Aimed at leaders who are hoping to progress their organisation’s approach to trauma-informed thinking.

This briefing addresses why trauma-informed approaches at an organisational level are needed and what trauma-informed organisational culture looks like. As such it is not intended as a manual for practical application, but shows how a trauma-informed lens throws light on many of the challenges facing social care organisations.

• We need to go back to how services define trauma: people fall between gaps, partly because different services have different understandings and remits around trauma. A common understanding and language around trauma across services is needed.

• Trauma and threat can pull organisations away from their core values towards threat-oriented functioning

• Staff need to work in an environment that is trauma-informed, that recognises and responds to the emotional impact of the work

• All social care organisations will face trauma and threat. Processes and systems need to be developed with this in mind.

At the end of each section of the briefing key messages are highlighted. There are reflective questions to help individuals reflect on the content.

A roadmap is being developed alongside the briefing. The roadmap will support organisations apply the learning and consider ‘how’ to work towards trauma-informed organisations (release due in 2027).

Please sign in to your Research in Practice partner member account to access the publication.

A series of open access podcast clips accompanies the briefing. In these clips Sheena and Danny talk about key themes from the Change Project and from the briefing. There are reflective questions linked with the clips to help you reflect on the content.

This project was facilitated by clinical psychologist Dr Sheena Webb with input from Dr Danny Taggart. Sheena has a special interest in complex developmental trauma and has 25 years’ experience working in specialist NHS services, including the Family Drug and Alcohol Court. Danny was the principal psychologist for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. He works at the University of Essex, who supported his involvement in the project through his time and a research impact funding grant.

Participants in children and family and adults’ social care joined six development days. These days explored how trauma manifests for people accessing services and staff at five touchpoints during someone’s journey through social care – first contact, assessment, implementation, escalation and endings. 

The content for the Change Project was shaped by Sheena’s and Danny’s learning from the clinical psychology field as well as some conversations with people with lived experience of social care.