Schools

11,500 of the children Kids Company supports are in our Schools Programme. Through therapeutic and social work provisions within 37 schools, we offer a chance for children who may feel silenced and profoundly isolated by traumatic events in their lives to seek robust adult help, and a safe, caring space in which they can explore their experiences.

Through therapy, social work and group activities, we help children with their emotional pain and prevent them being excluded from or dropping out of school. We also provide outlets for children through the arts, encourage their talents and identify and solve a variety of social care issues including child protection.

Children come to Kids Company for one-to-one counselling; art, play or drama therapy; social work; family therapy; and general help with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Using qualified and trainee psychotherapists, arts therapists and counselling psychologists we see children for therapy in a playroom created by Kids Company in the school.

Other one-to-one interventions include alternative health sessions, language support or brief cognitive therapy. All Kids Company staff and trainees have enhanced CRB checks and are supervised by a senior mental health professional once a week. The trainees are also supervised by their university tutors.

Recent research by the University of London has shown the prevalence of emotional difficulties amongst children in our schools programme, and the positive effect of Kids Company’s interventions. Of the sample studied:

• 68% of children in our schools had an above average stress level
• 70% demonstrated that the difficulties they experienced had an above average negative impact on their ability to learn and to socialize with peers.
• 89% of children experienced positive outcomes as a result of receiving sustained therapeutic involvement from Kids Company staff.
• 83% achieved a positive education outcome as a result of Kids Company’s sustained therapeutic work.

If you would like your school to access Kids Company’s services, please contact Camila Batmanghelidjh.