The Baobab Centre works with young asylum seekers with complex and chronic symptoms related to trauma, grief and developmental difficulties. We seek to achieve positive outcomes for our young community members in the short, medium and long term, working in particular to increase resiliencies and well‑being.
Young people supported by Baobab since we began in 2008
of young people supported by Baobab experienced at least one traumatic event before reaching the UK
had no parental figures in the UK when they arrived
After a series of violent experiences in their home countries and during flight, young people need help over a long period of time to achieve a steady sense of well-being and peace of mind. We work with young people for as long as is necessary.
“The Service was largely perceived as helpful, particularly individual psychotherapy and casework sessions. The Centre also positively impacted a large majority of participants’ lives in different ways, from practical support in accessing asylum and housing to psychosocial support with understanding feelings and strengths and vulnerabilities.”
Baobab Service Evaluation, 2022
exhibited moderate/severe symptoms of depression (2022)
were experiencing a decrease in severe symptoms of depression after 3 years at Baobab (2022)
exhibited moderate/severe symptoms of anxiety (2022)
were experiencing a decrease in severe symptoms of anxiety after 3 years at Baobab (2022)
“Baobab helped me by making me feel like a human being. They helped me to feel that I am somebody with valid feelings. They helped me by being optimistic about my future. They helped me with building relationships with other people by going to trips and social activities.”
A young person at the Centre
Hear from our young people
Find insights from our young people about their experiences with the Baobab Centre. Published in full in our 2022 Evaluation Report.
Psychotherapy
In 2022 our young people said…
84% found psychotherapy “very helpful”
90% received help dealing with memories
85% better understood their strengths and vulnerabilities
80% received help with feelings
78% were helped understanding their past
Casework support
In 2022 our young people said…
87% found casework support “very helpful”
88% were helped with accessing asylum
85% were helped with accessing housing
80% were helped with accessing benefits
69% were helped with accessing education
Community activities
In 2022 our young people said…
92% feel they belong to the Baobab community
76% find attending our community activities helpful
74% find attending one of our therapeutic retreats helpful
79% feel they belong to a community in the past or who has passed away
“Let me tell you something: Baobab is like a family, a big family. I am really happy that I meet them in my life. They support me so much. It’s like my family now.”
A young person at the Centre
Evaluating our impact
We regularly evaluate psychological and developmental outcomes of our work through both subjective and objective measures. Subjective measures include our therapists regularly discussing the outcomes of psychotherapeutic work in terms of regression, ‘stuckness’ and forward moves, and working with the young people towards their internal, and external, goals.
Since 2015, we’ve also been conducting an objective evaluation of the developmental and psychological outcomes for our young people, along with an evaluation of our services, every year. This evaluation tool, developed by the Baobab Centre and the Anna Freud Centre, makes use of a semi-structured interview that includes five standardised questionnaires of emotional well-being, psychopathology and resilience. It examines behaviour, depression, anxiety, affect regulation, resilience and sense of belonging, along with measures of our young people’s use of our services.
We aim to be a reflective organisation. Our evaluation process aims to explore the consequences of our work in some detail in order to enable us to think about and improve our interventions. Find recent evaluation reports below.
Monitoring and Evaluation Report 2022 (coming soon)
“Understanding the psychosocial needs of the young people and building a relation of trust have been fundamental in the delivery of my work and I am often delighted to notice positive interactions developing from the young people I am working with. Smiling does not necessarily reflect the inside but talking and exploring issues lead to unpacking any invisible feelings. It’s always a joy to see a positive transformation when processing difficult and joyful stories with the young people.”
