Our work strengthens practitioner confidence, improves consistency across services, and supports safer, more effective practice with the people who need it most.

We understand the realities of frontline work — the complexity, the pressure, the emotional labour, and the need for approaches that are both evidence‑informed and genuinely usable. That’s why every intervention we create is practical, accessible and grounded in what we know helps people change.

Our Commitment

We are committed to providing high‑quality training, programmes and professional development that create meaningful, measurable improvements for the individuals, families and communities your organisation supports. Our interventions are designed to be flexible, adaptable and relevant across a wide range of contexts, including social care, early help, domestic abuse, youth justice and community services.

Our Approach

A trauma‑informed, relational approach underpins everything we do. We recognise that behaviour change happens when people feel safe, understood and supported — not judged or pressured. This ethos shapes the design of our programmes, the way we train practitioners, and the tools we provide for real‑world practice.

Our work integrates:

• Evidence‑based psychological theory
• Trauma‑aware principles
• Strength‑based, relational practice
• Practical tools that support reflection and behaviour change
• Clear, structured frameworks that build practitioner confidence

The result is training and interventions that are consistent, compassionate and effective.

Amy’s Story

Programmes2Change grew out of the work — and the moments — that shaped its founder, Amy Ford, long before the organisation had a name.

Amy began her career in frontline roles, sitting with people at some of the most difficult points in their lives. She saw the fear behind the anger, the shame behind the silence, the hope behind the chaos. And she saw practitioners doing their absolute best in situations that were complex, emotional and often overwhelming.

What struck her wasn’t that people didn’t want to change. It was that they didn’t always feel safe enough to try.

Again and again, Amy noticed the same pattern: when practitioners had the right tools, the right frameworks and the right relational approach, people opened up. Conversations softened. Insight grew. Change became possible.

But when practitioners were unsupported, under‑trained or left to “figure it out,” the work became harder for everyone — practitioners and families alike.

During her time at Portsmouth City Council, Amy began shaping what would eventually become the Up2U® Programmes. They weren’t created in an office or a meeting room. They were built from real conversations, real challenges and real people. They were shaped by the belief that behaviour change isn’t about pressure — it’s about safety, clarity and connection.

What started as a local innovation soon became something bigger. By 2014, Up2U® was established in Portsmouth. Today, it’s used in 13 areas across England and Scotland, with over 400 practitioners trained and hundreds of successful outcomes for individuals and families.

Amy’s work is shaped by her background in psychology, forensic practice, community safety and programme design, but also by something deeper — a commitment to relational practice that honours people’s stories, strengths and capacity for change. She has spent her career developing interventions that are not only evidence‑informed, but genuinely usable in the real world: clear, practical, trauma‑aware and grounded in humanity.

A Little More About Amy

Beyond her professional work, Amy lives on the south coast, where being close to the sea is a grounding part of her life. She loves paddleboarding, especially on calm early mornings, and finds joy in music, live events and festivals — places where connection, energy and community come alive.

Every year, she takes on a physical challenge, pushing herself to grow, reset and reconnect with her own resilience. These personal passions shape the way she leads Programmes2Change: with curiosity, courage, and a belief in people’s capacity to move forward, even when the path is tough.

Programmes2Change is the continuation of Amy’s vision. A place where practitioners are supported, organisations are strengthened, and people are given the chance to move forward with dignity and hope.

At its core, her work is guided by one simple truth: when practitioners feel equipped and supported, the people they work with feel safer — and change becomes possible.