Introduction and statement on quality from the Chief Executive
For over 30 years, we have worked hand in hand with schools and Multi Academy Trusts, delivering evidence-informed practice and transforming children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Our model is built on true partnerships. By embedding clinical practitioners within school teams, we develop a deep understanding of each community and deliver joined-up support across families, staff and wider services from GPs and CAMHS to social care.
In today’s increasingly complex environment, marked by rising demand, widening inequalities and sustained pressure on education and health systems, this work is more critical than ever. Together with our school communities, we equip children and young people with the resilience, skills and coping strategies they need not only to manage challenges, but to thrive.
By strengthening whole-school cultures and empowering staff, pupils and families, we are delivering impactful early intervention that improves outcomes and expands equitable access to support.
We know this early support works and that the impact lasts. Our evidence shows improvements in children’s mental health. Recent research with our partnership with City Bridge Foundation, demonstrate improved mental health from one-to-one counselling across London schools have been sustained a year later. Across Salford, Greater Manchester, where we have embedded mental health practitioners, we have seen positive changes in our schools over the four-year partnership.
This approach enables us to reach children often underserved by traditional services. Over
a third of those accessing targeted support come from global majority ethnic communities, with strong engagement from pupils with special educational needs. We also work in areas of higher deprivation, supporting many children facing multiple disadvantages, including poverty, SEN and safeguarding concern, helping to improve access and equity. With SEN/ ASD being a continued area of strategic focus, we have strengthened our inclusion strategy and are seeing strong outcomes and increased evidence base for children with SEND/additional needs. This is especially encouraging where we see children and young people with SEND improve at similar rates to non-SEND children.
Our impact is clear. In 2024–25, 77% of children aged 4–11 and 89% of those aged 11–18 showed improved mental health following one-to-one counselling. Our work also extends to families, with increasing numbers of parent partnership sessions delivered in a year and even more parents/ carers engaging with our parenting smart platform, strengthening support around each child.
Children’s voices remain central to everything we do. Our refreshed Children and Young People’s Strategy ensures their experience shapes our services and drives continuous improvement.
As demand continues to grow, we are calling for a more joined-up approach across education, health and local government to deliver the early, integrated support children urgently need.
This Quality Account sets out our impact, progress and priorities. As always, we welcome your feedback.
With my best wishes
Catherine Roche Chief Executive, Place2Be
Place2Be’s mission, vision and values
We are a children and young people’s mental health charity with 30 years’ experience of providing mental health support in UK schools. Our mission is to improve the mental wellbeing and prospects of children, their families and school communities. Our teams across the UK promote and enable good mental health and wellbeing, and support pupils to manage challenges in their lives. Place2Be’s vision is for all children and young people to have the support they need, to build lifelong coping skills and to thrive.
We believe that how we approach our work is as important as the work itself. Our values shape everything we do:
• Compassion – We bring empathy and kindness to our work, to better understand and meet the needs of children and young people, colleagues and other stakeholders;
• Integrity – We demonstrate sound ethical values in all our work, and we are honest, transparent, courageous and authentic;
• Perseverance – We have the courage to continue in the face of adversity and do this with determination to find effective solutions;
• Creativity – We bring an open-minded approach and flexibility to our thinking and actions and enable others to do the same.
“Coming to Place2Be has been the first time I have felt truly heard and understood. This has helped me feel better about myself and start to make sense of my life and what I want for myself.Student in Southwest England” Student in Southwest England
An overview of Place2Be’s governance structure is available on our website .
Place2Be Clinical Delivery Overview:
Who we are and who we work with.
Our impact is clear. In 2024/25, 77% of children aged 4–11 and 89% of those aged 11–18 showed improved mental health following one-to-one counselling. Our work also extends to families, with over 1,000 parent partnership sessions delivered in a year and over 26,800 parents/ carers engaging with our parenting smart platform, strengthening support around each child.
Who are the children and young people we see?
As a children’s mental health charity providing both universal support through our Whole School Approach and evidence-based targeted interventions for individual and groups of children and young people our practitioners work with a broad range of presentations along a spectrum of severity. For example, some of the children and young people we work with need help to talk through concerns or difficulties and to seek that help where we are in school. Around 38,800 children accessed our Place2Talk self-referral service in the 2024/25 academic year – this is around one in six pupils (15%) of the population of the schools we work in equating to around 5 in every classroom.
