Funded Projects

Community Interest Company & Registered Charity

The OTIS Project

Opportunities Through Inspiring Stories

The Otis Project is a creative therapeutic initiative supporting Barnsley’s Children in Care, adopted children, and those in kinship care to share their stories through music, art, drama and performance. Inspired by a young person in foster care who wanted to tell his story through drama, the project provides safe, supportive group spaces where young people can explore their experiences, build confidence, and celebrate their resilience.

Delivered by eQuiPT Therapy Services and funded through The Great Childhoods Ambition Fund, the project culminates in a public exhibition and performances that celebrate the voices, talents and strength of children in care and their carers — strengthening connection, belonging and hope across the Barnsley community.

Referral link:

The Otis Project - Opportunities Through Inspiring Stories - Block 2 – Fill in form

Pathways to Positive Parenting

Therapeutic Parenting Group - Online

Our Therapeutic Parenting programme is a 12-week, trauma-informed group designed to support adoptive parents and special guardians caring for children affected by early life and developmental trauma. Using a “bottom-up” model, the course focuses on three key elements: understanding brain development and attachment (psychoeducation), building connection through playfulness and Theraplay-informed activities, and developing therapeutic language to relate, regulate and set safe boundaries.

Delivered by fully qualified and registered therapists, the programme combines online learning, group discussion, practical demonstrations, role play and access to eQuiPT’s resource platform, including language scripts and sensory “calm packs.” Progress is measured using recognised tools, ensuring meaningful and evidence-based outcomes.

This supportive group environment strengthens parental confidence, deepens understanding of trauma and attachment, and equips families with practical, relationship-focused strategies that create calmer, more connected homes.

Referral link:

Pathways to Positive Parenting – Fill in form

Iron Nest / Nest of Iron

Iron Nest

Summer Rock Band

Iron Nest is an empowering summer project supporting young people with additional needs, including those from care, adoption and special guardian families, to fulfil their creative ambitions. With the support of eQuiPT therapists, participants will form their own band — Iron Nest — a name that reflects both their resilience (“iron”) and the safety and belonging they have found (“nest”).

Over five weeks, young people will work alongside music and art therapists to create original music, explore emotional expression through instruments, and design sustainable, upcycled band fashion. The project provides a powerful platform for young people who may struggle to express how they feel, helping them to find their voice, build confidence, and be heard.

Ambition Arena celebrates courage, creativity and connection — proving that our young people are not defined by their past, but by their strength, rhythm and potential.

Referral link:

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