Our Response to Need
We focus on children and young people struggling at home and at school, who are experiencing mental ill health, overwhelming emotions or distressed behaviour, living in foster or residential care, and who are vulnerable to low- attainment, low attendance, and to becoming a ‘lost-learner’ and/or being excluded.
Most of these young people are in families or care placements where parents/carers are experiencing wider challenges, such as family breakdown, single parenting, mental and physical ill health, bereavement, trauma, alcohol or substance abuse, unemployment, financial difficulties, poverty, or meeting additional needs of their children - there is no blame or judgement here, just compassionate understanding.
Their poor educational outcomes are exposed by the continued (and growing since COVID) Attainment Gap:
‘GCSE attainment in 2023 for disadvantaged pupils was at a record low since 2011, at
only 25% for scores of 5 or above compared to 52% for non-disadvantaged pupils.’ Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2024
Research shows the prospects for those who leave school without good grades are bleak, including poverty, loneliness and social isolation, alcohol and substance misuse, mental and physical ill health, reduced life expectancy, homelessness, being caught up in the criminal justice system and suicide (Samaritans, 2019).
Evidence That Motivates Us
'A loving family is worth more than money and will give you guidance, support, love and advice.’
Boy, 11. The Big Ask, The Big Answer, 2021
Where children do not live with their immediate family, they care about having a happy home. They told us if they were unhappy at home, and with their family life, they were nine times more likely to be unhappy with their life overall, and 70% of them were unhappy with their mental health’
The Big Ask, The Big Answer, 2021
Evidence That Drives Us
Although children were minimally susceptible to COVID-19, they were hit hardest by its psychosocial impact, and still effected by its repercussions, at home and at school.
In 2023, 20.3% of children and young people aged 8 to 16 in England had a probable mental disorder
1.4 million UK families are living in relationships described within clinical practice as ‘distressed’ (RELATE).
As of March 2024, there were nearly 400,000 Children In Need in England - about 1 in every 30 children.
The number of children in care in England rose for the 15th consecutive year in 2023, reaching 83,840. In the last five years this has increased by 8% (NSPCC).
In 2022-2023 there was a 7% increase in younger children (aged between 10 and 14) entering the youth justice system for the first time.
Our response is to redress the mental health and care crisis for children and young people in the UK by building an innovative continuum of relational support - combining urgent, accessible
therapeutic provision, creative personal development, and joyful reconnection.
Through school-based clinics, the CONNECT programme for parents/carers, and nature-based, restorative heritage retreats, we do what statutory services are currently struggling to do: we nurture deep attachment, strengthen relationships and build personal and parental/carer capacity.
We create safe spaces for families to explore identity, culture, and belonging.
Systemic Therapy
We are launching our first family therapy clinic within a school, to provide accessible therapeutic intervention, psychoeducation, and contextualised practical support for children and young people and their families, who are navigating complex relational distress.
Our model has the potential to serve as a natural extension of the Government’s Education Mental Health Lead initiative - bridging gaps between early help and clinical thresholds, and as a buffer to long waiting lists.
We aim to deliver our Parent/Carers CONNECT programme, to build a bridge between the school and the parents/carers of their students.
This offers a structured, evidence-based group intervention for a wider group of parents/carers seeking guidance on strengthening attachment relationships, navigating adolescent distress, and building confidence in their parenting role.
From this, we can nurture a network of engaged parents, some of whom may train to deliver CONNECT, along with teachers, to build sustainability and resilience within the school community.
Retreats
Our future plan is to deliver a continuum of delivery to sustain long-term support for children and their families, by providing a countryside retreat for those facing challenges, giving them the time and space for rest and renewal, where they can tell their story, say what they need, and build capacity to find a way forward together.
We wish to operate from heritage properties of cultural importance to the local community, connecting heritage with young people and their families, to engender a sense of belonging, inclusion and social wellbeing.