However, many of our children and young people have mental health difficulties requiring a higher level of support. In 2024/25, 55% of those who were assessed in our 1:1 counselling service, had severe mental health difficulties according to parents, and 44% of 11-18 year olds self-assessed with severe difficulties.
Most pupils (70%) who received targeted
support make use of the self-referral service before, after or alongside their intervention. Being based in the school enables children and young people to access help when they need it and it is evident that some choose to use the self-referral service to back-up their targeted intervention. When they do so, they achieve similar outcomes in mental health improvement, but in fewer sessions.
Reaching those in need not reached by other services
As a school-based service, embedded in the school and wider community, we reach children and young people who are traditionally underserved by mental health services and can help the health system reach these pupils. For example, 55% of those who self-referred to our Place2Talk service in 2024/25 were from global majority ethnic communities - including 15% who were Asian / Asian British, 14% who were Black / Black British, 10% who were white Irish / other white and 8% who were of mixed ethnicity and 9% who had other ethnic backgrounds.
Overall, 43% of children and young people, who access our 1:1 counselling service, are from global majority ethnic communities – this includes 11% who are Black / Black British children and young people and 10% Asian / Asian British, 9% of mixed ethnicity, 7% White Irish / other and 6% from other ethnic groups – reflecting to a great extent the population of the schools they attend.
We support many children with Special or Additional Educational Needs (SEN/ASN), and around 1 in 4 children and young people who have 1:1 counselling are known to have SEN at assessment (29%) and more are yet to be identified formally as having SEN. This
includes children and young people who are neurodivergent and in 2024/25 just over 1,200 children and young people we worked with in 1:1 counselling, were recognised by their school as having autism, ADHD or both. In total, 9% of all those who had 1:1 counselling had Autism and 7% had ADHD while 2% had both.
We provide our service in areas with higher levels of deprivation - 34% of pupils in the school population are eligible for Pupil Premium in the schools we work in compared with 25% nationally - and we reach children and young people who are vulnerable in terms of being from low-income families (44% with Pupil Premium), having SEN (29%) and being Looked After (4%) or subject to child protection plan (5%).
We
get children and young people the help they need quickly
74% of those referred into the service had their first session of treatment within 12 weeks, following a thorough assessment, and this included 26% who were seen within 4 weeks.
We help reduce pressure on NHS services
Research by Kings College in 2021 study found that school-based counselling from Place2Be supports children with higher complexity of needs in schools, which reduces demand on specialist mental health services such as CAMHS.
Making a difference
And we know that the work of our school-based clinical teams can make a difference to these children and young people. In 2024-25 77% of 4-11 year olds and 89% of 11-18 years olds had improved mental health, on one or more measure, after they had support through 1:1 counselling.
The majority of children and young people were said to be better after counselling by their parents (76%), their teachers (69%) and 89% by young people themselves.
Crucially, the children and young people themselves report that they value their experience of counselling - 96% had a positive experience (3% mixed and 1% negative).
This difference is sustained
Intervening early can make a sustained difference to children’s mental health. Following up children who had received the 1:1 counselling service one year after it had ended found that the improvement in mental health, evident after counselling ended, was maintained one year later.
When compared to a group of children who had not received Place2Be counselling, the mental health improvement in Place2Be’s children was not only greater but was also estimated to continue over two years.
Helping families
By being embedded in schools, Place2Be can also support the parent community and bring the expertise of the mental health practitioner to share with parents who need guidance. Parents take advantage of this and the schoolbased practitioners provided over twenty thousand sessions of ‘parent partnership’ to parents of children in targeted interventions and the wider parent community in a year.
Additionally, 62% of children and young people who accessed 1:1 counselling had an improvement in their homelife afterwards, according to their parents.
Families can access our targeted Personalised Individual Parenting Training (PIPT) parenting programme in their schools. By the child and parent working together with the mental health practitioner, parents / carers experienced a significant improvement in their parenting skills with 93% of parents / carers said that they knew what they needed to do to improve their child’s behaviour after taking part (compared to 52% before) and that the behaviour of 66% of children improved according to parents.
