‘live’ supervision training
• Reflective practice sessions
• Training packages
• Management consultation

It is accepted that treating and caring for children and young people who have experienced trauma through adverse childhood experiences such as neglect and abuse, is an emotionally, psychologically, and physically challenging endeavour. If the relevant expertise is not prevalent and/or anxiety not contained, the negative impact can have damaging consequences, for example:

• Increase in acting out and unsafe behaviour from the children and young people
• Re-traumatisation
• Increase in significant incidents
• Low retention of staff
• Placement breakdowns – fostering, adoption, homes and schools
• High sickness amongst carers
• Low morale
• Increase in disciplinary issues
• Poor outcomes
• Poor Ofsted ratings for provisions

Some of the reasons for organisations commissioning my services include:

• requiring a model for children’s homes that will deliver the envisaged service and evidence outcomes
• fighting to keep up with ‘market demands’ rather than being ‘market leaders’ that offer innovative and effective ways to repair and heal young lives
• needing support for teachers who are increasingly having to manage complex behaviours due to the child’s history of trauma
• therapeutic and educative support for fostering and adoptive parents
• dynamic and bespoke training packages – for example Attachment theory, Complex trauma theory, Therapeutic parenting, Principles of psychodynamic applied to practice.
• development support for managers
• systems/psychodynamic coaching for senior staff who might be struggling with the complex challenges of the work
• support with change management

I have found that having held roles within organisations from operations director to residential care worker, play therapist to clinical lead, helps clients and staff teams trust that I understand their work on a ‘real’ level, enabling me to empathise with their experiences, without judgment.