Forest therapy empowering young domestic abuse survivors to heal

Therapeutic forest activities funded by PCC Rupert Matthews are helping young people in Rutland to heal and recover from the trauma of domestic abuse.

The unique project delivered by Root Out and Branch CIC has been running for over 10 years and gives young people who have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse a safe space to express their emotions, immerse themselves in creative play and build self-confidence.

The PCC provided a £10k grant to the organisation to support its delivery in 2025/26 and has been impressed with the impact of the sessions on young people’s emotions, social development and skills building throughout the year.

The forest activities are held in a safe rural space in Oakham where specialist support is more limited.

Children take part in outdoor skills sessions such as fort building, campfire cooking and animal therapy while also receiving one-to-one trauma-informed counselling.

The initiative fills a significant gap in domestic abuse support services in the area and promotes support networks for both the young people learning and for mothers forming survivor networks.

In one success story, two single mothers and DV survivors who met during the programme have now built a deeply supportive bond. They share childcare responsibilities, attend sessions together and even spent Christmas together a combined family unit.

The relationship has been central to their recovery and is evidence of the programme’s transformative, wider community impact.

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews said: “This project harnesses nature’s healing power to transform lives and it continues to achieve phenomenal results.

“The service is unique and demand has remained high, even throughout the winter. The forest setting coupled with access to in-built survivor support networks and specialist counselling is undoubtedly changing lives and giving young people and their mothers the tools they need to prevent further victimisation in the future.

“Services like these are struggling under the weight of economic pressures and scarce funding opportunities, but they really are critical for the health and wellbeing of victims of crime, including the most vulnerable. Project leaders have worked tirelessly to sustain this service and are to be commended for their efforts.”

Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is one of six key priorities in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan with the Commissioner pledging to support programmes for young people in areas where they are most needed.

He is determined to ensure Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is a place that women and girls feel safe and has invested significant funding into projects that build resilience among female survivors of crime to help them recover and thrive and to prevent future crime and victimisation.