Charis Children’s Services offers a relationship-based, trauma-informed therapeutic care approach. This approach is grounded in theory and knowledge about how childhood trauma, abuse, and neglect impact development, as well as the strategies that are effective in working with children to facilitate recovery.
The use of a relationship based approach means that the actual primary therapeutic work is in the way that carers interact with children and build up relationships that allow children to be reparented and to ‘learn through living’ and being guided by carers; thus building resilience and self-esteem and life skills along the way.
We apply the principles of DDP (Dyadic Development Practice) in our work, which utilizes knowledge about attachment and trauma to help carers build relationships with children who have attachment difficulties. Central to this is PACE—a way of thinking and communicating that helps deepen emotional connections between carers and children. PACE stands for Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy.
We combine this with a social pedagogical approach, as it offers a broader focus on building relationships through practical engagement with children. See our Practice Approach for more details.
Through our care approach, we aim to help children understand and significantly reduce or reverse the impact of past trauma on their behaviour, self-esteem, and emotional and social development.
The home has a highly experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist who collaborates with the home manager and care team to deliver the therapeutic care approach, while also addressing the specific needs of individual children.
Overall brilliant experience have some of my best memories there. Wish I was still there sometimes
