The Heart and Mind Model balances compassion with knowledge to support foster families. It is a model that acknowledges the importance of pace, structure and time in supporting families. It is a medium to long term model of support, providing consistency and recognising the power of psychological containment (Bion, 1962). The Model keeps compassion and knowledge at the core of support. We know that emotional wellbeing is enhanced when the caring adults feel supported (Lobatto, 2021).

Parents and children remain the experts in their own lives, and we recognise that welcoming an outside professional into a family system can feel daunting and exposing. Our approach is grounded in mindfulness of our presence and a commitment to working with care. As a team, our goal is to create spaces where families can reflect on their experiences, explore their challenges, and begin to make sense of them within safe and trusting relationships. While achieving this is not always straightforward, the process itself can open valuable insights that benefit everyone involved. We place emphasis on working with the network (relational systems) around the foster family and see how powerfully this can help the family and the child.

To sustain this work with integrity, our practitioners place strong emphasis on their own supervision and reflective practice. This commitment ensures that the support we offer families is both thoughtful and grounded.

Referral Process – typically our team accept referrals from social work teams and can be made using this link