Helping families
Our support for parents and families is fully integrated into our Whole School Approach. This means that, alongside supporting the child, we also ensure that parents and carers benefit from a holistic parent–child approach. Through our family practitioners, we are there on site for parents to discuss with, share concerns or book appointments to have a more detailed discussion around their child’s or even their own needs.
We provide practical advice and strategies that parents can use at home to better understand and support their child’s mental health. This shared approach helps to build trust, strengthen
relationships, and open up clear and supportive communication pathways between families, their children and the school.
How we work
The clinical work we do in school and community settings is carried out by qualified counsellors registered with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (or equivalent) and in some cases supported by trainee counsellors on placement. Parenting support is carried out by qualified Family Practitioners. All our clinical work is supervised by suitably qualified clinical supervisors who are supervised by our regional and national clinical leads. Our Clinical Director has clinical oversight for all delivery across the organisation. Our database and case management system, provides us with clear and direct oversight of every child and young person we work with, ensuring the highest standards of clinical delivery and quality assurance at every level.
Our Research & Evaluation team work with these systems to collect large quantities of data to support the Clinical Director in clinical decision making, in collaboration with the Place2Be Executive Team, CEO and Board of Trustees.
Our Clinical Director along with the Director of Operations reports into the Practice and Quality Committee. Led by Trustee, Dr Margaret Murphy, attended by CEO and supported by additional trustees and advisors, this committee provides the governance required to ensure we are delivering clinical excellence and continuously improving our services for children and young people.
The following report uses the Quality Framework to report on progress in specific areas of delivery during the 2025-26 school year, using our most recent full year clinical outcomes from the 2024-25 school year, and, building on these, sets targets for the forthcoming 2026/27 school year.
1.Safety
Children and young people’s need for safeguarding support or intervention often come to light when they come to Place2Be, where they can speak to a trusted adult about their experience, possibly for the first time. Our staff are trained in identifying and working with children or young people who are identified as, or express concern that they may be, at risk of harm. At Place2Be, we are keenly aware of the responsibility we hold as trusted adults providing services for vulnerable children, young people and families. We want to ensure our practitioners are supported in taking the right approach to safeguarding concerns, ensuring the best possible outcome for our children and young people. We use our own safeguarding processes and protocols, working in collaboration with staff in our partner schools to ensure we are safeguarding our children and young people, and promoting their wellbeing.
Our progress on Safety
Strengthening Safeguarding Practice: Distress and Despair
Children and young people’s safeguarding needs often first emerge within Place2Be, where they are able to speak openly with a trusted adult. In response to this responsibility, our priority in 2025/26 has been to strengthen our therapeutic safeguarding practice— particularly for children and young people experiencing self-harm and suicidal ideation, which remain the most prevalent and increasing risks in our services.
What we set out to improve
During 2025/26, we focused on:
• Enhancing therapeutic responses to distress and despair, including self-harm and suicidal ideation
• Strengthening the use of Risk Assessment & Safety Plans (RASP) as a child-led, therapeutic safeguarding tool
• Building clinic al capabilit y and confidence in practitioners through training and reflective practice
• Embedding consistent quality assurance through supervision, line management oversight, and case audits
• Ensuring child-centred, voice-led practice in all safeguarding interventions
• Reinforcing the application of Place2Be’s clinical model across safeguarding work
This work was driven through our Distress and Despair clinical spotlight, alongside strengthened monitoring and review processes.
What we did
We expanded the use of Risk Assessment & Safety Plans (RASPs) as live, collaborative documents that support ongoing risk management and therapeutic engagement. Clinical supervisors monitored open RASPs through structured supervision, and we introduced termly oversight through line management.
We also conducted regular audits of safeguarding cases and RASPs to better understand variation in practice and duration. This identified key factors influencing timelines, including:
• Length and intensity of intervention
• Variability in service delivery models (e.g. practitioner availability on site)
• Delays in engagement or decision-making by external agencies (e.g. Social Care, CAMHS, police)
Alongside this, the Distress and Despair spotlight provided targeted training and reflective space for practitioners.
What difference this has made
Evaluation of the clinical spotlight indicates that objectives were largely achieved, with most respondents reporting that aims were completely or mostly met. Feedback highlighted that the programme was:
• Thought-provoking and informative, supporting practitioner learning
• Valuable in building confidence and reflective capacity
• Effective in recognising practitioner wellbeing, including the impact of compassion fatigue
We have also strengthened our systems of oversight and quality assurance, with clearer structures in place to support consistent and safe practice.
