Author & Co-founder of Hamish & Milo
Supporting children’s mental health, wellbeing and emotional growth
Clare’s expertise in education, psychology and child development is at the core of Hamish & Milo, an evidence-based social and emotional literacy programme.
The Hamish & Milo Programme is a comprehensive range of SEMH intervention programmes, an entire emotions curriculum that supports social and emotional development and a graduated response to the rising numbers of children with SEMH needs.
The programmes provide an explicit framework to enhance PSHE delivery and SEMH intervention, exploring self-esteem, confidence and resilience, grief, loss and sadness, explosive feelings, anxiety, peer relationships and conflict, diversity and inclusion, and change and transition – all complex issues that affect children’s long-term mental health and wellbeing.
Developing Social and Emotional Skills
Hamish & Milo supports the development of key social and emotional learning (SEL) skills that form the foundation for lifelong wellbeing and success. Each programme helps children to:
- Express their emotions and experiences
- Develop a language for emotions
- Understand others’ perspectives and their own and to develop empathy
- Learn about and manage strong feelings and build resilience
- Strengthen relationships and feel a sense of belonging
- Grow in self-confidence and self-worth
The programmes create a therapeutic learning environment of emotional safety and enable children to develop skills through an emotional literacy pathway and including; Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Motivation, Empathy and Social skills.
Measuring social and emotional skills development – Hamish & Milo Navigator
Navigator is a digital dashboard that provides practitioners with live data to demonstrate the impact of Hamish & Milo programmes for children. Navigator tracks the progress of how the programmes are supporting children’s social and emotional development, changes in children’s feelings or how they present having been part of the intervention.
Showing impact is necessary to ensure best practice, to ensure children’s development and best outcomes and to inform onward support for children’s social and emotional development and wellbeing.
Evidence and research led programmes
The Hamish & Milo programmes are grounded in research and an-evidence led approach. A comprehensive research study was conducted with the University of Bath between 2023-2025 and focussed on the impact of Hamish & Milo. The research demonstrated significant impact in the development of social and emotional skills, engagement in learning and children’s self-esteem and confidence.
Family partnership
The Families Together is a series of workshops for parents, carers and family members that link directly to the Hamish & Milo wellbeing intervention programme.
The programme provides insight into the emotion themes and concepts as well as practical skills and approaches to support social and emotional development and the wellbeing of children collaboratively alongside school.
Empowering Children’s Voices
One of the most transformative aspects of Hamish & Milo is how it empowers children’s voices. Each session creates a space where every child’s experience is valued, and their voice matters.
Children learn that their thoughts, feelings, and opinions are important, that they have agency, choice, and the right to be heard. This sense of empowerment builds confidence and belonging, particularly for those who may feel invisible or unheard.