Lily - Koala Tree Child Therapy Services

16/01/2026

Well I didn’t expect to be mentioned in Westminster Hall 🤣 thank you Adam Dance - MP for Yeovil and South Somerset for advocating for this funding cut crisis 🌺🐨.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DMhxgKwxK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The email I sent him:

Dear Adam Dance MP,

My name is Lily Wake. I am a registered Play Therapist and Clinical Supervisor working independently in Somerset, supporting adopted children and those in kinship care through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). I have worked with families in both your constituency and Sarah Dyke’s over the past five years.

One of the families I support met with you earlier this year at a local clinic session. They shared their concerns about the ASGSF and how vital it is for their children’s wellbeing. It meant a great deal to them to be heard, and I hope you will continue to listen to families like theirs. Sadly, the situation has only worsened since that meeting.

The ASGSF provides essential therapeutic support to children who have experienced early trauma, loss, or abuse. In February 2025, I prepared top-up applications for children whose contracts were due to end in March, but no information or guidance was provided. Applications were frozen. No one knew what was happening — not providers, not social workers, not parents. We were left in limbo.

In April, it was finally announced that the fund would continue, but with a 40% cut to the Fair Access Limit, the removal of the £2,500 assessment pot, and the complete loss of match funding. There was no consultation, no transition plan, and no warning.

Because of these cuts:

Therapy sessions have been reduced from 46 to 27 per year
Children now face up to three-month gaps in support (Jan–March)
Families are being forced to choose between a vital assessment or therapy
Review meetings and parent support have been stripped back
Providers like me have faced months without pay while trying to shield families from the fallout

One of my April contracts wasn’t paid until October. I worked unpaid for months, prioritising the children’s emotional stability over my own financial survival. I chose to absorb the uncertainty and delays so that already frazzled parents wouldn’t have to — and so the children I support, many of whom have experienced unimaginable harm and upheaval, wouldn’t be destabilised yet again.

But the truth is: this is not sustainable. Experienced providers are leaving the fund. Children are falling through the cracks. Social workers are exhausted. Parents are scared and overwhelmed.

Children with trauma need consistent, specialist therapy — not scraps of funding, not uncertainty, and not a postcode lottery. The ASGSF is life-changing when it works. But this year, it has been broken. And families are paying the price.

I urge you to:

Support calls to restore the full ASGSF Fair Access Limit and assessment pot
Hold the DfE and RAAs accountable for the unacceptable delays and lack of transparency
Push for a sustainable, ethical, child-centred model going forward
Ensure that providers like me can continue offering this vital support without being financially penalised for putting children first

Thank you for all you do locally. I hope I can count on your support in standing up for our most vulnerable children.

Lily Wake 🌺 Accredited Play Therapist - Clinical Supervisor (trainee)
FDA, BA (hons), PGCert, PGDip, MA

Koala Tree Child Therapy
The Old School, Queen Camel
Yeovil BA227NH
Somerset
Mobile: 07597 055235
Email: lily@koalatree.co.uk
Web: koalatree.co.uk
membership no: 201802312

Play Therapist in Somerset specialising in: Autism, Stress, Anxiety, Trauma, PTSD, Bereavement, Loss, Separation, Depression, Low-Mood, Fears, Phobias, Nightmares, Aggression, Shyness, Withdrawn Behaviour, foster care support, adoption support

12/10/2025

As a provider of specialist therapeutic services for adopted and permanently placed children, I am seeing firsthand the devastating impact of the sudden and unethical cuts to the ASGSF.

These cuts were made without any consultation with families or professionals, with no notice, and have left vulnerable children mid-process, their parents anxious, and providers like me scrambling to uphold ethical care.

These are children who have experienced trauma, abuse, loss — and whose support has been slashed by 40% overnight.

We must speak up. We must do better.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/182GTKK8ec/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/09/2025

So well said! Great contribution to the ongoing debate of tbe ongoing AsGSF debate! https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18onrvY5xo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

29/08/2025

✨🌿 🌺🐨Koala Tree Turns 5! 🐨🌺🌿✨

Five years ago, in the middle of a world turned upside down, I took a leap of faith. Schools had shut their doors to outside agencies, and with fear (and hope in equal measure), I stepped away from my role in schools and began the search for a therapy home of my own.

I looked at lots of spaces, but none quite fit—thin walls, too small, no sink or toilet facilities. Then, through a twist of fate, my husband’s friend Ben called me and said: “I’ve found your therapy room!” He had heard about the community land trust project at the Old School in Queen Camel.

I went the very next day. It was perfect.

At first, the room I dreamed of wasn’t available, so I started in a bigger space—warm and welcoming, but fully carpeted. Six months later, I moved into my current room: equally spacious, but with a proper art area and washable flooring that has become such an important part of the children’s creative expression. With the help of my family, a new website, and a freshly painted playroom, I welcomed my first clients. By the end of the very first month, I was covering my rent—and from there, things grew month by month.

There have been storms along the way—literally. In May 2023, the Old School was devastated by flooding. It felt like the whole project might be lost. But the volunteers who came to help were nothing short of awe-inspiring. Within a week, I was back in an empty playroom, reminding myself that I am the most important tool in the playroom. And it was just fine.

