I am raising £10,000 in start-up funding to develop and launch a UK-based Alternative Provision (AP) for children in care and young people with significant mental health needs who are unable to access mainstream education or are placed in unsuitable or unstable provision.

Across the UK, many young people fall into a gap between education and mental health services. They may be too unwell to attend school, placed in provision that cannot meet their needs, or waiting for CAMHS input. During these periods, they often receive little meaningful educational support, despite being some of the most vulnerable young people in the system.

This Alternative Provision is designed to maintain access to education during these critical periods, while also addressing mental health needs in a safe, structured, and professionally governed way.

The provision will be education-led and trauma-informed, drawing on my background as an experienced residential childcare practitioner working with children in care and young people with complex emotional and behavioural needs.

Alongside education delivery, the provision will include integrated clinical mental health support delivered by two NMC-registered Mental Health Nurses, one of whom is CBT trained. Young people will receive:

Mental health assessment

Weekly mental health support sessions

Structured CBT intervention where appropriate

This support is designed to help young people regulate emotionally, reduce barriers to learning, and remain engaged with education during periods of instability. The provision works alongside, not in place of, CAMHS, schools, or statutory services.

The £10,000 target represents start-up funding only. It will be used to develop the platform, establish safeguarding and clinical governance systems, create trauma-informed educational content, and pilot the provision safely. Ongoing delivery will be supported through longer-term funding routes once the pilot phase is complete.

This project is about ensuring that children in care and young people with mental health needs do not fall completely out of education simply because the system cannot currently meet them where they are.

Thank you for supporting a project that puts safety, education, and mental health at the centre — and helps young people stay connected, supported, and hopeful during the times they need it most.