14/01/2026
Dance partners can take any form, but trust is required. These are rescue animals at a sanctuary for animals not able to look after themselves.
We often recommend children who are safe and able to work in this context (get advice from an expert if your child has difficulties or if you are not confident), do so, if the environment safe and appropriate (various checks are often required).
Charity work or helping those in needs changes us - every single one of us. It changes our character and often temperament. It shows psychiatrists how important 'experiences' and 'psychological' or 'environment' is, compared to biology. Biology is also important, but it never determines our future or ability to develop, grow and learn or adapt.
This fox was very old, so for company, they added a Meerkat, so that the fox is not alone. They became inseparable, best friends. No one believed this would be possible, because the fox was seen as a bit aggressive and the Meerkat had a reputation for not taking nonsense (as per the personality of most Meerkats as South Africans will know).
Anything is possible if trust, trust that is real (if trust is evidenced, then there is no reason for trust and trust means very little). We can trust each other or our colleagues, if we trust ourselves. That said, we need to make sure, it is our responsibility if leaders in our teams, that we work with a team that has the appropriate qualities such as qualifications and experience and temperament, but we do this by e.g. going onto the GMC website, checking references and employment history when employing someone, and spending an hour or two or week or month or year (whichever appropriate) working with someone or talking to someone and then.... trusting oneself. If a person works with you or your team, we would advise working in the same team, or speaking in person, confidentially to colleagues about how they experience work, concerns, worries and strengths regarding their colleagues, staff and patients. This is good leadership. The risk is yours and you have to carry it with noble hands, not ask someone else to carry it for you every year, whilst you take the position of 'lead' to the professional and public world. Be true to your character and be honest regarding your ability to lead (which inevitably includes trust) - in this way - stories such as below will be more common, and we can define success by good outcomes, rather than paperwork.
We have raised these concerns relating to leadership in Medicine or Health and also services available in Child Psychiatry teams with the GMC, with NHSE (before they restructured) and also with appropriate national and international parties, because without appropriate leadership, no team will succeed, and no patient will experience the good outcome that can be achieved if all parts work in harmony. We thank our colleagues in the GMC and other organisations (most shared this concern) who launched reviews and have continued to pledge their commitment to evidence based child psychiatry teams and quality control within Medicine. Let's do better - all of us.
Due to the tremendous need in the EU we are spending a significant time of our work in the EU, however, we have offered to remain available in the UK, especially due to current concerns and lack or removal of child psychiatric as well as social work and nursing support in Tier 1, 2 and 3. Child psychiatrists train for 15 years more or less to ensure that bio-psycho-social concerns can be appropriately assessed and treated so that presentations improve, risk factors managed and complications prevented with a good prognosis prioritised. Colleagues say "Medicine will always include politics", but we do not agree. Politicians have been very helpful and instrumental in most countries to ensure children have more child psychiatrists, and the therapies and professionals that benefit them. We would aim to work together, every party of the professional world and community to ensure children are protected and achieve best outcomes as per their own goals. This is a goal that is achievable with little cost, if priorities appropriate.
