Clear Sky Children’s Charity provides Play & Creative Arts Therapy to vulnerable children when they need it most. Working in schools across Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties, Clear Sky support children who have experienced bereavement, bullying, family breakdown, parents in prison, parents with substance abuse issues, parents with mental health issues and traumatic experiences (e.g., car accident, fire etc.). These children are presenting with a range of complex emotional and behavioural needs, some of which are likely directly attributable to the recent Covid restrictions and associated social and economic pressures.
Demand for our services has risen dramatically; we have seen an increase in school referrals of 28% on the previous year. We are currently working in over 40 schools and directly with over 100 children. We provided just under 2000 therapeutic sessions in the last academic year.
Our comprehensive and holistic support services are proven to support mental health problems in children and include:
Helping children overcome mental health difficulties with Play & Creative Arts Therapy in schools, with therapists who are qualified at postgraduate level. Over 95% of the children we supported last year show significant and measurable improvements in emotional wellbeing and behaviours.
Supporting parents to use child-led play to support their children, promote emotional wellbeing and build stronger relationships at home. This area of our work has been supplemented by our Parents Play Kit which we launched at the start of lockdown.
Training professional practitioners such as teachers to use our specialist skills and a child-led approach to support children and families and the provision of ongoing CPD, delivered by sector experts in our learning Institute of Play and Attachment.
A huge thank you to the Pixel Fund for helping us to support as many children and families as possible.