This framework has been specifically developed to meet the complex needs of children and young people aged 8–25 who are currently unable to engage with mainstream or special education settings due mainly to high levels of anxiety.
Many of these young people are in receipt of Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) provision and benefit from self-guided learning driven by their own passions and interests. It provides a structured yet flexible method of tracking meaningful progress, grounded in trauma-informed principles and aligned with the ultimate goal of achieving positive adult outcomes including independence, wellbeing, and employability—particularly in non-traditional or entrepreneurial pathways.
The framework offers a relational, strengths-based alternative to traditional national curriculum outcome-based models, supporting the journey from disconnection and anxiety to trust, autonomy, purpose and self-directed achievement.
Young people who can’t access mainstream provisions, have often experienced high levels of distress in conventional educational environments. Structures built on compliance, performance, and inflexible targets have frequently resulted in trauma, perceived failure, and a loss of trust in adults and systems. As a result, many learners experience school not as a place of growth, but as a site of persistent threat and overwhelming demand, triggering extreme anxiety, shutdowns, or explosive behaviour. Traditional academic benchmarks and behaviourist approaches fail to capture or foster the foundational elements required for long-term success for this group of young people.
Our framework provides an essential alternative route: one where success is redefined not by conformity or curriculum coverage, but by relational safety, capacity-building, self-knowledge, and meaningful engagement. Rather than replicating the conditions that led to breakdown, this model is built on autonomy, curiosity, and creativity—qualities often abundant in formally reluctant learners when the environment is psychologically safe and interest-led. This framework is an alternative progression model. Rather than focusing on narrow curriculum attainment, it centres on:
- Engagement through relationship and interest
- Development of executive function and life skills
- Building self-awareness and self-advocacy
- Exploration of future-focused skills such as creative entrepreneurship
These are all essential indicators of readiness for adulthood and offer a legitimate and credible route to outcomes such as self-employment, gig economy participation, or community-based contributions.
At the heart of this framework is a trauma-informed approach using the PACE model (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy).
This allows professionals to:
- Rebuild relational trust without pressure
- Affirm the young person’s experience and autonomy without judgement
- Explore behaviours and motivations safely without escalating anxiety and without triggering shame or avoidance
- Co-regulate emotions through relational connection rather than compliance-driven strategies
This model is vital for children whose responses to perceived control or demand are not oppositional but protective and rooted in trauma and neurology.
By enabling the young person to say no safely, this framework restores a sense of agency often lost in their educational history. It intentionally fosters:
- Autonomy: through co-designed activities and freedom to engage at their own pace
- Connection: through trusted, consistent relational work with tutors/mentors
- Hope and Mastery: by supporting interest-led projects that generate pride, purpose, and the belief that they can succeed on their terms
It is important to acknowledge that traditional EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan) outcomes, even when well-intentioned, can inadvertently become perceived as demands and thereby act as a barrier to learning for PDA (pathological demand avoidance) learners. For these young people, even the suggestion of goals or expectations can trigger anxiety, avoidance, or shutdown. Therefore, the outcomes in this framework — and any subsequent targets or observations — must be ‘held lightly.’ Progress may be non-linear, and led by the young person’s readiness and interest. As tutors and professionals, we are prepared to adjust direction frequently and allow time for trust and confidence to grow at the learner’s pace.
At all times, the voice of the young person is central and fully validated. Their insights, refusals, preferences and passions are not peripheral, but foundational to the process. This approach recognises that when a young person feels heard and has choice, they are far more likely to explore new ideas, take relational risks, and begin to believe in their own potential once more. This framework is therefore not only an educational tool, but a therapeutic pathway towards reconnection — with learning, with trusted adults, and with the young person's own sense of self-worth.
The framework is built around 7 Domains, each with Developmental Stages to support flexible, non-linear progression. Each stage allows for observation and documentation of progress in both engagement and functional independence.
Domains:
Small steps to success:
Each of these domains is made up of several elements. If you would like further details on these elements as a parent/carer or commissioning body - please get in touch and we would be happy to arrange a meeting to share these with you.