That same week, I also received the incredible news that I had been awarded the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence, achieving the highest grade at master’s level across two exam boards. For someone who left school at 15 as a dyslexic school drop-out… it was a rainbow after the rain, and I was left in awe.

Since then, the playroom has transformed and evolved into the beautiful space it is today. Over these 5 years, so many children and families have come through the doors of Koala Tree. I feel blessed every single day to not only have this space, but to be able to do the work that fills my heart ❤️.

This past year has brought challenges, especially with the changes to ASF funding, but once again we’ve weathered the storm—and I stand here stronger than ever.

Here’s to 5 years of Koala Tree 🌿, to every child who has played, laughed, cried, and healed here, and to all the families who have trusted me with their most precious treasures. Thank you for being part of this journey. 💚

— Lily🌺🐨

05/07/2025

🌿 I currently have availability to offer Creative Clinical Supervision to qualified PTUK-registered Play Therapists, Teachers, TAs, Headteachers, and Social Workers.

I’m a (trainee) Clinical Supervisor working in person from my bright, welcoming playroom in Queen Camel, Somerset. Group supervision also available.

Rooted in play, creativity, and compassion – feel free to get in touch 🐨💚
📧 lily@koalatree.co.uk | 🌐 www.koalatree.co.uk

29/06/2025

29/06/2025

🌿 Creative Clinical Supervision Now Available 🌿

Are you looking for a reflective space that’s creative, compassionate, and grounded in real-life practice?

I’m now offering clinical supervision for:
✨ Play therapists (qualified or in training)
✨ Teachers, TAs, and headteachers
✨ Social workers and family support professionals
✨ Creative and therapeutic practitioners working with children and families

My approach draws on play, creativity, theory, and relational depth — offering a space to pause, be witnessed, and grow in your work. Whether you’re navigating stuck points, celebrating breakthroughs, or seeking ethical clarity, supervision can offer support, insight, and a sense of being held.

🖍️ A place to explore symbol, story, and self
🤝 Available for individuals or small groups
📍 Based in Somerset – in-person sessions only

To find out more or arrange an informal chat, get in touch:
📬 Lily@koalatree.co.uk
🌐 koalatree.co.uk

Let’s co-create a supervision space that nourishes the heart of what you do.

Play Therapist in Somerset specialising in: Autism, Stress, Anxiety, Trauma, PTSD, Bereavement, Loss, Separation, Depression, Low-Mood, Fears, Phobias, Nightmares, Aggression, Shyness, Withdrawn Behaviour, foster care support, adoption support

30/05/2025

30/05/2025

🔊 Therapy is a lifeline — not a luxury.
This is the human impact of the cuts to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF). These changes have slashed the funding cap, removed the separate allowance for assessments, and left countless children without the consistency and specialist support they desperately need.

As a play therapist, I have continued working with vulnerable children despite the uncertainty and unpaid invoices — because stopping now would mean retraumatising those already making fragile progress.

✋ Enough is enough.
💔 Children who’ve suffered early abuse are being failed.
💷 Providers are covering costs just to prevent therapy being pulled mid-process.
📉 Cuts now will cost more later — in breakdowns, crises, and futures lost.

👉 Watch the reel. Share it. Sign the petition. Speak up.

📣 Let’s make noise before the Spending Review on 11th June.


🔗 Petition: https://chng.it/HYDk7cswhp
📹 Watch the reel: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AS8hj3Sbt/?mibextid=wwXIfr

28/05/2025

27/05/2025

🌿 Play Therapy Spaces Available – EOTAS / EHCP Funded Only

Hello, I’m Lily Wake, an accredited Play and Creative Arts Therapist and Play Therapy supervisor based at Koala Tree Child Therapy in Queen Camel, Somerset. I currently have space for one or two new children aged 4–11, funded through EOTAS packages or EHCPs.

If your child has an EOTAS package or is struggling to access school consistently due to anxiety, trauma, or neurodivergence, I can offer a therapeutic space as part of their support plan.

My work provides children with a warm, playful space where they can express themselves freely, build trust at their own pace, and make sense of their inner world through the language of play. I support children to grow in confidence, develop emotional understanding, and feel safer in who they are—especially those who may find everyday life overwhelming, confusing, or hard to put into words.

📍 The Old School, Queen Camel, Somerset
✉ lily@koalatree.co.uk | 📞 07597 055235
🌐 www.koalatree.co.uk

Warm wishes,
Lily Wake 🌺🐨

Play Therapist in Somerset specialising in: Autism, Stress, Anxiety, Trauma, PTSD, Bereavement, Loss, Separation, Depression, Low-Mood, Fears, Phobias, Nightmares, Aggression, Shyness, Withdrawn Behaviour, foster care support, adoption support

06/05/2025

The first of 3 clips of speeches form Saturdays protest to take action against the non-consulted changes to the adoption and special guardianship support fund. Well done and thank you Claire and everyone else involved in fighting these cuts. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1F82MqyHGZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr