Therapeutic fostering is a type of placement where a child or young person has undergone significant neglect or trauma and would benefit greatly from therapeutic care.
The vision at Compass is to increase opportunities for this type of foster care. Working alongside Dr Tina Rae, we have developed an enhanced training programme for carers in order to equip and prepare you with the knowledge, skills and support needed to provide these types of fostering arrangements for children.
What is therapeutic care?
Recently, there has been more and more research in the neuroscience field showing how relationships can impact a child’s development. Stable, loving relationships are needed to help the child to recover and to heal. Foster carers who are trained and supported to provide this type of relationship have a unique opportunity to assist the healing process for a child.
The therapeutic approach views all behaviour as communication and focusses on engaging with a child to be curious and understand what is happening for them underneath. What drives their behaviour? Has this behaviour protected them before? Has this behaviour kept them safe? Our therapeutic foster parents will seek to empathise with this ‘survival’ strategy and connect with the child to support change alongside them.
Who would benefit from Compass therapeutic fostering?
Any child or young person of either gender who may have a prolonged history of abuse and trauma and may present with difficulties such as:
- Attachment difficulties
- Complex behavioural needs
- Emotional and psychological trauma
- Several disrupted placements
- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) vulnerability/risk
We look at exploring and understanding what feelings lie behind the behaviours we see so that we can enable the child to begin to understand their own thoughts and feelings. By developing our style of responding we can sometimes surprise children by our willingness to reach out and help them make sense of their feelings. For many looked after children this may be their first experience of having been understood and listened to.
We are looking for empathic, patient therapeutic foster carers to give foster children a nurturing place to live and thrive. If you think you could offer a stable home, please fill out the form below to request your free digital brochure.