Therapeutic Model

As a company we provide a range of therapeutic, residential, and special educational needs services across the country. The Caldecott Foundation has a relational approach to care and every young person is supported through the agreed Relational Model of Care. The Caldecott Foundation offers specialist treatment services for traumatised children. This may be direct work facilitated by a member of the Therapy Service or through the Therapy Service working alongside the teams/staff providing day to day care for the young person.

The relational approach involves staff understanding the children's history and how it impacts on their relationships and behaviour. Staff understand that behaviour is a communication that should be understood and supported not simply managed or punished.

The interactions between staff and young people are thought through, with staff responding to the young people in considered way, not just reacting to presenting behaviour. Children's behaviours are seen as part of a process not just a one-off event. Interactions between staff and young people are reparative, they are designed to help the child to make sense of their feelings and find more socially acceptable ways of expressing their wants and needs.

We view mental health as more than the absence of mental illness and adopt a holistic view which privileges the social inclusion, achievement, quality of life, and developmental stage of the young person and the promotion of positive relationships with the people who care for them.

Caldecott Foundation aims to improve children and young people’s emotional wellbeing, through enabling them to access psychological and related assessment, intervention and therapy where clinically indicated. We recognise the primary importance of the support system in eliciting and maintaining change for children and provide significant indirect support to young people through consultation with staff teams and workforce training and development. This is achieved by staff taking a ‘mentalising’ approach.

The concept of Mentalisation is defined as being able to reflect on our own state of mind as well as other peoples. It is a form of mindfulness that is being mindful of what other people are thinking and feeling as well as being mindful of your own thoughts and feelings. Having a mentalising attitude encourages openness, inquisitiveness and curiosity about what is going on in another’s mind, while at the same time being aware of your own state of mind. The capacity to mentalise contributes to developing and sustaining nurturing relationships.

Keeping another person’s mind in mind means that you are able to understand that another person may think and feel very differently to yourself about the same situation. Staff should understand that a person’s history and experience is likely to be different from their own, therefore they may then perceive interactions, situations and scenarios very differently to how others perceive them.

The Caldecott Foundation has a Multi-disciplinary team of therapists and psychologists; all of whom are registered with their Professional Bodies; and are bound by a code of ethics that ensures the clients’ needs are central to the services.

The team offer the young people support which may include individual therapy but, may require support delivered to the staff team to ensure readiness and/or availability of the child to access therapy at a future point. This is in line with our Relational Model of Care and incorporates training, case management and reflective space (mentalising group supervision).

A full range of arts therapies and psychological counselling is offered in either an individual or a group format. Any additional therapy, such as speech and language or occupational therapy, as appropriate, can be accessed in consultation with the young person’s placing authority. (For information on how make a referral for Therapy, contact the Therapy Team).

The work of the Therapeutic team is complemented by the therapeutic environment provided by residential care staff. The Therapy Service has an expansive role in supporting the residential houses and services within the Foundation through weekly case management meetings, formal and informal training sessions, Mentalisation staff-team supervisions and bespoke support arrangements as needed. On the wider scale, whole organisation training and workshops are offered amongst the Caldecott staff team, as is induction training.

Where possible, the practitioner who has involvement with a particular child or young person will attend any scheduled reviews or placement meetings. Within the bounds of confidentiality they will also undertake the writing of periodical reports to keep the care team and placing authority abreast of the client’s emotional and psychological journey.

Please click here to view our Relational Model of Care.