58% of children who died from knife injuries had experienced domestic abuse at home, yet none received specialist, child focused domestic abuse support.

Why trauma informed early help is essential to reducing knife crime

There are moments when evidence lands with such clarity that it becomes impossible to “unsee”. New national findings by Dr Tom Roberts and...

By Asha Patel

Children’s Early Help Isn’t a Service. It’s a System Behaviour. Here’s How to Commission for It

Children’s Early Help Isn’t a Service. It’s a System Behaviour

There is no term more widely used, and more widely misunderstood, in local authority children’s services than early help. Every strategy...

By Asha Patel

Commissioning Models Are Turning Expensive Resource into Sign Posters

Every local authority has one resource that dwarfs every other line in the budget: Your workforce. Not your providers.Not your commissioned...

By Asha Patel

Why “We’ve Already Got a Provider” Isn’t a Commissioning Strategy

Why “We’ve Already Got a Provider” Isn’t a Commissioning Strategy

There is a sentence I hear in almost every local authority I work with: “We’ve already got a provider for that.”

By Asha Patel

For Dr Asha Patel, Clinical Psychologist and CEO of Innovating Minds, this isn’t just a professional opinion. It’s a conclusion drawn from years of working alongside local authorities, schools, and community services to embed trauma-informed practices that make a real difference in the lives of children and families.

Why Trauma-Informed Commissioning Is a Must for 2026/2027

The Legal Landscape Is Changing. So Must Commissioning As the landscape of children’s social care continues to shift, one thing is becoming...

By Asha Patel