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Peaky Parents / Kactus Kids - formerly known as Your Child Freedom Programme (YCFF) and other previous names - Child anxiety programme

342 replies

Daaxy · 18/09/2021 19:21

My son was showing signs of anxiety and I was looking for help for him. I came across an ad on Facebook - Kids Anxiety Disorder Solutions. I watched an hour long webinar and then had a lengthy telephone appointment - this was the point that Peaky Parents was introduced.. The programme comes very close to guaranteeing that your child will be cured within around 8 weeks. it costs either £2500 or £5500 depending on the level of support your child needs. Some aspects of the engagement/sales process with Peaky Parents made me feel uncomfortable - I wanted to do some research on the company before signing up. I came across the link referred to at the start of the thread which has lots of views and information about YCFF, now Peaky Parents.

I would not have come across this information if at the time I had just been researching Peaky Parents. I do not know the reason for the name change.

Radio 4, File on 4, is broadcasting a programme on 21/9/21 at 8pm called Mental Health Profiteers - based on this organisation I believe.

If you are thinking of signing up with Peaky Parents I would suggest you look at the YCFF thread before making a decision.

Concerns expressed about Peaky Parents on the YCFF link include:-

high pressure selling to vulnerable people - specific aim to create a 'marketing machine' to sell this online programme

encouraging vulnerable parents to put themselves under financial pressure to raise funds for the programme

bold statements, approaching a guarantee, that the programme will work, with no evidence to back this up

blaming parents for the programme not succeeding for their child
lack of qualifications held within the organisation

young people giving personal video reviews

lack of professionalism - emotive language designed evoke guilt

criticism of other professional services

no regulation

OP posts:
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Mibb2 · 20/02/2022 18:10

Fair enough teen, that's very true they could be conducting more trials. I just don't believe them!

LittleSnakes · 20/02/2022 18:15

Honestly I think they’re using the wrong word. I can guess what they’re actually mean but don’t want to say the correct word coz they Sam will change the website and it’ll look more legit.

Mibb2 · 20/02/2022 18:16

A wee correction to my previous comment about Davina Townley. I did find the page on UKCP that good mentioned. I should have said I couldn't find her anywhere else either. (Another poster PMd me to point that out)

LittleSnakes · 20/02/2022 18:20

Yeah I saw her on that too. But no details of her or anything. Which is strange. My comment before was in ref to the word trials. I don’t think they mean trials. I think they’ve got the wrong terminology. But who knows?! Maybe they are claiming to run a trial.

Mibb2 · 22/02/2022 07:22

They've set up on Facebook again. They're sharing the Truspilot reviews and fake score from YCFF.

Has anyone started getting ads? I don't use FB usually so never see the ads.

Peaky Parents / Kactus Kids - formerly known as Your Child Freedom Programme (YCFF) and other previous names - Child anxiety programme
GoodButNaughty · 22/02/2022 07:50

Yes I noticed that too Mibb - when I screenshot the page yesterday there was a mobile number on it, now removed and replaced with an email address for Sam@youngvibes.

I’ve checked their page and they’re not running any Ads at the moment (thanks to another Mumsnet user who explained how to do this back in the early days of us posting about these people).

LittleSnakes · 22/02/2022 19:08

Fake reviews again! Do they do ANYTHING with integrity?

GoodButNaughty · 23/02/2022 11:17

I had an interesting chat with the UKCP earlier today regarding Young Vibes Child Psychotherapist as my therapist freind suggested they may be able to offer some guidance.

As DT (Davina Townley) is registered with the UKCP I wondered if they may be able to provide any way for us to contact her in order for her to provide her side of why she is involved with this organisation.

Sadly they are unable to forward on any message to her and undestandably are unable to provide any contact details for her.

They did suggest that someone could raise a complaint against her directly with them however to me this seems unfair until we know what her involvement and understanding is of the organisation she is connected with. Perhaps she is unaware of their reputation?!?

I wonder if she would be willing to come online here and give her side of things??

I do feel that her connection is providing credibility to an organisation that I personally don't feel warrants it...

LittleSnakes · 23/02/2022 14:11

Yes, I don’t agree a complaint would be good if we don’t actually know her yet. It does seem strange that there are no more details about her on there. Doesn’t make sense. If I was going to talk to a therapist, I’d want to know their qualifications and CPD they’d undertaken

GoodButNaughty · 23/02/2022 14:51

Aghhh! I have made a discovery! Davina has used the formula and wrote a trustpilot review on 29-May-21.

The pieces are falling in to place more for me...

GoodButNaughty · 23/02/2022 14:51

Sorry the link didnt post:

uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.yourchildfreedomformula.com

LittleSnakes · 23/02/2022 15:19

Hmm, interesting. She’s also not registered with the professional body for child psychotherapists childpsychotherapy.org.uk/resources-families/find-child-psychotherapist

Mibb2 · 26/02/2022 14:50

They now have a youtube channel.

m.youtube.com/channel/UCx3-j3gNAUpelBYH6PoA06g/videos

annwea12 · 26/02/2022 14:51

Hi ALL,
I have recently been watching this thread and had a experience with this company, I went through a harsh call.
I had a look at the website they gave me, it turns out in order to cover their tracks, they have said they are called on facebook 'stop adolescent anxiety' then young vibes, they are the same people.
Surly there is a way to report yet again.They are not transparent.

LittleSnakes · 27/02/2022 16:56

Sam had a YouTube channel before. It had a video on it if a guy closing sales on high ticket items. Which is clearly what they try to do still.

What happened with you annwea?

annwea12 · 27/02/2022 17:52

@LittleSnakes-
Phone call which was not called a sales call, but what else are they trying to achieve as its not free? I got quoted £2,500 but that was only for my Husband and I. They mentioned 121s but not sure what the additional cost is.
Why have they changed their names so many times, why have they not got any credibility or transparency. I am worried for people signing up. I really am. What happened to you ?

LittleSnakes · 27/02/2022 18:02

I have no idea why they’ve changed their name so many times apart from to try to avoid scrutiny and this thread coming up in searches. So far they’ve been called your child freedom formula, Peaky Parents, anxiety free you, kaktus kids, a tribe of good people and then the most recent ones that you’ve seen. There’s probably some others too, I can’t remember.

I never actually used their services but I work in a related field so care about people not losing money on something that is untested and may make their child worse. (It equally may help some people but I don’t like their dishonesty and lack of integrity when it comes to their service). Sam is not a trustworthy person as she has been on here faking posts from happy customers. Also taking reviews on trustpilot. It’s so much money up front. And I disagree with sales tactics when it comes to mental health and vulnerable young people.

Initially I gave them the benefit of the doubt when it came to whether they were misguided but well meaning. But now I don’t think they are misguided. I think they know exactly what they’re doing and don’t care.

annwea12 · 27/02/2022 18:21

Oh dear!!
I have seen the trust pilot reviews and this is the first place I go to when looking for some help.

I am shocked, is there nothing that can be done about this ?
Absolutely the wrong approach to have when parents are vulnerable and desperate.
If they have been called out for these unethical practices before, why and how are they still going ? They must know exactly what they are doing if they keep doing it, and do nothing to help the situation ?

LittleSnakes · 27/02/2022 19:33

I don’t know why they’re still going. There seems to be some kind of loop hole where they can just do what they want and not be regulated.

annwea12 · 28/02/2022 10:15

I didn't realise it was this bad.

GoodButNaughty · 01/03/2022 11:47

I’ve just seen a new advert on Facebook (hope link works: m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=100810089224725&id=100473975925003) and seems they are targeting students now!!

Angry
annwea12 · 01/03/2022 11:49

same people?

LittleSnakes · 01/03/2022 12:24

Same people!! They just won’t stop!

LittleSnakes · 01/03/2022 12:29

They’re now called Student Anxiety Rescue. I’m naming them in the hope that they come up in Google searches.

LittleSnakes · 01/03/2022 12:29

As in, this thread comes up.