DDP Connects UK is pleased to announce the publication of new guidance around commissioning Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) through the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) in England.
It was announced in February this year that the ASF has been secured until the end of March 2025. The ASF provides funding to adoptive families and those with a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) in England for therapeutic services through local authorities (LAs) and Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs).
This guidance applies to all clinicians providing DDP through the ASF and is intended to help people providing, commissioning and receiving DDP be clear about training and supervision. The key advice is as follows:
It is recommended that clinicians should be open and honest with RAAs and LAs about the level of DDP training and certification they possess. They should also be explicit about this throughout their work and at each stage of review so that families are also aware.
It confirms that for clinicians commissioned through the fund, DDP Connects UK recommend that at a minimum, they will have completed DDP Level One and Two training and be receiving supervision from a DDP Consultant or Experienced DDP Practitioner. This is at stage 3 in the guidance.
Clinicians should inform the commissioning RAA or LA who is providing their DDP informed supervision, and this must be a named DDP experienced Practitioner or Consultant.
It is advised that clinicians also have a core training that equips them to provide “therapeutic interventions from an attachment and developmental trauma perspective”. This core training is required for a clinician to start the DDP Practitioner practicum.
The guidance also contains a very helpful table of DDP training and certification stages, including the correct terms that should be used by clinicians to describe themselves and their work at each stage.
You can download Delivering DDP through the ASF in England – DDP Connects UK Guidance from the DDP Resource Library.
If you are a clinician delivering therapy through the ASF and have any questions please contact your DDP supervisor, you can contact Anna Binnie-Dawson at anna@ddpnetwork.org or get in touch through our contact form. Please also contact us for help with finding Experienced DDP Practitioners based in the UK.
