What our staff say about us
“Amicus is a very special place which is full of curiosity. Our work centres on the reality of being human and the importance of thinking about experiences and behaviours, and owning ones feelings, to enable healthy development and relationships.”
Head of Therapeutic Practice
“I have been part of the Amicus family for 2 years, working as the HR & Service Manager – a role I love, meeting lots of new people and developing the ever growing Amicus Staff Teams. One thing that stands out for me, in comparison to all my previous workplaces, is the openness and honesty, as well as the ‘personal’ touch. Every individual staff member is known to the Directors, we are not payroll numbers, but individuals who are valued, have worth, and all have something to give, different skill sets, but everybody working towards the same outcomes for the children we care for. ‘Care’ is a word often used, but here at Amicus, it has a very real meaning, we are all cared for, supported in many ways and this in turn enables and empowers us to give the same care and respect to the children we care for”
HR & Service Manager
“I’ve always wanted to work with children who have had more difficult starts in life and to help them process their trauma, learn and grow. Working at Amicus has provided me with a career I have always wanted. It’s a difficult but rewarding job and the therapeutic model is fascinating and insightful. During my time here so far I have progressed from a therapeutic care worker to a deputy manager with the help, guidance and support of the management.”
Deputy Home Manager
“As a relatively new member of staff, working with a therapeutic model is an interesting experience that you pick up quickly from experienced practitioners around you. Using it alongside and making it part of the children’s education is important and sets Amicus apart from other communities. In my experience I have particularly seen positive communication come from well-being sessions. These are twice daily and help all children to share how they feel with the group in an honest, open way. It’s a great thing to encourage and be part of”.
Therapeutic SEN Qualified Teacher
“I have worked for Amicus for many years and the growth in the company has been amazing, also the support has helped me grow as a person. Amicus give their all to the children we care for and the staff."
Therapeutic Childcare Practitioner
“I have worked in the Amicus Community for over two years now – the community ethos is visible in the way the management team communicates with colleagues at all levels, taking into consideration the needs of children and staff on a daily basis. What I appreciate about my work is a sense of purpose, dedication and ambition – staff and children are given space and opportunities to grow and develop. Being part of the Amicus Community is a great way of learning hands-on about the psychodynamic way of dealing with strong feelings and emotions, which are inevitable when working with children and young people therapeutically.”
Bank Therapeutic Childcare Practitioner
“I am a senior therapeutic childcare practitioner and I have worked at Amicus for just over 2 years. Working with the kind of children we have here can be challenging, interesting, emotional but it is always rewarding. Having a community that appreciates your views and feelings, no matter how difficult or challenging they are, feels so supportive.”
Senior Therapeutic Childcare Practitioner
“Psychodynamic work has always been an interest of mine and working at Amicus has really shown the long-term positive outcomes it has on the lives of our children. As a community, we not only provide endless support for our young people but also our staff. As an employee, I have always been supported to excel in my role and encouraged with my personal and academic progression within the community."
Therapeutic Childcare Practitioner
“Amicus operates within a safe and supportive environment utilising a child centred approach, in order to promote and encourage the healthy development of the unique children in our care. The network of support and individual acknowledgement acquired within the Therapeutic Community provides a strong sense of belonging, affirming the importance of the individual work we do as Care Practitioners. I have found that working at Amicus has allowed my confidence to flourish within the role and develop key skills that support both my growth within the community and as an individual.”
Therapeutic Childcare Practitioner
“I have been at Amicus for the last four years. During this time I have found the clinical support and opportunities for development to be outstanding, Amicus has a very strong culture of openness and reflection within a very well established and robust therapeutic model. This allows for a great deal of thinking to go into the children’s care, which in turn leads to positive out- comes. The work can be challenging, but it always feels valuable.”
Therapeutic Home Manager
What our children say about us
“I like the food, I like my bath toys. I feel happy and okay living here”
Child – aged 6
“I like living here at Bluebells, because the adults are very welcoming and supportive. I like where the home is based because it is close to the beach and there is lots of things to do”
Child – aged 13
“I live at Amicus because of my struggles and how I deal with them and I have come a long way and have learnt a lot of things that I might have not had had before. At Amicus I have made really good new friends and have learnt alot”
Child – aged 11
“The adults try their hardest to help us. Its up to you to make the good decisions with the help you’re given.”
Child – aged 14
“I like the good trips like Funland, and I like all the adults and my Link Worker”
Child – aged 13
“I really like the house where everyone helps us and cares about us. They can look after us when we struggle”
Child – aged 6
What the network professionals say about us
“Staff have been amazing working with my young person. My young person was struggling with regulating his emotions when he first came to live at Bluebell house. Now, he made significant progress with the staff support he is receiving at Bluebell house”
Social Worker
“Working and supporting my child continues to be a positive experience. I am really pleased with the level of support my child continues to experience at Amicus. He has a fantastic team around him and I have lots of confidence that he will continue to make at Amicus. My experience is that I always feel well-informed at all times by all of the adults supporting my child. Due to my child’s needs, he has difficulty in expressing his views. However, the team at Amicus advocate for my child very well and encourage my child’s participation in all of his meetings to have a voice. All round experience is that the team have a child centred approach!”
Social Worker
“I have been really pleased with the progress that the child I have been working with for several years has made in the three months that he has been placed with Amicus. The staff team keep me updated regularly, and are always willing to put in place whatever is necessary to meet my child’s needs and the requirements of his care plan. They are very skilled in managing his care in a therapeutic way, and this reparative parenting is making all the difference to him. He is already presenting as a much calmer, less anxious child who is building positive relationships with the team around him at Amicus, and I feel far more hopeful for his future than I was three months ago.”
Social Worker
“What I value most about my child I am working with being at The Amicus Community are the wonderful relationships she has with the staff and teachers there. Amicus are unique because the children have routines which are deeply considered and incorporate lots of reflective time. A distinctive aspect of Amicus is the way in which my child’s behaviours have been understood to be a communication, they are managed with this in mind. I would describe Amicus as a kind and tremendously understanding place and never blaming.”
Social Worker