This programme was delivered in partnership with Oxfordshire Youth and facilitated by Sisters of the Rose Group, a wellbeing and transformational learning organisation working with individuals and teams in high-responsibility, emotionally demanding roles.
The programme was specifically designed for frontline youth practitioners across Oxfordshire, including professionals working in:
These are the people working directly with children and young people every day—often carrying high emotional loads, complex safeguarding responsibility, and increasing levels of system pressure.
Across Oxfordshire, frontline youth practitioners are reporting rising levels of burnout, emotional fatigue, and reduced capacity to sustain long-term wellbeing within their roles.
Oxfordshire Youth identified a growing need for structured, reflective wellbeing support that goes beyond traditional training—offering space for practitioners to regulate, reflect, and reconnect to their purpose in the work.
As frontline systems become more pressured, practitioners supporting young people are often left without dedicated spaces to process their own emotional experience.
This programme was created to respond directly to that gap.
The programme was designed as a trauma-informed, reflective wellbeing journey integrating:
Each session began with an intentional grounding practice, supporting participants to transition out of operational mode and into reflective presence.
The focus was not only personal wellbeing, but sustainable practice in frontline roles across Oxfordshire’s youth and public service landscape.
Participants explored how boundary-setting directly impacts burnout prevention, emotional sustainability, and relational clarity in youth-facing roles.
Feedback was increased awareness of stress and burnout patterns in frontline roles; Improved confidence in boundary setting within professional contexts; greater emotional regulation in challenging work environments; stronger capacity for self-care within demanding systems; renewed connection to purpose in youth and public sector work; enhanced peer connection and reduced sense of isolation
The programme supported practitioners not only personally, but also in their ability to remain grounded, present, and effective in their work with young people across Oxfordshire.
“The space allowed me to slow down and actually reflect on my work and myself in a way I don’t usually get to do in frontline practice.”
“It has given me practical tools I can use immediately in my role, especially when working with young people in crisis.”
“I feel more able to stay regulated and present in difficult situations at work.”
This programme demonstrates the importance of investing in the wellbeing of those working on the frontline across Oxfordshire’s youth and public service ecosystem.
By supporting practitioners—across youth services, education, local authority teams, NHS-linked services, and voluntary sector organisations—we strengthen not only individual wellbeing, but the wider systems that support children and young people.
Sisters of the Rose Group and Oxfordshire Youth continue to champion approaches that integrate nervous system awareness, reflective practice, and embodied wellbeing tools into frontline professional development—supporting sustainable, human-centred practice across the county.
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