Therapeutic Supported Living Placements
Forest Youth Services are a family-run service created to offer Supported Living Placements (16-18) and Residential Placements (11-18) with a therapeutic ethos based around Systemic Family Therapy. Our staff undertake training in Systemic Practice along with regular group supervision with qualified Systemic Psychotherapists. This equips our staff with the knowledge and space to provide thoughtful and creative support to our young people.​
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We are a little different
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Systemic therapeutic input to every placement
One-to-one counselling available to each young person
Independent living skills bursary for each young person to support engagement
All properties maintained to a standard we would live in ourselves without exception
In-house bike project and gym memberships made available to all young people
About Us
Forest Youth Services was created by brothers Luke and James Parsons.
Luke began his career in residential crisis placements in 2006 and decided at this early stage to develop therapeutic placements for young people with an effective and evidence-based model. Toward this aim he qualified as a social worker in 2012, worked with the reclaiming social work model in Hackney and Southwark then worked closely alongside Psychotherapists with both Systemic and Psychoanalytic training. He completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Wellbeing at the Tavistock Clinic and qualified as a Systemic Practitioner at Bath University.
James runs an FCA-regulated financial advisory company and is also a magistrate sitting in the criminal and family courts, so has experience of difficult social situations and complex decision making. James is also the proud father of an adopted daughter with relevant experience of social services and therapeutic parenting.
We have established a diverse, experienced and passionate staff team at our properties in central Gloucester and Cheltenham. These houses are Supporting Living Placements for young people aged 16-18. Our aim is to continue to grow our staff base, culture and expertise towards opening Ofsted regulated therapeutic placements for young people aged 11-18 in the future.
Our Services
Therapeutic support
Our Support Staff are trained in basic Systemic Practice through an in-house programme delivered by Systemic Psychotherapists.
The Systemic Psychotherapists we work with have experience of local Children and Young People’s Services (a.k.a. CAMHS).
Our support staff receive regular reflective group supervision from Systemic Psychotherapists.
Regular reflective group supervision assists our team to support individual residents, the dynamics between residents and the relationships with staff whilst considering a wider social and cultural context.
Young people entering our service are encouraged to engage in a therapeutic assessment with a Systemic Psychotherapist and are offered access to counselling sourced by a local provider thereafter, if they wish. This assessment assists us as a service in understanding the needs of young people entering our placement and gives young people an experience of a therapeutic talking therapy. We also offer a short piece of Life Story work/assessment either at entry or to be engaged with after a settling in period.
Independent Living Skills Support
The young people entering our supported living placement will arrive with their own individual level of independence skills. As such the program of support implemented for each young person will be tailored to their specific needs. Young people are encouraged to engage with the Independent Living Skills Program through the provision of an Independent Living Skills Bursary of £15 per week. This will be provided pro rata dependent on completion of a set of weekly goals which will be developed and agreed with each young person individually and regularly developed and adapted. This program will include focus on the following areas:
Hygiene routines
Maintaining a clean and safe living environment
Food preparation and healthy eating
Food and grocery shopping and budgeting
Joining and attending leisure and health activities
Accessing and registering with health services
Healthy relationships and safe sexual health
Education, training or employment
Family contact
Taking care of their emotional and mental health
Religious and cultural needs/preferences
Reducing substance and alcohol abuse
Safety and self-harm reduction
Appropriate conduct and behaviours/reduction of offending behaviour
Managing emergencies
Socialising, community integration and pro social behaviour
Attending appointments and meetings
Independence skills development
Bill payments, banking, savings and money management
Obtaining independent accommodation and accessing a tenancy
Joining home seekers and support with bidding for housing association properties
Building self-esteem and confidence in order to reach their full potential
To evidence the progress made for residents at Forest Youth Services in independence skills a Portfolio will be created with residents and regularly updated. The aim of this document is to assist in evidencing readiness for a young person to manage their own tenancy or otherwise evidence the additional skill development required at end of placement.
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We also have an in-house bike project to ensure that all residents who have completed one week in education, training or employment are provided a bike to fix up with the help of an in-house bike mechanic. Residents are then given basic cycling proficiency training, a helmet and a bike lock, and on completion of this course will take ownership of their bike.