Therapeutic Offer
A key feature of SMS Nurture Care is its emphasis on therapeutic training and support. Staff are required to have minimum qualifications including Level 3 in Childcare and Level 2 in Therapeutic Skills for Trauma Informed Practice, while managers hold Level 3 in Childcare and in “How to Build a Therapeutic Environment”. All staff are expected to engage in at least four specialist therapeutic courses per year. On the student side, psychological assessments are standard at admission; these include tools such as the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), TSCC (Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children), WISC-V, and more, with further assessments depending on need, e.g. speech & language or sensory work. 
The care model also includes multi-disciplinary oversight and bespoke intervention packages. There are regular meetings: fortnightly for clinical consultation between home managers and clinicians, plus monthly full-team meetings led by the lead clinician. Clinical input can include up to three hours per child per month (depending on need), key-worker support, one-to-one work, and further staff consultation. Additionally, there are ‘Keyworker Intervention Tools’ (KIT) for therapeutic care and education. Students in nurture care are eligible for the full suite of SMS Education programmes – including Changing Lives School, SMS Central, SMS Thrive, and SMS Engagement – each tailored to different needs, from smaller class sizes to vocational and bespoke learning.