HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE TESSA WEBSITE
TESSA stands for Therapeutic, Education and Support Services in Adoption. It is a five-year project aimed at supporting adoptive families across Northern Ireland who have children between the ages of two and 12 years. It is a joint project run by Adoption Routes and Adoption UK in Northern Ireland.
TESSA is funded by the Big Lottery Fund as part of their Reaching out, Supporting Families initiative. So, for the duration of the project the service is FREE. However, we do ask that you commit to seeing through any therapy or intervention in which you are involved. There are no quick fixes for the challenges that adoption can present but we will offer you the best service we can.
At TESSA we believe…
- relationship regulates, repairs and builds resilience
- empathy, kindness and comfort makes us feel better
- feeling seen, heard and valued by parents, teachers and carers helps children feel safe and calm
- being ignored or dismissed can trigger rage and despair
- feeling connected to another person can conquer fear and sadness.
- a change in adults’ perception and attitude enables children to change.
Find out more about Equine Therapy in TESSA
OUR VALUES
OUR SERVICE MODEL
OUR SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES
TESSA aims to support families, not “fix” children. We offer . . . MORE
We use a social model of support, which starts with . . . MORE
Confidentiality and child protection are critical in high-quality . . . MORE
