Trauma-Informed Practice

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Prioritise physical and emotional safety.

• everyone should know they are safe or that they can request what they need in order to feel safe.
• Ensure adequate freedom from threat or harm.
• Make an effort to prevent re-traumatisation.
• Robust safeguarding practices in place.

Build trust through transparent and clear communication.

• Explain what we are doing and why.
• Action what we say we will do.
• Clear expectations to avoid overpromising or under delivering.

Provide choice and support in shared-decision making and goal setting to achieve outcomes.

• Ensure everyone has a voice in the decision-making process.
• Listen to people’s needs.
• Communicate choices clearly and transparently.
• Recognise that those who have experienced, or are experiencing, trauma may feel a lack of safety or control which may impact their ability to develop trusting relationships.

Use others’ experience and knowledge to work together to overcome challenges and improve outcomes

• Use peer support and mutual help.
• Ask what people need and work together to implement changes where possible.
• Focus on working alongside and actively involving young people, other services and relevant professionals

Support young people and their families to develop their own skills and strengths through making them an integral part of decision-making and ensuring that throughout our involvement we are “working with“ them, not ”doing to’ or “doing for” them.

• Validate concerns and feelings.
• Listen to what people want and/or need.
• Support people to make decisions and take action.
• Work to overcome feelings that those we work with may experience; to help them feel more in control, better heard, less isolated, and to build feelings of self-worth.