FOREST-based charity Toucan For Children is celebrating 15 years of helping children of the Gloucestershire community.
In this time, the Mitcheldean charity has provided a safe and nurturing environment where children can express themselves and work through challenges with the help of play therapy. This can be for a variety of reasons, including trauma, anxiety, struggles with peer relationships in school and even support during tough times like Covid.
I spoke with the founders of the charity Janice Watkins and Angie Beard, and Trustee Marie Watkins, who told me about their experiences starting Toucan for Children, the challenges, their favourite memories, and what it means to be a play therapist.
The founders have known each other since the 1980s and were both trained as social workers together, however following training, the two followed different paths. Janice went into child protection social work, whereas Angie went into probation.
During this time, the two noticed a wide range of children that had been through difficult experiences, and in particular, how these experiences impacted the children’s mental health.
Through the years, Janice trained as a play therapist while Angie worked as a children’s counsellor. However, despite their differing paths, the two still shared a frustration about the lack of therapy available for young people.
Eventually, the founders found their way into the Mitcheldean building they are based in now; Unit 6, The Mews.
Janice said: “We told one another we have got to stop banging on about it and actually do something.
“When we started, play therapy wasn’t really recognised. We were the only play therapists in the area - so it’s been a bit of a journey plugging away and raising awareness.”
The fifteen years have been highly successful. Now, the charity has therapeutic rooms in both Mitcheldean and Gloucester, around 16 therapists and students.
The success has been shown through the positive feedback from the children, parents, adoptive parents, and the students who undertake their clinical placements with Toucan for Children.
Angie and Janice said: “One of the highlights is the students. Seeing them grow and becoming professional therapists, and then moving off on their own. Now, there is a real network of therapists across the county. A lot of them have done their clinical hours at Toucan.
“We also had a young lady who came for two periods of therapy. She wrote her homework about her time at Toucan, her therapy and how that special person had helped her through it. That formed the basis of a song for Toucan. I think it just shows how important we are for children.”
The team also told me how dedicated the team is to their professionalism and to the children. They explained that becoming a play therapist is a long road that requires commitment, and it’s not going to make you a lot of money. However, it does allow you to help those in need and build a stronger community.
While the journey has seen the charity grow into the highly beneficial entity that it is today, it was not an easy road - especially financially. In the early days, the founders would help fund their vision by doing independent assessments for the court, and going without wages. It wasn’t until 2016 that Toucan for Children became a registered charity - which allowed them to access help with grants.
The founders knew there were children out there that needed their help, and they have been able to deliver it through determination and hard work - but the pair said that more can be done with some extra help.
They both explained avoiding crisis situations is key, which is why it’s important to intervene as early as possible - but to do this, more funding and raising awareness is needed. Janice said: “Raising awareness in schools and putting training into schools to recognise the early signs of mental health needs is needed, along with recognising that it’s worth having some funding.
“We can intervene early, so we can prevent the whole rush of the needs of referrals to crisis. The focus needs to be on that early intervention.
“We’d like to see play therapy really recognised, children’s mental health really recognised at an earlier stage, and we’d like to have the ability to do more work supporting parents.”
Marie added: “Our long term goal would be to have this as a free service - I guess that would be our dream, but to do that we need fundraising to function and operate.”
The team hopes to see this dream become a reality as they look towards the next fifteen years. Those that have been with Toucan expressed their gratitude to the founders’ work of the last decade and a half.
Toucan manager, Rachel said: “It’s been a real pleasure to manage Toucan since 2023 and be part of such a successful Charity.
“Its longevity is testament to the dedication and commitment of everyone involved particularly Janice and Angie who have put their time, heart and souls into ensuring that this much needed service is available for all. At a time when support for children’s mental health is minimal but need high, and charities generally are struggling, it is a real achievement to reach 15 years and still be going strong. We are looking onward and upward towards the next 15!”
While the need is high for the services of the team, they wanted to make it clear that they do not just “play with children”. They are all trained professionals, which offers a psychotherapeutic intervention alongside play and creative arts.
Play and creative arts therapy sessions take place at one of three fully equipped playrooms, which are safe and nurturing spaces, containing a variety of play materials like toys, sand, arts and crafts, which help to enable children to express their feelings.
If you’d like to learn more about the charity or the services it offers, you can read more about it via the website or social media platforms. You can also contact the team via email [email protected] or call them on 07526 245880.
