There has been a recent rise in interest from policymakers and commissioners in the important role therapeutic communities play in supporting some of the most traumatised children and young people.
Therapeutic communities provide a whole service approach to the treatment and care of young people. Picture: highwaystarz/Adobe Stock
Therapeutic communities provide a whole service approach to the treatment and care of young people. Picture: highwaystarz/Adobe Stock

Countless reports and the experience of providers and local authorities alike tell us that there is rising demand and complexity across children’s social care. Residential care, fostering and specialist education have all become increasingly segmented with specialist services and models emerging. This presents significant challenges for those who commission and purchase services and for those who operate them, either as a core activity or especially as a component part of a wider portfolio. There is a real lack of understanding and consensus, on both sides, about what systems and structures to expect in order to deliver quality, value and outcomes.

The term “therapeutic” has been increasingly adopted over the last decade but what does this term mean, and how does it translate into the realities of daily practice? Are staff working in residential children’s homes and other social care settings trained to understand and operate a “therapeutic” model?

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