Adoption and trauma support.
Specialist support for children and families navigating adoption, foster care, and early trauma.
Healing early trauma.
At Oakdale, we provide specialist support for children who have been adopted, fostered, or looked after. Early trauma, loss, neglect, or disrupted attachments can affect emotional wellbeing, behaviour, and relationships.
Our tailored, evidence-based therapies help children and families overcome these challenges in a safe, nurturing, and confidential environment.
Who we are.
Oakdale is a trusted provider of adoption support services across Yorkshire, the Humber, and nationally. As an approved provider we can:
ASGSF-funded therapy
Deliver therapeutic services funded through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF).
Nationwide partnerships
Work with local authorities and adoption agencies across England.
Qualified practitioners
Offer families confidence that our practitioners are qualified, supervised, and follow recognised safeguarding and clinical standards.
Our approach.
Every child is unique. We take a whole-family, collaborative approach, working with parents, carers, schools, and social care to provide personalised care. Our services help with:
Overcoming trauma and attachment difficulties
Recovering from abuse
Building connection, safety and trust in relationships
Improving emotional regulation, wellbeing and behaviour
Addressing school and social challenges
Supporting cognitive, health, and sensory needs
Exploring support relating to gender identity
Understanding treatment of dissociation and dissociative disorders
We provide flexible support, including face-to-face, video, telephone, and outreach sessions in homes, schools, or local clinics.
Supporting families with evidence-based care.
At Oakdale, we’re here to help children and adults feel understood, supported and empowered to live healthier, happier lives.
Tailored assessments.
Our multidisciplinary assessments are tailored to each child and may include:
Child and parent assessments
School observations
Standardised attachment assessments
Cognitive and developmental evaluations
Accredited therapeutic services.
We are an accredited provider of the Adoption and Specialist Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), offering therapies such as:
Attachment-Based Psychotherapy, CBT, and EMDR
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
Family and Systemic Psychotherapy
Art, Music, and Dramatherapy
Play Therapy, Theraplay and Filial Therapy
Therapeutic Life Story Work
See how we explore your child’s world,
step by step.
At Oakdale, we take a thorough, compassionate look at the child’s experiences, relationships, and daily life. Here’s what you can expect from the assessment process.
Referral & free consultation
We accept referrals from families (self-funding), social workers (ASGSF-funded), and other organisations. A free consultation (if required) identifies needs and confirms the appropriate assessment.A proposal is then provided to the family or referrer, with hybrid/top-up funding options discussed where relevant.
Assessment planning & preparation
Once funding is agreed, we gather background information and send tailored questionnaires to parents/carers (and school where appropriate). This helps us plan an assessment that reflects your child’s experiences, strengths, and current challenges.
Parent / caregiver sessions
We meet with parents or caregivers to explore your family journey, current relationships, and your child’s behaviour. We also consider caregiver wellbeing and wider support needs to ensure recommendations are realistic and supportive.
Child & family sessions
We work directly with your child either individually or with you as a family, using developmentally appropriate, evidence-based approaches. These sessions help us understand attachment patterns, emotional regulation, strengths, and your child’s lived experience. Click here for more details.
Bringing it all together
Where helpful, we liaise with school or observe your child in education. Our multidisciplinary team then brings together all the information to build a clear, trauma-informed understanding of how experiences shape behaviour and develop personalised recommendations.
Feedback, report & next steps
We share findings in a sensitive, collaborative feedback session focussing on how to build stronger connections. Families and professionals receive a clear written report with practical recommendations for home, school, and therapy, and guidance on next steps for support or intervention.
Assessment tools.
At Oakdale, we use a range of evidence-based assessments to understand a child’s emotional, cognitive, and relational world. Each tool is carefully selected and delivered by trained specialists to provide accurate, meaningful insights that guide personalised support.
We're proud to partner with BUSS Model Ltd.
founded by Sarah Lloyd, Specialist Occupational and Play Therapist.
BUSS® - Building Underdeveloped Sensorimotor Systems is a BUSS® - is a relationally based therapy that’s all about building bodily regulation.
