Welcome to The Baxter Project
An award winning, therapeutic, animal-assisted early intervention
Positive Change through Positive Engagement
Who are we?
The Baxter Project is an award winning, therapeutic, animal-assisted early intervention that promotes positive change through positive engagement.
Empowering Through Canine Companionship
Our four-legged friends bridge communication and lower defences.
Tailored Wellbeing Interventions
Our evidence-based sessions are bespoke for the individual needs of a young person.
Measurable Impact
We measure progress using a intervention management tool ensuring the best outcomes for those we support.
Collaborative Engagement
Working directly with schools & organisations promoting wellbeing and resilience.
We understand the challenges
Challenge: Many students, especially those struggling with emotional or behavioral difficulties, become disengaged from traditional support systems and interventions. They may resist adult guidance, withdraw from activities, and show a lack of motivation.
How The Baxter Project Helps: We utilise canine companions as a key tool to break down barriers and encourage engagement. The dogs' friendly presence creates a relaxed, non-judgmental atmosphere that helps students feel safe and comfortable opening up to practitioners.
Challenge: Schools frequently grapple with students who exhibit disruptive or challenging behaviors, often linked to difficulties in managing emotions. This negatively impacts the learning environment for everyone involved.
How The Baxter Project Helps: We provide a structured, supportive environment where students can safely express their emotions and work on developing coping strategies. The presence of dogs during sessions helps to regulate emotions and create a calming atmosphere. Our team are trained to employ evidence-based techniques, including Trauma Recovery Model, Desistance Theory, and Motivational Interviewing, to address the root causes of challenging behaviours and tailor support to individual needs.
Challenge: Schools often operate with limited budgets, making it difficult to invest in comprehensive and potentially expensive wellbeing programs.
How The Baxter Project Helps: We offer a cost-effective early intervention strategy. By addressing issues early on, the project aims to prevent problems from escalating and requiring more costly interventions down the line, such as specialised support services or increased staffing. Research suggest that schools could potentially save up to £2,800 per year per child by investing in The Baxter Project's preventative approach.
Challenge: Teachers face increasing pressure and stress, especially when managing challenging student behaviors.This contributes to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and difficulties in retaining qualified staff.
How The Baxter Project Helps: By improving student behaviour and fostering a more positive school environment, we aim to reduce the strain on teachers and improve their overall wellbeing. When students are better able to regulate their emotions and engage positively in the classroom, it lessens stress for teachers, allowing them to focus on teaching.
What The Baxter Project Offers
We offer an intervention that truly resonates with young people, particularly those who are typically disengaged.
We offer positive changes in students' behaviour, emotional regulation, and social skills, leading to a more positive and productive learning environment
We offer a financially sustainable provision demonstrating a clear return on investment in terms of reduced need for more expensive interventions.
We offer a solution that helps alleviate teacher stress and contribute to a positive and supportive school environment, leading to improved staff retention and job satisfaction
We offer evidence-based support that demonstrate tangible improvements and provide data to inform ongoing support strategies
A Cost Effective Solution
Monetary Value
Save up to £2,800 per child annually - invest in prevention, not crisis management.
Monetary Savings
Challenging behaviors cost schools up to £2,800 per child annually. We offer significant savings across SEN support, interventions, safeguarding, and mental health services.
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Staff Well-being:
Reduce burnout, boost morale - happier teachers create thriving classrooms.
Staff wellbeing
Disruptive behaviors increase stress, reduce job satisfaction, and lead to burnout among staff. The Baxter Project alleviates these pressures, improving teacher well-being and retention.
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Educational Outcomes:
Reclaim 120 hours of learning time per year - every student deserves an uninterrupted education.
Educational Outcomes
Classroom disruptions can result in 60-120 hours of lost learning time per student yearly. We create a more positive learning environment, benefiting all students' academic performance.
Learn more Why Choose Us
Building a brighter future for children, one step at a time.
Award Winning Provision
Winner of Welsh Social Business of the Year 2021 - Recognition of the importance, value and success of our work.
Unique and Effective Approach
We stand out not only because of our canine companions, but our engagment boosting techniques, ability to engage the disengaged and impressive success rate.
Professional & Experianced Team
Our specialist practitioners are highly trained, using evidence-based techniques striving to empower young people to thrive.
Measurable Progress
We provide qualitative and quantitative data, documenting our impact and providing ongoing feedback. Our routine progress reports include statistical insights, contributing measurable information to the overall wellbeing strategy.
Cute Dogs
We love becoming part of the school community, our support puts smiles on faces of everyone at school, not just those lucky enough to work with us.
Testimonial
What they say about us
Dont take our word for it, have a read of what some of the schools we support have to say about us.
Children who struggle to regulate their emotions have been observed to display improved communication skills and have gained a great deal from the experience of building positive relationships….Not only do individual children benefit, but the whole school community has also enjoyed having (The Baxter Project) on site.
Emma ThomasAdamsdown Primary School
As a wellbeing and safeguarding lead of many years’ experience I cannot overstate the impact of their presence in our school setting and how they have significantly improved the outcomes for so many of our young people.
