Our Service
We offer a short-term, therapeutic intervention combining Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques and tools.
The intervention typically lasts 12 weeks and is designed to support parents to develop insight, strengthen cognitive abilities and encourage positive behavioural changes within the timeframe of public law proceedings.
Our approach is designed to be person-centred, therapeutic and motivating.
Our experience within children's services ensure that safeguarding concerns are raised as necessary.
Our service does not replace the local offer for parents. It provides additional specialist support that complements existing services that parents could have access to.
About Us
All our highly skilled therapists hold dual qualifications as therapists and social workers.
Together, the service founders bring more than 40 years' experience across a range of children's services roles, including management.
The founders have extensive experience in Child Protection and Care Proceedings work including different Local Authority children services, Cafcass and the NHS. Having worked within child protection and care proceedings has highlighted the complexity of the process and we have identified the lack of support services for parents. Our aim is to provide better targeted support to promote parental change, enabling families to stay together.
Our services offer a trauma-informed approach, is a relationship-based practice and a non-judgemental approach.
Our work is informed by an understanding of safeguarding, family dynamics, court processes, and the importance of timely, focused intervention during proceedings.
Our therapists are fully insured and hold current DBS checks.
Who is our service for
1. Parents affected by domestic abuse, including both victims and perpetrators, where the work is assessed as suitable and safe.
2. Parents experiencing mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety.
3. Parents whose untreated or suppressed past trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) negatively impact their current ability to make safe decisions and keep themselves and their children safe.
4. Parents with substance or alcohol misuse that are engaged with recovery services, working towards abstinence and can demonstrate an appropriate level of coherence.
5. Parents whose previous interventions have not led to meaningful improvements in parenting functioning.
6. Parents identified by professionals as likely to benefit from therapeutic support.
7. Where reunification is planned, to help prevent placement breakdown.
Timing of support
Support should be offered early in proceedings, either at the PLO meeting or initial court hearing, to allow sufficient time for parents to learn, apply, and embed new skills during the proceedings.
We also offer therapeutic support post proceedings, when reunification is being considered, helping to reduce the risk of placement breakdown.
Terms of service
The service is delivered online only. We do not offer home visits. We do not observe contact or meet with children subject to the Care Proceedings.
We do not need to see Court bundles/documents. A brief description of the Local Authority's concerns about the parents to be provided on our referral form.
We do not need to see Court bundles/documents. However, a brief description of the Local's Authority concerns about the parent (information to be provided in the referral form) is required.
We work with parents' presentation in the present time. The aim of the therapeutic intervention is to address the underlying cause of parents' behaviour by looking at their habitual thinking patterns, giving parents an opportunity to reflect on their parenting skills, however, we do not give direct parenting advice.
Parents must be committed to attending weekly online sessions. They will need to be able to access internet in a private location and engage with homework tasks in between sessions.
We do not envisage that out attendance at court hearings will be required, because it is in direct conflict with the therapeutic alliance formed. Furthermore it will not assist the court's determination in respects of parenting capacity because this is not the remit of our intervention.
Risk assessment is not included within this service. Children's services and/or the court remain responsible for observation, assessment, and decision-making in relation to risk, parenting capacity, and contact arrangements. We can only comment on the parent's engagement with our service, their presentation, and progress during the intervention.
We do not share information with social workers, children's guardians, courts and other professionals. Our work is confidential and confidentiality is required to develop trust and a positive therapeutic relationship with the parents we work with. However, we do provide treatment summaries, outlining the work completed.
We follow safeguarding procedures and have a responsibility to report any disclosure or concern relating to harm or risk of harm. Parents will be notified of this policy before work commence.
We are unable to take referral for parents experience high level of risk, like suicidal ideation.
The service includes a screening discovery call, treatment plan/schedule dates, weekly Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) sessions tailored to the parent's needs, and a treatment summary report. The programme typically includes 12 therapy sessions.