Therapeutic care, built on PACE

A trauma-informed approach. This is built around understanding the trauma and adverse experiences a child has lived through, including attachment difficulties and other harm they may have suffered. We incorporate this approach throughout our practice, and our whole team are PACE-trained and use this framework with every child in our care. Staff are trained to recognise how past trauma shapes behaviour and emotional development, and rather than punishing a child, they respond with empathy. Behaviour of any kind is understood as a form of communication, not simply a child “being naughty.” The difference between this and standard residential care is that staff without therapeutic training tend to focus on behaviour management and behaviour support, rather than understanding the child and what they are trying to tell us.

Highly trained, specialist staff. We invest more in our teams, training them in PACE, attachment theory, and de-escalation techniques. In many other residential settings, staff complete only the standard training that is mandatory for their role. We go further, because we believe that a stronger team leads to better outcomes for the child.

Individualised therapeutic care plans. Every child in our therapeutic homes has a bespoke plan, with therapeutic input from our staff built into their daily routine. These plans centre on emotional healing and development and are tailored to each child’s specific needs and triggers. Where a child needs more than this, we draw on play specialists and external therapists for additional support. We also have an in-house nutritionist to support children experiencing eating-related trauma.