Do you fund therapy and counselling for children and young people?

We have created this guidance to help you find an appropriate therapist/counsellor that meets the needs of the child/young person you are supporting. Other supportWe ask that you exhaust all other options for support before requesting funding for counselling and therapy from Buttle UK. Please check with your Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and, if they cannot help, please ask them what other alternative support is available locally. Other options for therapy support:Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) - provide additional capacity for early support and meeting the mental health needs in primary, secondary and further education settings.Place2Be offer different services in school, depending on their need following an assessment.Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund Local authorities and regional adoption agencies can apply for therapeutic funding for eligible adoptive, special guardianship order and child arrangement order families. Victims of abuse - some regions will have funding to support child victims of abuse (including domestic abuse) with  counselling and 1:1 support.Selecting a therapist/counsellorWe will only offer funding for a therapist who is qualified to work with children and young people, and are on one of the following registers:Health and Care Professional Council register (HCPC)A register that has the Professional Standards Authority AccreditationOr you can register and use TACaccess Once you have found an registered and qualified therapist, you might want to check they have a DBS (or equivalent) and appropriate insurance. Discuss the package of support they are recommending for the child/young person, and the full cost. Therapy is not easy for a child or young person so please check with them whether short-term therapy will be beneficial.What we can fund:Up to £1,200 with sessions costing £40-£75 each. This can include initial assessment and up to 2 parent reviews (if needed).What we will not fund:Agencies who offer chargeable therapy/counselling services themselvesReports or professional meetingsTherapy/counselling carried out by a studentPayment:We ask therapists to provide an invoice for costs incurred at the end of each month, for a cheque payment from Buttle UK. Invoices should be made out to the agency or to the family, never to Buttle UK. If using TACaccess, you can pay via prepaid card. We will not pay for sessions if the child chooses not to engage. Payment will not usually be made in advance, unless the therapist agrees to refund Buttle UK should sessions stop. If the child/person misses two sessions in a row, that are not prearranged, then we do expect the therapy to stop.