This is a quick-read version of Embedding a trauma-informed approach to support staff wellbeing in children’s social care: Strategic Briefing (2021), which highlights its key messages. To gain a greater understanding of the topic you can download and read the full resource.

Introduction

This briefing shares key messages on what a trauma-informed approach looks like at an organisational level with a focus on preventing and addressing vicarious trauma. It considers why the approach is important for the organisation, the workforce and the children and families that professionals work with.

The importance of a trauma-informed approach

There are many reasons why a trauma-informed organisational approach is needed. One such reason is to prevent vicarious trauma, which can occur over a period of time or following a single traumatic incidence. Professionals’ experiences of vicarious trauma are likely to have been amplified during the pandemic. Many will have felt isolated and disempowered and some may also have lost loved ones, including family members, friends and colleagues, as well as people whom they support.

Vicarious trauma can lead to:

• increased absenteeism
• impaired judgment
• low motivation and poor quality of work
• reduced critical thinking skills
• greater staff friction
• high levels of staff turnover.

Systemic racism, brought into sharp focus by the murder of George Floyd, also has the potential to be traumatic. Racial trauma or race-based stress is associated with real or perceived experiences of racial discrimination. This does not need to be experienced as life-threatening and can include having a hostile work environment, experiencing verbal assaults, being denied services, and being racially profiled

When professionals and organisations feel unsafe, they may start operating in ‘survival mode’ to protect themselves from painful feelings. Examples of operating in survival mode (at both the individual and organisational level) include being: reactive or crisis driven; avoidant and/or numb; defensive dysregulated; hyper-vigilant; or frozen.

The values and principles associated with trauma-informed organisations

A trauma-informed approach is guided by the following principles and values (the 4 Rs):

• Realises the impact of trauma, stress and adversity and understands potential pathways for recovery.
• Recognises the signs and impact of trauma
• Resists re-traumatisation.
• Responds by embedding knowledge about trauma into policies and procedures, language, culture and practices.

Strategic leads need to consider the extent to which they have incorporated the following key principles across the organisation and workforce:

• Trust and multi-layered physical and emotional safety
• Relationship-focused
• Integration and connection
• Acknowledging and celebrating strengths and skills
• Cultural humility and responsiveness
• Agency, mastery, choice and voice
• Communication, collaboration and transparency
• Compassion, empathy, reflectiveness and curiosity
• Behaviour as communication.

Becoming a trauma-informed organisation

Becoming a trauma-informed organisation can be conceptualised as a journey which takes time. It involves a whole system approach and an ethos that runs through the organisation, modelled by leaders.

Leaders have a key role to play in establishing a vision for how trauma-informed practice is delivered and promoted across the organisation, and in maintaining the momentum of implementation. The briefing provides examples of approaches that have been adopted by Brighton & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council, Salford City Council, Plymouth Trauma Network and the Scottish Government.

Supporting workforce wellbeing

Organisations have a responsibility to put systems in place to address the possibility of vicarious trauma in the workforce. Reflective learning also needs to be embedded in the organisation, with managers modelling reflective practice personally, as well as encouraging it through supervision. The Practice Development Supervisor Programme has developed a range of tools to support reflective supervision in child and family social work.

A single serious incident (for example, the death of a child) can lead to professionals and the organisation experiencing trauma very quickly. It is important for leaders to communicate information relating to the incident clearly, internally and externally, and also to make space for managing the crisis.

Conclusion

There is no ‘one size fits all’ for implementing and embedding a trauma-informed approach in an organisation. However, the values and principles associated with a trauma-informed approach apply to all organisations. At the heart of this is leadership and a culture that values and promotes trauma-informed practice, and that has buy-in across the organisation.

Some key questions for strategic leads to consider include:

• What is your organisation doing well in relation to implementing and embedding a trauma-informed approach? What needs to improve?
• To what extent are trauma-informed principles and values embedded in the vision and culture of your organisation?
• Do you have a workforce development plan that reflects different levels of trauma-informed training?
• Are staff wellbeing and resilience at the forefront of your HR policies? What processes are in place to make sure that all professionals are supported and feel physically and emotionally safe in the organisation?
• How do you model the values and principles of a trauma-informed approach?