ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses holistic support and care, the fifth field of Ruskin Mill Trust's method of Practical Skills Therapeutic Education. It visits Upper Grange in Stroud (Gloucestershire), where staff are trained in how to create supportive residential environments for young people with complex additional needs, as well as the café and farm shop at Ruskin Mill, social enterprises where students learn to engage with the outside world. For residential students and pupils, holistic care means a 24-hour curriculum where there are deep connections between the home and the learning environment. This is structured around seven care qualities underpinned by a basic orientation of unconditional positive regard. A conversation with the Trust's founder Aonghus Gordon discusses some of the different issues young people present with, the importance of developing constancy and working with parents, and how to deal with issues around media, music and food. This chapter also outlines how Ruskin Mill researches its method.
