Barnardo’s buddies make a positive impact with great 5 star reviews

The Barnardo’s Targeted Intervention Teamwork in partnership with Oxford Health CAMHS and have impressed reviewers on the independent I Want Great Care website. The team offers a range of services to support young people and their families to manage their mental health worries or difficulties.

The service consists of Play Therapists, Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners, Buddy Practitioners, trainee Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners and Barnardo’s Volunteers.

Sally Whitlow, Service Manager said:

“The management team are exceptionally proud of all the hard work, innovation, creativity and dedication showed from everyone within the team.

“Throughout the pandemic the team have shown great resilience and their commitment to supporting their young people. They have adapted their delivery to more accessible digital ways of working. They do still provide face to face those that are unable to access this new style of treatment.”

The support offered by the service is varied from initial assessments to groupwork or individual sessions. The work can be offered to the young person directly or working with their family/carer and sometimes working together with both parties.

One child, on completion of their play therapy sessions, said to their play therapist: “I like coming to my sessions. I wish that I could come for infinity. I don’t want them to stop.”

One reviewer said: “I felt very understood and there is a lot of helpful strategies that really worked for me.”

A parent has fed back following 1:1 support received by her child. She explained: “My experience of CAHMS and the buddy support has been second to none.  At each step along the way since the initial referral the team have been nothing but supportive.

“Everyone has been so understanding of my child’s needs and have really taken time to listen and build up the necessary programme of support for him.”

Another reviewer wrote: “The sessions were really helpful to me and allowed me to actively do the things in life I had become afraid of doing. After each session I started to notice that my anxiety and stress reduced so much to the point that I rarely feel anxious at all. The sessions were so helpful and made a positive impact in my life.”