At the same time, demand for support has continued to grow:
• Self-harm cases increased by 8% (1279 to 1382)
• Suicidal ideation increased by 12% (1003 to 1123)
This underscores both the relevance of our focus and the increasing complexity of need we are responding to. In order to ensure our practice supports and cares for the most vulnerable children and young people we are working with it’s essential our practice in this area is robust and consistent.
Overall assessment
We have made strong progress in strengthening therapeutic safeguarding practice, particularly through improved use of RASPs, enhanced practitioner capability, and more robust quality assurance processes. However, this progress is set against a backdrop of rising demand, and some variability in training delivery and external system factors remains. These insights are informing our next phase of improvement, including further development of training and continued focus on consistency and partnership working.
“I thought it was helpful that the spotlight acknowledged us as practitioners, encouraging self care and that compassion fatigue is real”
The evaluation was used as the basis for developing delivery of this year’s spotlight on anti-oppressive practice, details of which are
included in a later section of this report.
2026-27 Safety priorities
1.1 Strengthening therapeutic use of Risk Assessment and Safety Plans (RASP)
This year we will prioritise further strengthening our use of RASPs as a clinical tool to enhance our therapeutic work with children and young people in need of this support.
This means all our teams will demonstrate consistent, high-quality practice in assessing and holding risk with staff confident to do so and appropriately supported through supervision and training. We have our RASP working group to ensure we work closely with colleagues in our safeguarding team to monitor and manage outcomes effectively and safely when a RA SP is being used.
1.2 Strengthen safeguarding practice in secondary school settings
In 2026/27, we will prioritise strengthening safeguarding practice within our secondary school provision, in line with our broader clinical focus on tailoring services to meet the needs of older children and young people. This cohort continues to present with higher levels of complexity, risk, and safeguarding need, requiring a more nuanced, confident, and consistent clinical response.
Demand for safeguarding support within secondary settings continues to grow significantly, with year-on-year increases of approximately 40%. This reflects both the expansion of our services into new schools and the increasing number of young people presenting with complex safeguarding needs. Notably, Place2Talk accounts for around
40% of safeguarding concerns in secondary schools, highlighting the critical role of accessible, early-intervention entry points in identifying risk.
Our priority areas
To respond effectively to this context, we will focus on:
• Strengthening practitioner confidence and consistency in safeguarding decision-making, particularly in relation to thresholds for intervention and escalation in complex cases
• Enhancing the safety and effectiveness of Place2Talk as a key safeguarding access point, ensuring appropriate triage, follow-up, and integration with wider clinical support
• Improving our use of safeguarding data to maintain a clear and current understanding of presenting risks, emerging trends, and demand patterns across secondary settings
• Ensuring that all safeguarding practice remains firmly child-centred, with decisions consistently guided by the best interests and voice of the young person
Building capability and system effectiveness
Given the frequency and intensity of risk in secondary settings, effective safeguarding relies on strong practitioner capability and robust partnership working. In 2026/27, we will:
• Use targeted training and clinical supervision to support practitioners to demonstrate clear, confident, and defensible decision-making in relation to safeguarding thresholds
• Strengthen escalation pathways and partnership working, ensuring practitioners are well connected to local systems
(including Social Care, CAMHS, and other services) and can effectively support
• young people into the right provision
• Continue to embed reflective practice to support sound judgement in complex and high-risk situations
Supporting practitioner wellbeing
We recognise that working with sustained levels of safeguarding risk can have a significant impact on practitioner wellbeing. We will therefore:
• Maintain close oversight through clinical supervision and line management to monitor the impact of safeguarding work on staff
• Ensure practitioners have access to appropriate reflective space, support, and guidance
• Continue to promote a culture that acknowledges and responds to the emotional demands of safeguarding practice, including compassion fatigue
Through this priority, we aim to ensure that our secondary provision is equipped to respond to increasing demand and complexity with confidence, consistency, and clinical rigour— delivering safeguarding practice that is safe, effective, and centred on the needs of young people.
