Two female friends playing a card game
Two female friends playing a card game

Relationships & Behaviour

The science of child development makes it clear that adverse childhood experiences can have long lasting impacts on a person’s ability to form and maintain healthy relationships, as well as influencing the way in which they behave and manage their emotions.  

At Budwood we use our therapeutic C.A.T.C.H ® model to deliver compassionate, patient care and support, working day by day to help young people to better manage their emotions and develop strong, rewarding relationships with others.  

Support at Budwood is delivered by staff from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Our staff are compassionate, responsible and therapeutically trained to provide tailored care for young people with a variety of experiences, including: 

  • Disruption in a family, foster or adoptive home 
  • Autistic Spectrum Disorder 
  • Social or emotional difficulties 
  • Attachment Disorder 
  • Criminal/sexual exploitation  
  • Substance misuse  
  • Exhibiting inappropriate sexualised behaviours  
  • Engaging in self-harm or suicidal ideation  

Building Strong and Meaningful Relationships

Young people can rely on the 1-1 support of a Key Worker who will be by their side throughout their Budwood journey, providing practical support such as accompanying them to meetings with professionals and working on life skills with them, as well as incredibly beneficial personalised emotional and behavioural support.  

Our staff are on hand to help support young people’s existing relationships by promoting contact with their family and friends, where appropriate. Staff also support young people to make new friends in the community and can provide friendly guidance on the kinds of friendships and relationships which the young person should be pursuing, and those which may not be in their best interests. 

Two friends fist bumping

“[We offer] coaching through their daily struggles to really boost their independence, so when they are 18 they’ve really got the skills to live independently.”  

– Budwood Support Worker  

Access to Therapy 

Many young people who access our service have experienced adverse childhood experiences, and as a result of these may require the support of a therapist to help them to understand and heal from their past experiences. Our therapeutically trained staff work closely with young people to help them explore and access different therapy options, including: 

  • Support offered via CAMHS referral 
  • Trauma informed CBT or other forms of psychotherapy 
  • Non-traditional forms of therapy, such as play, art or music therapy 

It’s a young person’s choice if they want to pursue therapy, and they will not be pushed towards this route if they feel it isn’t right for them. Whatever path towards healing a young person chooses, they will have the support of our team. 

Promoting Positive Behaviour 

Often behaviours which can be seen as challenging are an attempt to communicate an unmet need. It is our mission here at Budwood to help young people to find healthy ways of managing their emotions and behaviours. 

We promote positive behaviour in a range of ways, including:  

  • Putting in place a personalised Behaviour Support Plan for each young person, which details how we will help to manage any behaviours which present. 
  • Our dedicated staff reinforce positive behaviour and engage proactively with young people, providing them with therapeutic support, role modelling good behaviours, and helping them to develop their independent living skills.  
  • We use our bespoke C.A.T.C.H ® model to help young people to understand the reasons behind their dysregulated behaviours, and how to change them into something more positive.  
  • Promoting habits which lead to good mental and physical health, including healthy eating, exercise, healthy relationships and community involvement.  

Managing Challenging Behaviour  

At Budwood, we understand that challenging behaviours may arise as a consequence of young people’s past experiences. We address all challenging behaviours in a compassionate, therapeutically informed fashion, recognising that many of the young people who come to stay with us may have experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma.  

Any notable incidents will be properly recorded, any relevant professionals notified, and appropriate next steps will be taken. If an incident occurs a young person will be invited to a Key Work session to reflect on the incident and work with their Key Worker to identify areas where we can offer them further support. 

PRICE Training 

Though it is avoided in all but the most extreme cases, there are times in which physical intervention on the part of our staff may be required. Physical restraint is only used when all other options have been exhausted, in order to keep a young person and those around them safe.  

Young person speaking to a Therapist

Staff at Budwood receive thorough PRICE training, a behaviour management course which prioritises de-escalation techniques and uses a therapeutically informed approach. Staff take part in annual refresher courses to ensure that they are able to deliver the best standard of care possible.