Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies, Local Authorities, and independent social workers), children’s social care services, children and family social workers, foster carers, kinship carers, and other professionals working with children and families.

Details

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), developed by Dan Hughes, is an approach designed to support children who have experienced trauma within the family. It functions both as a therapeutic intervention—offering direct support to the child alongside their parent—and as a model for parenting.

DDP-informed parenting helps parents build strong emotional connections with their children, increasing their sense of safety and security. The model recognises that many traumatised children can fear emotional closeness and supports them to overcome these fears and begin to heal. At the heart of DDP is the attitude of PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy), which draws on the emotional regulation and reflective capacity of both therapists and parents, promoting greater security for the child and, within parenting, being combined with appropriate behavioural support.

Polly is amazing, very calm and very attentive listening skills . She delivered the training
beautifully. – Attendee 2026

This training session will explore the DDP model and its application in both therapeutic settings and parenting practice. It will introduce the neurobiological theories underpinning DDP, explore key principles of the model, and consider the concept of blocked care alongside the importance of carer wellbeing and resilience. The session will also support reflection on your own nervous system and examine the significant role that professionals play in offering co-regulation to families.

It was an incredible training. – Attendee 2026

Learning 0utcomes

• Understand the DDP model and its application as a therapy
• Understand the principles of DDP-informed parenting support
• Understand the usefulness of this model for adoptive parents and their children
• Consider examples of DDP in practice

About the Trainer

Polly Nugent

Polly qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2009. She then worked in Bristol’s looked after and adopted children specialist CAMHS team for 10 years, where she used DDP principles throughout her work. She has a broad range of experience in offering DDP to families with complex needs, has provided supervision to a range of professionals developing their DDP practice, and has delivered extensive training to both parents/carers and professionals.

Polly is now in private practice, offering therapy to families, supervision to professionals, as well as group work and training. Alongside her strong commitment to DDP and relational approaches to working with trauma, she also has a keen and developing interest in polyvagal theory and what it can offer in terms of wellbeing, resilience and regulation.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.

Who this is for

Adoption practitioners and managers (Voluntary Adoption Agencies, Regional Adoption Agencies and Local Authorities) and Independent Professionals.

Details

In this bespoke training session designed by Jane Mitchell and Sarah Dillon, Directors of Therapeutic Services at the National Association of Therapeutic Parents (NATP) we will explore how to help adoptive families to move from trauma to trust using Therapeutic Parenting. 

Why do we need to use Therapeutic Parenting (PACE) when caring for children who have experienced trauma and neglect?

We will discuss Therapeutic Parenting strategies and solutions for brain-based parenting, using examples from previous cases or current examples if appropriate from the room, we will discuss the following in context:

• Strategies to support children based on developmental and unmet needs
• Re-creating attuned relationships
• Creating connection with your child
• Use of narrative to create a deeper understanding

With reference to the profile of escalation before during and after an incident, Jane will discuss the Therapeutic Parenting approach at each stage.  This will include:

• Thinking of our own triggers
• Early warning signs
• Supporting a child to step down from their fear-based responses
• Keeping the children safe in a crisis
• Co-regulation
• Repairing the relationship
• Reflection and moving on

Learning outcomes

• To help parents to understand why children with a history of trauma and neglect behave in the way they do
• Further understanding of how historical trauma is recreated in the present
• Give insight into the internal survival world of such children
• Understand how Developmental Trauma Disorder is often at the root of many challenging behaviours
• Depersonalise behaviours
• Link behaviour to unmet needs and early life experience

About the trainers

Jane Mitchell

Jane has a background in childcare and education and worked for some years as a childminder before achieving a first-class degree in Childcare and Education at Kingston University, closely followed by a DTTLS qualification. She is a mother to 3 biological children and an adopted daughter with complex needs which led to her interest in attachment. Jane worked as a Trainer and Buddy with AUK for approximately 10 years, she also developed resources and courses for them until she became a Director at National Association of Therapeutic Parents (NATP) soon after it was founded. Whilst at NATP Jane’s role was to stabilize families that were experiencing challenges in their parenting of children suffering from complex developmental trauma. Jane delivers training for Inspire Training Group as a senior trainer and has developed numerous resources for Inspire and NATP. Jane also helped to write the Diploma in Therapeutic Parenting for Inspire. Jane is the co-author of the bestselling Therapeutic Parenting series with Sarah Naish (author of the A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting) and Sarah Dillon. Jane now works for two fostering agencies and as an independent Therapeutic Parenting Counsellor.

Sarah Dillon

Sarah is a Therapist and accredited member of the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Sarah holds many roles which brings a valuable knowledge and experience, these include – Founding Committee Member of the National Association of Therapeutic Parents; Therapeutic Lead: National Association of Therapeutic Parents (NATP); Therapeutic Lead: Centre of Excellence in Childhood Trauma; Child and Adult Therapist for those with attachment difficulties, complex and developmental trauma and others. Sarah’s background is that of a looked after child and spent much of her childhood in the care system. She has four children and five grandchildren.

Instructions

A member of staff will be in touch with attendees one week prior to the event to share a pre-event delegate pack.

If you have any questions regarding this webinar, please contact us at [email protected]. We will aim to answer your query within two working days.

CVAA accept online payments only. In case you do not have instant access to your company card, we suggest using your personal card instead to book a training event and claim it back with your agency in your expenses. Requesting an invoice to pay for our standard practice events is not possible.