Overview

DiAmond is a BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) accredited counselling service for children and young people (CYP) who are experiencing a range of issues as a result of their experiences of Domestic Abuse.

There is initial capacity to complete therapy with a minimum of forty CYP each year. The DiAmond service has been developed by the organisation Listening Ear. 

The DiAmond brand was co-designed with children and young people (CYP) who previously accessed counselling through Listening Ear due to their experiences of Domestic Abuse.

Since 2014, Listening Ear has managed 2468 referrals for children and young people through its DiAmond service and the service has been shaped in response to the feedback Listening Ear has received from these service users. 

Via telephone, you will be asked to leave a voicemail which will be immediately emailed to an administrator who will return your call. This is due to remote working.

Once a child is in service, the referrer and parent/carer will be provided with the therapist’s work mobile number. The therapist will be contactable during their working hours (21 hours per week – days and times to be agreed) when they are not in a counselling session).

The CYP must be aged 5 to 19 years inclusive, a Warrington resident, attend a school in Warrington or be registered with a Warrington GP. CYP must be presenting with mild-to-moderate mental health issues and have experienced domestic abuse.

Referrals for those with (severe to enduring) diagnosed mental health conditions, e.g. those hearing voices, bi-polar and those with severe self-harm and suicidal ideation that cannot be managed through our risk-assessment and safety planning process, will be escalated to the care of the mental health trusts (e.g. CAMHS). Parent/Carers will be provided with information, advice & guidance to support smooth transition of care to CAMHS.

Referrals will be accepted from family members or any third-party professional (with parental consent) and should be submitted online at https://listening-ear.co.uk/refer/counselling/.

Referrals will then be checked with schools to ensure that no existing/alternative provision is available to the CYP. This will help with managing demand against capacity for the service.

A whole-family telephone assessment or an in-person assessment will be held with the parent/ carer. For the in-person assessments, these will be held at an agreed, accessible location for the family.

CYP will be consulted as part of the assessment process at their 1st therapy appointment.

CYP will be offered up to eight one-to-one activity-based therapy sessions or traditional counselling sessions for older young people in schools, or other community locations with onward referrals and signposting to additional complementary services. Where remote support is preferred (e.g. video counselling) this can be accommodated.

Parents and carers will be provided with advice & guidance in relation to their assessment and will be (supportively) signposted to a range of external services appropriate to their needs. Our Parent/ Carer End of Service Satisfaction Questionnaire will ask Parent/Carers about some of their own care as well as their child’s care.

  • "She is a lot better than she was, she is now able to sleep alone"
  • "He has really enjoyed the sessions and often talks about what he has done"
  • "I feel the children would've been much worse and more negatively affected if they hadn't been receiving counselling at this time"
  • "Never had any issues at school but at home there has been a huge difference. My child seems more content"
  • "Thank you so much for the difference you have made for all of us"
  • "Yesterday my child spoke more comfortably about sharing concerns in the family. They used to keep things to themselves."
  • "The boys found it extremely helpful and enjoyed the time we spent together. It was different to what I expected and perceived counselling to be, it outstretched my expectations, it was fantastic and really helpful for us all. It was a fantastic experience and thank you for helping my children."
  • "The service is amazing I don't know where my 2 boys (and me) would be with out it"
  • This is a fantastic programme that has helped me massively. I have learnt so much about myself. Being able to talk through things I wouldn’t normally has been a massive help. The group sessions are ideal as you feel you are not alone and can help each other.