A few words from Mary Walsh,
Chief Executive of SACCS
Our aim has always been to give children a voice and prepare them for the future. We are dedicated to helping children recover from their early emotional injuries at the hands of one or both parents, and recognise that the right combination of love, understanding, therapeutic care and treatment is necessary to make this happen.
Established in 1987, our work was initially focused on children who had experienced sexual abuse. All too often, these children became lost in a system that ensured their physical safety but failed to really listen to the traumatised child at the heart of the process. To address this need, we engaged with renowned international practitioners and researchers across the children's sector, pioneering the creative use of toys, art, books and stories to reach out and understand the child's reality so that it could be represented in the courts.
Our focus now is on an ever improving service for all children who have been traumatised by abuse and neglect. We continue to develop our environment where every aspect of the child is kept safe in order that they can recover. This includes continued research into our model of recovery, improvement to our working methodologies to evidence outcomes and our Foundation Degree minimum standard staff development programme.
Over the coming months and years, SACCS intends to maintain its position as a specialist provider of services to the very few children at the very apex of need within the Looked after Children population, the 1 in every 200. Our teams of professional practitioners who are expert in their own disciplines will persist in their own development to ensure that our practice remains in line with the latest available knowledge.
We hope that you enjoy and are informed by the content of the SACCS website and look forward to engaging with you as current or future professionals in the field with your thoughts, feelings or questions.
