The NATP is a not-for-profit organization, formed in March 2017 in response to a need identified from:
Important research * which was requested by the Commons Select Committee to be heard in evidence as part of the central government’s Fostering Inquiry.
Feedback from the social media network of over 8000 Therapeutic Parents and supporting professionals (now over 26,000).
Many training events, seminars, conferences, and workshops were carried out throughout the U.K. with foster parents, adopters, kinship carers, stepparents, special guardians, and biological parents of children who had suffered trauma or separation.
Most parents and carers were found to be dealing with the same central themes:
1. Difficulties managing the behavior of children who had suffered trauma
2. Difficulties in accessing correct information about the effects of trauma on the child
3. Difficulties in gaining the understanding and support of others about their parenting style
4. Lack of knowledge around the impact on themselves, regarding caring for traumatized children and how to minimize those effects
5. Feelings of isolation
6. Feelings of being blamed, misunderstood, and unsupported
7. Feeling unable to continue caring for the child or children
Many parents did not have any central support system in place at all it was decided, therefore, by members of the committee, to form an organization to help all parents caring for traumatized children, to be able to access resources and pool information about available services, regardless of their legal status.
The suggestion was met by exceptional positivity within the social media site (Therapeutic Parenting), which had grown from 120 members to 26,000+ in less than three years.
