Therapeutic services

Trauma and attachment informed therapeutic support for children, young people, and the adults who care for them.

We offer trauma and attachment informed support that helps children, young people, and their families feel safe, understood, and able to thrive.

Our Therapeutic Offer

Action for Children Therapeutic Services provides trauma and attachment informed support for children and young people up to the age of 18 across the UK. We work alongside the adults and professionals in a child’s life to build safety, understanding, and consistent therapeutic care.

Our offer includes consultation, webinars, online and in‑person training, direct therapeutic intervention, and group work. Each strand is designed to strengthen the network around a child, increase confidence in therapeutic parenting, and support children and young people to recover from trauma, build resilience, and thrive.

For all enquiries — including costing, referrals, and general information — please email:

[email protected]

Consultation support

Our consultations bring together the key adults in a child or young person’s therapeutic parenting team — such as social workers, parents or carers, teachers, and other professionals.

These 90‑minute sessions focus on:

Exploring concerns through a trauma and attachment lens
Understanding the child’s presenting behaviours and underlying needs
Offering clear guidance, strategies, and next steps
Strengthening the network’s confidence in supporting the child

Consultations can be accessed as a one‑off or as part of a wider package of support.

Trauma informed training

Our training programmes provide practical, accessible learning grounded in trauma and attachment informed practice. Sessions help professionals and carers understand the impact of early adversity, recognise trauma responses, and build therapeutic approaches into everyday care.

Training can be delivered to teams across:

Children’s social care
Education
Health services
Youth justice
Other statutory or voluntary sector organisations

We also offer bespoke training, tailored to the needs of your team or service.

Explore our training:

Intro to Trauma, Attachment and Therapeutic Parenting

This two-day training programme offers a trauma informed approach to understanding the emotional and behavioural needs of children and young people. It explores how early experiences of neglect, inconsistent caregiving, and relational trauma affect attachment, brain development, and a child’s sense of safety.

The course is delivered in two parts, typically spaced 2 weeks apart, allowing time for reflection and integration of learning between sessions.

Creative Approaches to Building Attachment

Delivered by experienced creative therapists, this immersive one-day course offers a playful, hands-on exploration of how expressive arts and play-based techniques can strengthen attachment bonds with children affected by relational and developmental trauma.

The training deepens understanding of trauma’s impact on brain development and attachment, while building confidence in using symbolic and sensory-based approaches to support healing and resilience.

Neurodiversity and Trauma

Training for carers and professionals to improve support for neurodivergent looked after children and young people.

We will be looking at how attachment and trauma are experienced as a neurodivergent child and ways to support attachment security and trauma recovery.

We will explore the strengths, challenges and potential of neurodivergent young people and how therapeutic parenting can promote positive life experiences.

Thinking Therapeutically about Narratives and Life Stories

This training is for Social Workers working with children in care, whether during care proceedings or in long-term placements. It explores how to communicate with children about difficult aspects of their lives, including their 'entry to care' narrative, and how to support their psychological development through these conversations.

Participants will have the opportunity to practice essential skills, reflect on common dilemmas, and gain practical methods they can apply in their work with children in care.

Trauma-informed webinars

Our webinars offer accessible, trauma and attachment informed learning for professionals and carers. Each session focuses on understanding behaviour, building emotional safety, and strengthening therapeutic responses for children and young people.

Topics include trauma, attachment, emotional regulation, sensory needs, and therapeutic parenting approaches. Webinars blend clear guidance with practical strategies and can be accessed individually or commissioned for teams across children’s social care, education, health, youth justice, and the voluntary sector.

Discover what's on offer:

Sensory Systems and Sensory Regulation through a Trauma Informed Lens

In this webinar, we explore how sensory systems work, why they matter, and how trauma impacts their development and regulation. Gain practical strategies to support young people in building sensory regulation skills.

We’ll cover:

How sensory systems function and why they’re important
The impact of trauma on sensory development and regulation
Practical strategies for supporting sensory regulation in young people

Why PACE is the Bridge: From Regulation to Relational Safety

Explore how PACE can support safety and connection during challenging moments.

In this session:

We will explore why PACE works best not as a technique, but as a shared, trauma‑informed relational stance that supports connection even in moments of stress.
We will look at how PACE can reduce threat, shame and power struggles during escalation or shutdown, helping adults stay regulated so young people can borrow that regulation.
We will consider how to recognise relational ruptures when they happen, and how to repair them in ways that strengthen trust, safety and connection over time.

It wasn't me! A PACEful Approach to Understanding and Addressing Lying, Stealing and Aggression

How often have you heard, ‘It wasn’t me!’ Honest”!’ Join us for a free online session to explore a PACEful approach to understanding aggression, lying and stealing.

In this session:

We will look at some of the underlying reasons around why children and young people may be aggressive, lie or steal, acknowledging that these behaviours can really challenge the relationship between carers and young people.
We will offer some PACEful practical strategies that carers can use both ‘in the moment’ and longer term, to manage these kinds of presenting behaviours.
Looking in depth at lying and stealing and aggression will build confidence to manage these challenging issues.

Direct therapeutic support

We provide direct therapeutic intervention for children and young people who may benefit from specialist support. Referrals and enquiries can be made by professionals or individuals who feel a child would benefit from therapeutic input.

Intervention is tailored to the child’s needs and may include:

Attachment‑focused interventions
Trauma‑focused interventions
Placement stability‑focused interventions

Work may involve the child, their caregivers, and the wider network to ensure consistent, safe, and supportive care.

Group work

We offer therapeutic groups for both children and young people and for parents and carers.

Children and Young People’s Groups

Therapeutic group sessions provide a safe, supportive space for children and young people to:

Build social skills and confidence
Explore emotions safely
Learn coping strategies
Connect with others who share similar experiences

Parent and Carer Groups

Our therapeutic parenting groups offer a reflective, collaborative space for caregivers to:

Explore challenges and successes
Strengthen therapeutic parenting approaches
Build confidence in supporting children with complex needs
Connect with others in similar roles