Marc BattenBassaleg School
It has been an extremely worthwhile experience and I would recommend The Baxter Project to other schools who are considering getting involved.
Susie LakeBrynmawr Foundation School
The Baxter Project has become an incredibly effective part of our wellbeing provision as well as an integral part of our school community. (The Baxter Project) has succeeded in engaging and enthusing several students who have failed to respond to other wellbeing initiatives.
Laura GlennonBryn Celynnog Comprehensive School
We have witnessed significant developments among the pupils who access the provision, both in terms of their emotional wellbeing and their social skills. (The Baxter Project) also informs us, as a school, of the needs and emotions of our young people and thereby help shape the ongoing school based pastoral support.
Mike O'BrienCardiff High School
We at Cardiff West CHS pride ourselves on our commitment to pupil wellbeing and The Baxter Project is an integral part of our pupil support system, as such, I would not hesitate to recommend The Baxter Project to any school that values pupil wellbeing.
Sarah BurtCardiff West Community High School
The Baxter Project has further enhanced the pastoral care and safeguarding of our most vulnerable students.... The (project) has effectively adapted their sessions to meet the individual needsand experiences of the students in their care and teh feedback from our students and parents has been extremely positive.
Becky KentCroesyceiliog School 
We greatly appreciate the way in which it gives children who might otherwise go under the radar, the chance to have their voices heard in a confidential, comfortable environment, with an expert ear (sometimes furry) to guide them.
Michael GoughGoytre Fawr Primary School
Discussing a pupil referred to us...
Weekly visits from the team have been the highlight of his week. From the first week we saw a positive change in behaviour, attitude to learning, communication skills and the child's engagement with his peers.
Nicola StarkeGwenfo CiW Primary schoolWeekly visits from the team have been the highlight of his week. From the first week we saw a positive change in behaviour, attitude to learning, communication skills and the child's engagement with his peers.
This is now an essential wellbeing intervention at our school and it benefits the children who receive sessions as well as other children around the school. Just being able to see Trixie in a corridor or playground can be enough to change how a child is feeling. I would certainly recommend this to other schools/settings.
Sheena MarshHerbert Thompson
Students relish the opportunity to chat, feel listened to, and exercise and to build up a relationship with the dog and the Baxter Project Staff member…. Feedback from the Baxter Project includes a comprehensive report on each student and is extremely useful for planning further pastoral support.
Anne Llewelyn The John Frost School
[The Baxter Project] has made a significant impact to our school; they have helped us in our vision to create a culture that champions emotional wellbeing by promoting healthy and positive relationships. Students that they work with to develop strategies to support themselves and others. Having an animal companion helps to remove barriers and lower defences.
Jo KnightLLantwit Major School
[The Baxter Project]has become an integral part of our Wellbeing hub. We enjoy their time with us each week. The therapeutic impact is felt by all.
Thank you so much for the support you provide for our pupils.
Nadia HattMary Immaculate
The Baxter Project, without a doubt, has had, and is continuing to have a positive impact on the learners at OVPS. The sessions are having a glowing impact on our learners in assisting them in not only hardships, self-esteem or challenging behaviour, but increasing their social skills and increasing awareness across the whole school of the importance of well-being and how individuals can be affected in different ways.
Lisa JonesOgmore Vale Primary School
The Baxter project has helped so many children here. Archie the dog has been a delight in providing a unique, therapeutic approach in nurturing and supporting pupils.
Parents and pupils have made fantastic comments about how the project has improved their wellbeing.
Rachel ThomasPontardullais Comprehensive
The impact of the project at Roath Park has been huge. Pupils have made strides forward with interpersonal relationships, behaviour and learning due to the project. Some pupils have improved communication skills and as a result are able to express how they feel at an early stage, identifying small concerns which are easier for them to manage and the school to support them.
John KeohaneRoath Park Primary School
I would just like to say thank you for allowing us
to be involved in the Baxter project this term.
We all enjoy Mondays so much!
The pupils involved directly with the project
have definitely benefitted from the experience
as has the wider school.
Juliet StackSt Josephs RC Primary School
We are delighted to have [The Baxter Project] working with us and would recommend them unconditionally to any school/ provision that prioritises the wellbeing of their pupils.
Jamyn BeasleyThe Court School
The Baxter Project it has quickly become an integral part of our wellbeing provision and is very much enjoyed by students who are assigned to the project in primary and secondary phase of our school. Not only do our students who are assigned to the project look forward to the session, but so do our wider school community!
Shaun ClarkeYsgol cwm brombil
A huge thank you to The Baxter Project and of course Pippa the dog. The undeniable impact this project has had on our children's ability to regulate their emotions, their behaviour and discuss their feelings has been incredibly beneficial... It has been such a worthwhile and effective intervention and a much-needed addition to our pastoral support for some of our 'hardest to reach' children.
Oliver BecketUsk CiW Primary School
The Baxter Project is a great intervention and very easy to work with, being very flexible and understanding to the school's needs. In addition to this, the formalised feedback provided on the development of the pupils as they progress through the sessions has been excellent.
I would recommend The Baxter Project for mainstream provision and am confident the team would be an asset to your existing support network for pupils.
Dan DuncanWhitchurch High School