Welcome to The C Practice

The C Practice is a paediatric occupational therapy service grounded in compassion, connection, and evidence-informed practice.

We support children, young people, parents, and professionals by recognising that meaningful participation in everyday life grows from feeling safe, understood, and supported. Our work is relationship-led, trauma-sensitive, and neuro-affirming, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and context.

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What the “C” Represents

The “C” in The C Practice stands for more than one thing. It reflects both our values and our clinical framework.

• Compassion — our grounding
  We recognise the emotional labour carried by children, parents, and educators, and we work with care, respect, and curiosity.
• Connection — our starting point
  We prioritise relational safety and trust, understanding that progress cannot be separated from connection.
• Curiosity — how participation grows
  We invite exploration and engagement without pressure or expectation, supporting children to participate in ways that feel meaningful to them.
• Capacity — supporting autonomy with care
  We work alongside young people to build independence, confidence, and self-understanding at a pace that respects their nervous system and identity.
• Collaboration — working together around the child
  We partner with parents, schools, and professionals to create consistent, supportive environments that enable participation.

This framework guides how we think, how we work, and how we support change over time.

Meet Ciara

I'm Ciara Baxter, founder of The C Practice.

I'm a paediatric occupational therapist with over 21 years of experience supporting children, young people and families across health, education and specialist settings.

My experiences across health, education and specialist services have shaped not only what I know, but how I think and how I practise. I've learnt that understanding comes before action. Taking time to consider the whole person, the people around them and the context they live in leads to more thoughtful and meaningful support.

An important part of my professional development was qualifying as a child counsellor. Bringing these two professions together has enriched the way I work and continues to shape my practice, which is deeply relational, neuro-affirming and trauma-sensitive.

I've always been curious about what helps people participate in the things that matter to them. I love working alongside children, young people, families and professionals, bringing together different perspectives and finding practical ways forward. No two people or situations are ever the same, and that's one of the things I love most about my work.

Alongside my clinical practice, I've held senior leadership roles across therapy and specialist education and provide professional supervision to occupational therapists. I've also had the privilege of contributing to clinical practice, service development and professional learning through voluntary consultancy, including many years working alongside colleagues in Ethiopia. Together, these experiences have broadened my perspective on how health, education and family life intersect. They continue to shape the way I work alongside children, young people, families, educators and multidisciplinary teams.

More than two decades into my career, I'm still inspired by the opportunity to listen, learn and think alongside the people I work with. Those relationships continue to shape both me and The C Practice.

Working Together

At The C Practice, we value thoughtful pace, collaboration and respectful relationships. Whether working directly with a child or young person, supporting parents, or consulting with schools, our aim is always the same: to support participation in everyday life in ways that feel respectful, sustainable and meaningful.