2. Effectiveness
The effectiveness of our services remains central to Place2Be’s mission. In 2026/27, we will continue to strengthen our focus on delivering evidence-informed, high-quality interventions that achieve meaningful outcomes for children and young people.
We maintain robust standards in data collection, outcome measurement, and analysis, as well as
paying close attention to qualitative data and the experiences of our practitioners on the ground. This ensures a clear and accurate understanding of our impact and enables us to not only assess overall effectiveness, but to identify variation in outcomes across different groups and contexts.
Our approach reflects a commitment to continuous improvement and accountability, ensuring that insights from data are actively used to refine our clinical practice and service delivery. Through this, we aim to ensure that all children and young people accessing Place2Be receive effective, equitable support, and are able to achieve the maximum possible benefit from our services.
Our progress on Effectiveness
What we sought to strengthen
In 2025/26, we set out to strengthen our understanding of the clinical effectiveness of our interventions for children and young people with additional needs (SEND/ASN/ALN). This included a specific focus on whether our model delivers equitable outcomes for those presenting with greater complexity and disadvantage, and where adaptations to practice may be required.
Alongside this, we aimed to strengthen the quality and consistency of our assessment and formulation (A&F) processes, recognising these as critical to ensuring that children and young people are directed to the most appropriate and effective intervention, and that our service is both clinically robust and responsive to need.
What we found
Our analysis has strengthened our evidence base and provided a clearer picture of effectiveness:
• Children and young people with SEND benefit from our interventions, with outcomes showing that they improve at broadly similar rates to their peers in many cases.
• However, those with the highest levels of need (particularly those with EHCPs):
o Present with more severe difficulties at the outset
o Tend to make smaller gains overall
o Are less likely to achieve full clinical recovery
This highlights that while our model is effective, outcomes vary according to level of need, indicating a requirement for greater adaptation and differentiation in our approach.
We have also strengthened our understanding of delivery through:
• Clinical leadership and coordination of SEND/ASN work
• Engagement with external partners and school-based practitioners
• Early insight into effectiveness and costeffectiveness in specialist settings, which is informing wider practice
• Our involvement in the RE-STAR programme (see below)
RE-STAR overview
RE-STAR (Regulating Emotions – Strengthening Adolescent Resilience) is a UKRI/MRC-funded, four-year interdisciplinary research programme (2021–2026) led by King’s College London. It focuses on understanding why neurodivergent young people, particularly those with ADHD and autism traits, are at higher risk of developing depression during adolescence, and how this risk can be reduced.
The programme explores the interaction between neurodivergence, environmental stressors (particularly within school contexts), and emotional responses. Its aim is to identify modifiable processes and translate findings into practical, school-based interventions that strengthen resilience and prevent progression to depression.
Place2Be is a collaborative partner within the RE-STAR consortium, contributing clinical, research, and school-based expertise. We played a key role as a practice-informed partner and advisor within RE-STAR, bridging the gap between research and frontline delivery. Our contribution ensures that the programme’s outputs are both evidence-based and operationally viable within school systems. To support this we ran a webinar with colleagues from the RE-STAR programme, as well as contributing as panel members to webinars hosted by the team. We continue to support them via funding bids for further ‘Place-Based’ research opportunities.
Progress in assessment and formulation
We have made strong progress in embedding consistent and robust assessment and formulation:
• Completion rates remain high and stable (97–98%) across all regions, indicating strong compliance with core processes
• Reviews highlight clear strengths in clinical formulation, safeguarding practice, and increasing inclusion of the child or young person’s voice
• T here is growing consistency in how practitioners understand presenting issues and identify appropriate interventions
At the same time, the review identified ongoing areas for development, including:
• More effective use of Goal-Based Outcomes (GBOs)
• Embedding anti-oppressive and intersectional practice
• Using routine outcome measures meaningfully to inform clinical decision making
• Reducing reliance on 1:1 interventions where alternative approaches may be more appropriate
These findings are consistent across regions and provide a clear focus for continued improvement.
Overall assessment
We have successfully strengthened our understanding of effectiveness, particularly for children and young people with SEND/ASN, and have maintained strong foundations in assessment and formulation practice.
Our work this year provides a robust platform for
improvement, moving from understanding effectiveness at a system level to targeting adaptations in clinical practice to improve outcomes for those with the highest levels of need.
