Systemic Integrative Treatment

About Brandon Centre Systemic Integrative Treatment (SIT)

Brandon Centre has developed Systemic Integrative Treatment (SIT) following 14 years’ experience of successfully delivering Multisystemic Therapy (MST), working with the families of young people displaying a range of behavioural problems. SIT has been devised for families who require a longer intervention than MST provides.

It better meets the service requirements of commissioners and referral requirements of professionals in social services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and youth offending services keen to find intensive, effective, evidence-based treatments for families where children have persistent, moderate to severe behaviour problems. SIT aims to prevent these young people entering costly out-of-home care.

SIT may also be applied to young people already in the care system, helping them return home. We have now been successfully running SIT for three years and has been commissioned by a number of Boroughs across London.

The Treatment

SIT is a two-phase treatment service that lasts for up to 12 months for families of children aged 8-16 years. During the first treatment phase, typically lasting five to six months (seven to eight months for harmful sexual behaviour), the allocated SIT therapist provides an individualised and intensive home-based treatment programme. The therapist becomes the clinical lead for treating the young person’s behavioural problems and works collaboratively with other agencies that may be addressing different issues, for example CAMHS providing individual therapy for anxiety.

During the first phase, sessions take place two to three times a week in the family home, with the therapist working flexibly around the family’s availability. An on-call telephone service is available to parents. The second phase, which can extend total treatment time for up to 12 months, includes monthly check-ins with the family, booster sessions where necessary, at professional meetings, and ongoing consultation with the referrer and key professionals.

Referral Criteria

Essential inclusion criteria for the young person:

  • Aged between eight to 16 years old
  • Living at home or is in a long term foster care placement or a short term placement with an imminent plan to return the child home
  • Parent or carer has agreed to an initial assessment
  • Intellectual functioning for young person is above 65
  • Behaviours to be addressed include at least one of the following; school refusal, regular absconding, violence, substance misuse, offending, defiant or severe oppositional behaviour or harmful sexual behaviour.

Also accepted:

  • Children whose behaviour is putting them at risk of placement out of the family home (such as into care, custody or hospital) or breakdown in foster placement
  • Children with ADHD and high functioning ASD displaying the above behaviours
    If harmful sexual behaviour is present, the following essential criteria must also be met:
  • Offence is no longer in the police or court system
  • Offence was committed no longer than two years ago
  • There must be a victim (for example, watching child pornography would not meet this criterion)
  • Parental or carer acceptance that a sexual offence has taken place (that is, no absolute denial, although minimisation of the offence can be worked with).

More information about SIT treatment can be found in our leaflet…

BC SIT for Professionals BC SIT for Parents/Carers

If you are a commissioner or professional who is interested in commissioning our service or would like more information then please contact Dean Charlery, SIT Service Coordinator on 020 7267 4792 (Monday-Thursday)