At Beacon Family Services, we believe every child deserves the chance to thrive, and we know that begins with strong, nurturing relationships at home and school. Founded in 2018, we support families in the West Midlands by addressing the pressing need for early mental health support with relational, authentic, and inclusive services that make a real difference.

With the Children’s Commissioner finding only 32% of children receiving the help they need and one in four children expected to face mental health challenges by 2028, the stakes are higher than ever.

Research tells us that one good relationship makes a huge difference. That’s why our focus is on empowering parents, including adoptive parents and special guardians to build strong healthy connections with their children.

We offer fresh and impactful services designed to meet each family’s unique needs. Our evidence-based, flexible approaches provide parents, carers and professionals with the tools to foster emotional well-being and resilience in children. Our support is flexible, practical, inclusive and enriched by play therapies that strengthen relationships and address behavioural challenges in a meaningful way.

Theraplay® techniques help children and their parents, caregivers or teachers to communicate and connect in a playful and fun way. This is ideal for any child experiencing separation anxiety, dealing with divorce or loss in the family, or settling into a new family arrangement. It can also be really helpful for children who find social relationships and communication challenging, such as those with autism or ADHD.

Theraplay®-based techniques are complemented by the use of sensory integration principles which means that each session is child-led and tailored to their specific needs and interests. For some children, their sensory system requires more regulation, which means they may find movement, carrying out daily living tasks, being calm or alert and engaged in a classroom setting more difficult. Where parents, caregivers and schools can introduce playful activities that support children’s sensory systems, they can begin to regulate more.

Many children may also be experiencing challenges outside of the home at school or with friends. Having a good relationship with a parent, caregiver or teacher helps empower children to deal with those challenges. It also equips parents with the skills to communicate their child’s needs to the professionals in their life. We regularly work in partnership with schools and other professionals to offer complementary support to children and families through difficult times.

Children living in an adoptive or fostering family may have been hurt or neglected in other relationships. They may have a strong need for control in their relationships with parents and caregivers. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is a playful, accepting, curious and empathic therapeutic approach, known as PACE, to tune in to current and past feelings. Through play, children and parents or caregivers can start to make sense of their family’s world and develop, rebuild or repair their relationships with one another.

We are a not-for-profit organisation with grant funding for programmes of therapeutic support for those families who would not otherwise be able to access family support.

We are funded by Local Authorities accessing the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and funded by schools using Pupil Premium funding.

If you are unable to pay for sessions, we are able to contact schools, local authorities, social workers and local Children’s Centres to advocate on your behalf to provide fully-funded group sessions which are free for you and your family.

You can find out more on our Therapeutic Support for Families page.

You can find our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions here.

We are based in Sutton Coldfield and work throughout Birmingham and the West Midlands. Appointments usually take place at our fully equipped, engaging play space where children can play freely and literally ‘climb the walls’ if they choose. We have a garden so children can explore outside before and after sessions and maybe meet our two friendly cats. Alternatively, we can work with you in your home or another suitable venue if required.

To see our play space, please visit our Gallery.

Following an initial conversation, and before working with children, we meet with parents to find out more about their needs and the perceived needs of their children. These sessions typically last around an hour.

After this, we observe you and your child completing some activities together to make an assessment of how we can best help. We do not make diagnoses. Our aim is to help parents and caregivers make sense of their child’s behaviour and what they may be trying to communicate through their behaviour in order to help build relationships.

Individual sessions with parents or caregivers and children last 45 minutes. During the session, a therapist works with the parent or caregiver and the child to explore thoughts, feelings and relationships through interactive, child-led play. This work helps children to accept the role of their parents or caregivers, helps parents to understand their child’s developmental needs and helps families to develop, rebuild and repair relationships.

For individual sessions, it is always tricky to indicate how many sessions are required as each child and family is different. We meet regularly with parents or caregivers to discuss and review progress. It is during these sessions that parents are able to offload, reflect and build new narratives and possibilities. The amount of sessions required is based on progress and agreed upon by the therapist and the parent or caregiver.

Where appropriate, we also work with siblings and additional family members as necessary. The Theraplay® and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) based techniques learned during the sessions can also be used at home.

All information is confidential* and stored securely. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner.

You can find our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions here.

*Please note, like all other organisations working with children, we are obliged to inform the relevant authorities if we feel there are serious welfare or safeguarding issues which may affect the mental, physical or emotional wellbeing of children.

Get in touch for a free consultation.

For families who are unable to fund their own sessions, we apply for grant funding which allows us to offer fully-funded group sessions which are absolutely free to attend.

The fully-funded group programme is a combination of parent or caregiver only sessions and family sessions with opportunities to reflect and review throughout the course.

During the sessions, a therapist works with parents or caregiver and children to explore thoughts, feelings and relationships through interactive, child-led play. This work helps children to accept the role of their parents or caregivers, helps parents to understand their child’s developmental needs and helps families to develop, rebuild and repair relationships.

To find fully-funded group sessions for your family or to work with us to offer funded sessions for your community, please get in touch.

All information is confidential* and stored securely. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner.

You can find our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions here.

*Please note, like all other organisations working with children, we are obliged to inform the relevant authorities if we feel there are serious welfare or safeguarding issues which may affect the mental, physical or emotional wellbeing of children.

We support schools with professional training, as well as group sessions for children. Please get in touch with us by completing the enquiry form to see how we can help.

You can find our Statement of Purpose, Safeguarding Policy and Complaints Policy here.

All information is confidential* and stored securely. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner.

Website Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

lumin&us Privacy Policy

*Please note, like all other organisations working with children, we are obliged to inform the relevant authorities if we feel there are serious welfare or safeguarding issues which may affect the mental, physical or emotional wellbeing of children.

To help explain to children what Beacon Family Services is about, we have created a child-friendly guide. Within these guide they can find answers to any questions they may have about who we are, why they are seeing us and what happens in the sessions.

Please feel free to download the guide, watch the video and talk it through with your child prior to attending your first session with us.

Find links to our guides below:

Guide for Children and Young People

Accessible Video and Audio Guide for Children and Young People

If you, or your child, have any questions which have not been answered please get in touch using the contact details at the top of the webpage.