ARTS THERAPIES FOR CHILDREN
Who are Arts Therapies For Children?
Across the country children and young people are suffering in ways that we were mostly unaware of a generation ago. The Jewish community is no exception to this trend, and Arts Therapies for Children was set up to support the children of our community facing some unimaginably difficult situations ATFC was established to provide children with the emotional support they need at school in a world where mental health issues are increasingly prevalent, with a simple idea: to work in partnership with schools and parents to provide much needed therapy service to children in our community. They work with children during the school day as school is typically a safe space for them, and therapy forms part of their weekly routine.
In 2016 ATFC began by offering therapy sessions to 30 children in 5 primary schools across London. They appointed their first staff member in 2017 to support the ongoing expansion of our services and are now providing therapy to over 160 children a week in 32 primary schools across London and Manchester.
Why support ATFC?
We support children suffering from a huge range of challenges, including domestic and/or sexual abuse, emotional or behavioural difficulties or adverse mental health.
Since 2016 ATFC has been the only front-line provider of therapy to hundreds of young children across our community who have been in desperate need of emotional support. Due to Covid we are experiencing an unprecedented rise in referrals, with the level of services provided more than doubling in the last two years. It is essential that we provide support to children when they need it most. And unfortunately, there has been a huge rise in the number of children suffering from anxiety, self-harm. Arts Therapies for Children is the ONLY charity who is tackling this problem in this age group. The only other alternative being the NHS, who have a long waiting list, with no guarantee of any support.
ATFC’s approach is unique, and through the services we provide we aim to significantly improve the future trajectory of the children we work with as they mature into adolescence and adulthood. For example, according to the latest statistics over 50% of all mental health problems start by the age of 14. ATFC is working tirelessly with children in our community so that they can manage the mental health problems they face at a young age, so that by the time they reach maturity their mental health is more positive, and issues which may emerge do so in a less pronounced manner.
We need your support to ensure that the children of our community get the support they so desperately need.
How much does it cost for ATFC to help a child in need?
· Each child we take on receives up to 30 sessions per academic year.
· We pay our therapists £50 per session so the total cost for one child is £1,500 per year.
· We then pay 40% of this as the other 60% is usually donated by parents and schools so the cost for one child per year is £600.
How can you help?
· £20 pays for one child to receive one session of Art Therapy
· £60 pays for one child to receive three sessions of Art Therapy
· £300 pays for one child to receive fifteen sessions / half an academic year of Art Therapy
· £600 pays for one child to receive thirty sessions / one academic year of Art Therapy