Good bodily regulation starts developing at the very beginning of a baby’s life and is the foundation for everything that follows. Its development can be disrupted for lots of reasons, and BUSS® practitioners support families to go back and fill in gaps in its development.
Research by Newcastle University (2026) looked at the validated outcome measures for 468 families who had completed a BUSS® intervention. It showed that building bodily regulation using this model had positive effects across parent-child relationships, emotional wellbeing, mental health, and behaviour. Click here to read an Executive Summary of these findings. Click here to watch an animation explaining BUSS® and the research.
For more information about BUSS® in the early years (LEAPlets®), as a clinical intervention with families, or how its used in education, please visit the website, www.bussmodel.org
Why families choose O Oakdale.
Experienced, accredited practitioners
Our team includes highly trained specialists with the skills and experience to provide accurate assessments and effective support.
Tailored, evidence-based interventions
Every plan is personalised, using proven methods to meet the unique needs of each child and family.
A confidential, nurturing environment
We provide a safe, welcoming space where children and families feel supported and respected.
Collaborative support across schools, families, and social care
We work closely with everyone involved to ensure consistent, joined-up care and guidance.
Flexible appointments, including evenings, Saturdays, and outreach
We offer convenient options to fit around school, work, and family life, including home or community visits.
What our clients told us.
As part of our whole-service evaluation, we invite every family to share their feedback at the end of their support with Oakdale. Here’s what they had to say.
100%
of families said the help they received was good
100%
of families would recommend
Oakdale
97%
of families felt it was easy to talk to their practitioner
Funding your support.
There are several ways support can be funded, and Oakdale is here to help you find the option that works best for you.
Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF)
If your child was adopted from care or is under a Special Guardianship Order, you may be eligible for ASGSF funding to cover therapy costs. Applications are made by your local authority’s adoption support team, naming Oakdale as your preferred provider.
Where ASGSF funding is limited, Oakdale can work flexibly with self-funded top-ups or contributions from schools, charities, or fundraising to support continuity of care.
Self-funded & other funding routes
Families may also choose to self-fund support with Oakdale, allowing quicker access and flexible, ongoing care.
We accept funding from schools or local authorities, healthcare providers or ICBs, employers, charities, and fundraising initiatives.
Our team can advise on the best option and provide quotes or supporting documents as needed.
Nationwide access, local care.
Clinics across Yorkshire (Harrogate, Halifax, and Leeds) and Norfolk, plus online appointments available UK-wide.
Get the same expert support, wherever you are.
Why choose Oakdale.
- NHS-approved & trusted provider.
- Multidisciplinary clinical team.
- Flexible NHS and private options.
- Fast, accessible appointments nationwide.
- Neuroaffirmative, trauma-informed approach.
Get started
Oakdale’s adoption and trauma support service provides expert support for adopted and looked-after children. Funded through the adoption support fund or privately, we guide families from referral to therapy to build resilience, connection, and wellbeing.
Adoption and trauma support service FAQs.
Commonly asked questions.
The service supports adopted children and their parents, children under Special Guardianship and their families, children in foster care and their carers, care-experienced young people, and professionals supporting families who've experienced relational loss and trauma.
The ASGSF can fund therapeutic support for children who are, or have been, adopted or under Special Guardianship. Applications are made jointly with your Local Authority adoption support team, and we provide ASGSF-approved specialist assessments and therapeutic interventions.
A wide range tailored to each child, including attachment-based psychotherapy, CBT, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), EMDR, systemic family therapy, and creative therapies such as art, music, play, and drama therapy.
Assessments are tailored to each child and may include an initial consultation, review of background information, child and parent observations, school liaison where needed, play-based assessment tools, and cognitive assessment, often with outreach in the home, school, or care setting.
Referrals for adoption support or ASGSF funding are usually made by a social worker. Local Authorities can refer other groups, and private referrals, including for care-experienced adults or anyone affected by trauma and loss, can be made directly through our enquiry form.