2026-27 Priorities around Effectiveness
2.1 Improve effectiveness for children and young people with SEND / additional needs
• Implement evidence-informed adaptations to practice, drawing on insights from practitioner focus groups and outcome data
• Monitor impact on outcomes for CYP with additional needs, with a focus on those presenting with highest levels of complexity
• Strengthen consistency and equity of delivery across settings
We will know we have been successful if:
• Improved outcomes for CYP with SEND/ASN:
o Increased proportion showing meaningful improvement on SDQ
o Reduction in the gap between SEND and non-SEND outcomes, particularly for those with highest needs
• Evidence-informed adaptations are implemented and visible in practice:
o Documented changes to clinical delivery based on focus group insights
o Positive feedback from practitioners on usability and relevance
• Greater consistency across settings:
o Reduced variation in outcomes between regions / delivery models
o Increased alignment in how interventions are adapted for SEND/ASN
2.2 Use data more effectively to improve clinical practice
• Increase consistent use of Goal-Based Outcomes (GBOs), ensuring at least one goal is set per intervention in 100% of cases, with a focus on primary provision
• Strengthen use of outcome data in clinical decision-making, supported by targeted training and existing resources
• Maintain and improve paired return rates, with active oversight from clinical leads and timely response to identified issues
We will know we have been successful if:
• Goal-Based Outcomes (GBOs) are fully embedded:
o 100% of interventions include at least one recorded goal
o Improved quality of goals (specific, measurable, clinically relevant), evidenced through audit
• Outcome data is actively informing practice:
o Practitioners can demonstrate use of data in assessment, review, and intervention decisions (via supervision and audit)
o Increased confidence reported by staff in using data clinically
• Strong and improving data quality:
o Paired return rates maintained or improved, meeting agreed organisational targets
o Timely identification and resolution of data gaps by clinical leads
2.3 Strengthen therapeutic approach and clinical delivery
• Deliver the new clinical spotlight, focused on clarifying and embedding Place2Be’s therapeutic approach and clinical model
• Ensure a consistent, organisation-wide understanding and application of the model across all provision
• Develop and deliver supporting resources and training, with built-in evaluation to assess impact and inform continuous improvement
We will know we have been successful if:
• Clinical spotlight is delivered and evaluated positively:
o High levels of engagement across teams
o Majority of participants report objectives as mostly or fully achieved
• Improved consistency in practice:
o Clear evidence (via audit and supervision) that the Place2Be clinical model is understood and applied consistently
o Reduced variation in practice quality across teams and regions
• Effective training and resources:
o High uptake of training and supporting materials
o Demonstrable changes in practitioner confidence, knowledge, and application in practice
• Embedded continuous improvement:
o Evaluation findings are used to inform ongoing development and next year’s priorities
Overall
Move from understanding effectiveness to embedding consistent, high-quality, and evidence-informed practice that delivers improved outcomes across all groups.
We will know we have achieved our overarching ambition if we see:
• Improved and more equitable outcomes across all groups, particularly those with the highest levels of need
• Consistent, high-quality clinical practice evidenced through audit, supervision, and outcome data
• A clear shift from data collection to datadriven practice, where insights routinely inform decision-making at all levels
• Increased confidence across the workforce in delivering evidence-informed, childcentred interventions
3. Stakeholder engagement/ experience & Equity
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) is a priority across all areas of Place2Be. With our mission to ensure no child has to experience a mental health issue alone, it is vital we have services that are accessible for all. We continue to identify and work to remove barriers to accessing our services and ensure we are meeting the needs of diverse groups. Key to this aim, as well as to ensuring quality across clinical delivery, is stakeholder experience and engagement.
Our Progress on Stakeholder engagement/experience & Equity
Children and Young People (CYP) Participation Action Plan
The CYP Participation Strategy outlines what we already do across Place2Be to include children and young people’s voices, the gaps in children and young people’s participation, and our next steps as a child’s voice-led organisation.
