Welcome to The Belay Foundation

Helping Children Recover from Trauma

Who We Are

The Belay Foundation is a charity helping families whose children have suffered early life trauma.

We work across the UK, finding and training Specialist Support Workers to offer practical help to families in their home.

The impacts of early life trauma can be profound and affect every aspect of a child’s life, and every aspect of family life. Normal routines, education, friendships, psychological, emotional and physical development can all be difficult for a child who has experienced abuse, neglect and moving families. Relationships are the most powerful part of a child’s recovery, particularly their relationship with their parents.

A Specialist Support Worker comes into a family’s home and supports that parent-child relationship to create the best space for healing. By offering parents opportunities for rest, reflection and respite, Specialist Support Workers therapeutically support parents be the best they can be to help their children recover.

Helping families across the UK
Offering specialist support
Creating a space for healing

What Does Belay Mean?

Belay is a climbing term. To belay is to offer safety to another climber by standing at the bottom of a mountain, holding the rope that keeps the climber secure.

Ropes, clips and another encouraging person standing solidly below makes sure the climber is safe and feels safe.

Knowing they are safe means the climber can explore, climb higher and enjoy the climb. Climbing is a big part of our lives and a metaphor for what we hope to achieve for families.

The Belay Foundation can be part of the team belaying a family, offering practical help at home that will fit in with and enhance all the other support around a family.

How We Help

The Belay Foundation understands how hard it can be to parent a child who has experienced early trauma.

Parenting can be emotionally and physically exhausting and it can be difficult to find someone to offer practical but therapeutic help at home such as childcare.

We also know there are many emerging professionals interested in pursuing careers supporting children and families therapeutically and seeking work experience to develop their knowledge.

The Belay Foundation meets both needs by matching students of subjects such as psychology, social work and education with families who need help at home. The work is paid and well supported with training and supervision. Training and support is also offered to families. Although Specialist Support Workers work individually with families, there is a growing Belay community to share knowledge, skills and encouragement.

We are creating a network of those needing help and those offering it, to improve the life chances of those children impacted by trauma.

See What Our Workers and Families Say

Stories from our community.

Adoption Support Therapist
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I have been in touch with you in relation to a number of families in the last couple of months. I can honestly say that your service seems like some kind of miracle!
Specialist Support Worker
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I am enjoying it so much, and feeling so supported and reassured.
Parent
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The service has been excellent. It has removed the time and stress involved in trying to recruit the right kind of person. It has also supported us by offering support /training for the Specialist Support Worker particularly as the behaviours of our children can sometimes be difficult to explain.
Parent
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We have been really impressed with the Belay Foundation. The process has been supportive and very efficient.

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