About Us – The story so far…

● About

In my case, I wanted to make a difference. As an Educational Psychologist, I work with children and young people from 0 to 25 years old from different backgrounds and with diverse strengths and needs. However, my first professional introduction to working with children with care experience was as a seconded Probation Officer in a Youth Justice Service in London. On my first observation of a colleague, we went to visit a young person who had recently been accommodated by their Local Authority. To say, that I was disturbed by the living conditions of this young person would be an understatement. At the time of our visit, the property was sub-standard and the care and attention the young person was receiving by professionals was inadequate.

Prior to this experience, my childhood friend had taken me to his semi-independent home following the breakdown in his stay at his foster parents’ home. In those days, I was naïve to the arrangements made for children in Local Authority care. As a child, I was less aware of the challenges that came alongside having care experience. But the effects of trauma and loss that preceded my friend’s entry into the care system were clear to see in his behaviours at school and in the community. It was through these types of experiences that I started to understand that children can communicate in a variety of ways to express their distress.

The idea of starting my own children’s home came about directly after a close family bereavement. Grief and loss have a way of encouraging you to reevaluate your use of time. At least for me, it crystallised my thinking on how and where I wanted to work. I thought about what achievement now looked like for me and I was convinced it had now changed. As a professional, I had always been passionate about working with children with social and emotional needs. However, this work had become increasingly important to me over the years and became an area of special interest. As such, I took the lead in the Educational Psychology Service for Youth Justice and Alternative Provisions. I also worked specifically with parents whose children were at risk of more intensive children’s services involvement.

In my previous role as a Local Authority Educational Psychologist, I worked with some exceptionally talented, driven and capable professionals. I was well supported by colleagues and there were many opportunities for collaborative working. However, opportunities to work with children and young people who were affected by trauma and who were emotionally dysregulated became less and less despite the need for these services becoming more pronounced. I found myself writing more and more reports but felt like I was making less of an impact. My work felt counterintuitive to my purpose, so I knew it was time for a change.

Gregory Bateson, an anthropologist and social scientist is often credited with coining the phrase “the difference that makes a difference”. It was a phrase that resonated with me. Bateson was referring to information that can help us to see something from another perspective which can change our understanding of a situation. A small shift can lead to a difference in thinking, actions or outcomes to a small or large degree.
Perhaps by remaining curious and interested in the children and young people with social, emotional and educational needs, then professionals that shared my passion could work collaboratively to find the difference that makes a difference in these children’s lives.

This would require listening to the children and the adults that know them best. We would need to gain an understanding of the child and how they responded in their different environments (e.g., at home, at school, in the neighbourhood). We would also need to understand how the children might be affected by decisions beyond their control made by adults they may have never met such as the legislature, Judges in the Family Courts or social work managers.