We have enlisted a refreshed CYP Participation Steering Group, which is now working to implement the strategy by developing localised/ departmental action plans, which will feed into the national strategy and ensure children’s voices are at the heart of what we do. The group has been tasked with introducing a structured and systematic approach to CYP participation, providing a centralised hub with an overview of the existing great practice in this area, as well as clear picture of where we can continue to improve and involve young people in the co-production of resources,
ensuring our services meet the needs of our most important stakeholder. In addition, Regional teams will be reporting on CYP response rates across their delivery as a monthly data focus. This will include area specific strategies for addressing any issues with collection of these important measures.
Increasing the autonomy of young people accessing our service
Having reviewed our processes for gaining consent for counselling for secondary aged students, a proposal was formed to allow young people aged over 12, with ‘sufficient understanding’ to consent on their own behalf to services from Place2Be. This was approved by Risk, and Practice & Quality Committees –summer 2025. The changes have now been implemented as per the original timeline and we are now monitoring the Gillick assessment data, particularly around any concerns and queries raised by schools, changes in demographics accessing services, and ensuring the process works smoothly. We are currently seeing an average of 80% ‘yes’ responses to the Gillick assessment across our delivery in secondary settings, and using rationale for ‘no’ data to assess and respond to any training needs in each area.
Stakeholder engagement/Equity 2026-27 priorities
3.1 Strengthen CYP participation so service design and delivery reflect CYP voice
We will use the CYP participation steering group and action plan to ensure CYP voice is routinely captured and demonstrably informs decisions, priorities, and improvements across clinical delivery, as well as across the organisation as whole. The steering group provides an opportunity for us to gain an
overarching view of current CYP participation activities across different departments, ensuring we are able to draw on this as needed to strengthen our delivery and work with partners on funding bids to meet the needs of our children and young people.
Success will look like:
• CYP voice is routinely captured and evidenced:
o Clear documentation showing how feedback from CYP is gathered across services (e.g. sessions, participation activities, surveys)
o Consistent reporting of CYP insights through the steering group and across teams
• CYP voice demonstrably influences decision-making:
o Tangible examples of service changes, improvements, or priorities shaped by CYP input
o CYP participation referenced in service design, delivery changes, and funding bids
• Strong organisational oversight and coordination:
o The CYP participation steering group provides a clear, organisation-wide view of activity and impact
o Improved alignment and sharing of participation activity across departments
• Increased quality and reach of participation:
o Broader and more inclusive representation of CYP voices, including those with higher levels of need
o Positive feedback from CYP indicating they feel heard, valued, and able to influence change
3.2 Embed anti-oppressive practice in service delivery and learning
Following the deliver y of our clinical spotlight on anti-oppressive practice in 2025-26, we will continue to use the learnings from this to ensure diverse stakeholder voice informs practice. Once the spotlight is concluded at the end of summer term, we can work to ensure learning is translated into changes in delivery, training, and quality improvement activity. We will use the spotlight evaluation to clearly understand and articulate any re- change in practice. We are working with colleagues on the Coalition for Anti-Oppressive practice to ensure the guiding principles for anti-oppressive practice are integrated into our clinical delivery and staff training.
Success will look like:
• Learning is translated into practice:
o Evidence that insights from the antioppressive practice spotlight are \ embedded into day-to-day clinical work
o Observable changes in how practitioners reflect on power, identity, and inequality in their work
• Practice, training, and quality processes are aligned:
o Anti-oppressive principles integrated into:
• Clinical delivery
• Training and induction
• Supervision and reflective practice
• Quality assurance processes (e.g. audits, A&F reviews)
• Increased pr actitioner confidence and capability:
o Staff report greater confidence in delivering inclusive, anti-oppressive practice
o Evidence from supervision and audit of more nuanced, culturally competent
formulations and interventions
• Diverse stakeholder voice informs practice:
o Input from CYP, families, and partners is used to shape inclusive approaches
o Engagement with the Coalition for Anti-Oppressive Practice informs ongoing development and standards
• Measurable improvements in equity:
o Reduced variation in outcomes across different demographic groups (where data is available)
o Increased confidence that services are accessible, appropriate, and effective for diverse populations
3.3 Workforce: bursaries/placements/ workforce
With our extensive history and industry-leading expertise in children’s mental health support across schools nationwide, Place2Be is distinctly positioned to spearhead training initiatives that are attuned to the real-life demands and needs that our school-based staff encounter daily. Our dual role as a service provider and training body allows us to train child counsellors who are equipped with specialised skills that are tailored to the school environment and the unique needs of young people today.
We continually looking at ways to innovate so our training programmes offer diverse options and a comprehensive journey to qualify as a child counsellor. In addition to our continued work towards a Counsellor Apprenticeship standard; we continue to build and deepen our reflection on anti-oppressive practice. We make use of the guiding principles developed with the Coalition for Inclusion and Anti-Oppressive practice to reflect on our activity and choices.
Success will look like:
Building the children’s mental health workforce
Working with employers and training providers to Increase accessibility to the mental health workforce by developing the Counsellor Apprenticeship standard.
Diversifying the mental health workforce
Sustained progress towards a more representative workforce for the children and young people in need of support. Creating bursaries and scholarships to remove financial barriers to accessing training, and creating an environment of openness and support for the challenges that arise with a more representative student body.
Develop the expertise within the children’s mental health workforce
4. Governance/ Best use of resources
Our governance structures at Place2Be ensure we are held accountable for all aspects of clinical delivery, supporting us to have the right policies and guidelines in place to improve outcomes for the children, families, schools and communities we support each year. We are proud of our range of evidence-based interventions and are constantly striving to ensure these are meeting the needs of those who have the potential to benefit from the Place2Be service.
Our
progress
NHS Pathways and ‘Going deeper in an area’
Following the implementation of working with NHS and good practice guidelines the senior
clinical team continue to monitor awareness regarding statutory and VCSE provision in each of our areas, supporting staff in maximising collaboration and communication with CAMHS and Mental Health Support Teams. An ongoing focus for clinical and operational teams is understanding where Place2Be operates in schools alongside MHST provision and how this can be developed to ensure best outcomes for children and young people. We are working to strengthen connections with services in areas where Place2Be is well established. Collectively, this will help deliver an effective net of support for children, young people and families.
‘Knowledge, Insight, Tools’ Our CBT-informed intervention
The service delivery data regarding KIT, our CBT-informed intervention and feedback gathered from practitioners and clinical leads indicates that CBT informed approaches are being used effectively within 1 1 counselling and Place2Talk for presentations of anxiety and low-mood without being recorded as a ‘KIT case’. This has led to us moving towards integration of CBT-informed practice within our 1-1 counselling model for young people in secondary settings. Current training materials will be condensed before rolling out a CPD programme to support staff to integrate CBT informed skills into routine practice. This approach would retain the use of a CBTinformed model for those young people who most benefit from it, according to the A&F and outcome data.
Our 2026-27 governance priorities
4.1 Strengthen Parenting & Families offer (including early years / primary settings
We have a blended offer in terms of parenting
with a good evidence-based understanding of the benefits and reach. Our priority for the year ahead is to look at Family Practitioner accessibiliy across our primary schools, ensuring our approach is sustainable and integrated with wider service delivery. We will be reviewing our nursery age early years provision, looking at outcomes from our projects prior to identifying next steps. We will consult with colleagues in PAG as well as draw on the experience and knowledge from our Family Practitioner base.
4.2 Improve recruitment, retention and induction for clinical roles
We know that our children and young people are best served by consistent and high-quality delivery in primary and secondary settings. As a clinical team we can support this by ensuring clinical induction prepares staff effectively and is tailored to model their project and clinical and service delivery requirements. We will review and develop excellent high quality induction resources and processes to support practitioners to successfully embed in their schools and in Place2Be as a whole.
4.3 Develop safe and ethical use of AI in the clinical space
AI technologies have a role to play in our clinical work. There is potential for reducing admin time for our school based staff, as well as in producing resources to support schools and children and young people. There are benefits, improvements and efficiencies to be found, but this must be withing clear guardrails. Our priority this year is to develop clear clinical governance and guidance, understand and manage risks appropriately (privacy, safeguarding, bias); and realise benefits without compromising clinical standards.
“It’s great to know she has this safe space and a nice person she can trust and talk to”
Parent of a young person in one-to-one counselling
“We are really lucky to have Place2Be in our school. Every school should have it so children have a place to go”
Parent of a year 5 pupil
For further information
Readers can find out more about our impact and our data by looking at the following publications: Impact Report 2024 place2be.org.uk/impactreport
25 years’ learning from practice and evaluation bit.ly/36hmuoQ