Case studies

Cyrenians is a charity aimed at tackling the causes and consequences of homelessness. The charity aimed to develop trauma-informed practice across its organisation, spanning leadership, consultation and training. This case study highlights the steps Cyrenians took to start their journey in developing trauma-informed practice.

Case Study: Cyrenians

In November 2021, the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership Psychology Staff Support Service developed a trauma-informed training and reflective workshop -“Compassionate, Connected and Effective Teams” – aimed at supporting managers across Fife to develop and sustain compassionate leadership practice.

Case Study: Finding Space for Compassion: Compassionate, Connected and Effective Team Workshops in Fife

In this short video RLP discuss what leadership looks like as a lived experience led organisation and how nurturing leadership opportunities for everyone promotes a more collaborative and trauma informed environment.

A coaching peer-led trauma-informed supervision model within early years was launched following an identified need for further support to be given to early years staff within the Additional Support for Learning Service.

Case Study: Guided Peer Supervision Coaching and Informal Coaching within the Additional Support for Learning Service – Early Years Team

In 2022, Shetland Islands Council ran a workshop for the local education and children’s services workforce, which supported staff to reflect on vicarious trauma, learn more about how to recognise it in action and learn how to use proactive self-care as a means of managing its impact.

Case Study: Education Workforce Vicarious Trauma and Proactive Self-Care Workshops

Since the onset of the pandemic in the UK in 2020, greater focus and commitment has been directed towards the wellbeing of health and social care staff. In August 2021, the Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) took the decision to fund a Staff Wellbeing Development Lead post for 12 months. The purpose of the role was to focus on developing innovative solutions to strengthen staff wellbeing, supporting NHS Lothian and Midlothian Council staff within the HSCP.

Case Study: Staff Wellbeing Development Lead Role – Midlothian HSCP

While many staff are working from home or have access to office facilities, several services require staff to travel many miles from their base or do not provide an established, easily accessible office. This project sought to develop, promote and increase access to local community sites to address the fundamental needs of all health and social care staff working within community settings. Fundamental needs are defined as access to safe comfortable spaces to sit, relax and reflect (rest), entry to cleansing and toileting facilities (refresh) and access to services that provide food and fluids (refuel).

Case Study: Midlothian Staff Wellbeing – Addressing Fundamental Need

At East Lothian Council, housing managers recognised that supporting people with multiple needs and vulnerabilities, making difficult decisions and undertaking in-depth work to develop specialisms can be emotionally taxing for staff. In addition, the move to a hybrid style of home and office working can affect staff wellbeing and support. As part of its efforts to support staff with their wellbeing, the team introduced Wellness Action Plans to help individuals manage their mental health.

Case Study: Wellness Action Plans – East Lothian Council

Here RLP staff discuss the various different ways they look to support staff wellbeing and how vital this is when developing a trauma informed organisation.

Home Link Family Support is a charitable organisation that deliver effective family support and therapeutic services to families with young children across Edinburgh and Midlothian. The team consists of family support workers and therapists who work directly with families using a range of early intervention approaches to enhance child and parental wellbeing.

There has been a variety of different tools and approaches embedded across the organisation in order to provide effective and meaningful support to staff and managers. This has included a robust and varied supervision model involving opportunities for group peer supervision and one-to-one line management supervision; clinical supervision, adjustment of working patterns and arrangements to suit staff needs; check ins with frontline staff daily; open door policy to all managers; and work using the individual and organisational window of tolerance.

This work has supported the development of a culture of openness and honesty across the organisation where staff feel valued and heard, and managers feel equipped to implement effective wellbeing support.

Case Study: Home Link Family Support – Staff Support & Wellbeing using Integrated Window of Tolerance

Archway Glasgow is a specialist service which cares for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted within the last seven days. The service was keen to gather feedback from people and learn more about their experience of the care and support they receive. In particular, the team wanted to develop snapshots of how it feels to move through the service so they can ensure that people are receiving care and support which is comprehensively trauma-informed.

Case Study: Evaluation Feedback Loops – Archway Glasgow Sexual Assault Referral Centre

As a lived experience led organisation RLP discuss how they use feedback and reflective practice to continually develop as an organisation and ensure all voices are included.

The Emotional Wellbeing & Resilience Project aims to address the impact of trauma and childhood adversity.

The vision of the project is to give children and young people the relationships and connections they need to build their resilience and emotional wellbeing by bringing services and community together to address the impacts of childhood adversity and trauma.

Case Study: Young Workers and Emotional Wellbeing & Resilience

Resilience Learning Partnership and Sanctuary created and funded the role of a Trauma-Informed Community Builder to take a trauma-informed approach to community development work. This position combines an asset-based community development approach with trauma-informed practice to build relationships with people within the community to improve engagement with all groups.

Case Study: Trauma-Informed Community Builder – Resilience Learning Partnership and Sanctuary

In this clip, RLP explore power sharing as a lived experience led organisation. They discuss how they use co-production, shared decision making processes and staff development to embed Trauma Informed Practice in the way they work across the organisation.

North Ayrshire’s Parenting Assessment team carry out assessments for children under two years old who are removed from parental care, to determine whether those children can safely be returned to the family home. The Parental Support Programme is an empathetic and trauma-informed approach to supporting parents through the removal and assessment process, aimed at helping them manage emotional distress.

Case Study: Team Around the Parent – North Ayrshire Council

In September 2021, Grampian held a Deep Dive session for Child & Family Services across Grampian. This aimed to increase awareness of trauma within this service environment to empower staff to support children and families in a trauma-informed way.

Case Study: Developing Trauma-Informed Child and Family Services Across Grampian

The Ayrshire Learning Disabilities Service aimed to develop trauma-informed practices within their services. Funding was provided to develop and deliver trauma training specifically relating to the learning disability population. This case study focusses on how funding was used to develop this.

Case Study: Ayrshire Learning Disabilities Service – Trauma Training

In this video RLP staff discuss what has helped build skills, knowledge and confidence in their growing team and how this contributes to a trauma informed organisation.

The purpose of this work was to review Aberdeen City’s Adult Social Work Supervision Policy, with a primary focus on embedding a trauma-informed lens. This was undertaken by a multi-agency short life working group between December 2022 and July 2023.

Case Study: Refresh of Adult Social Work Supervision Policy

The Willows is the Ayrshire Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARC). Anyone who has experienced rape or sexual assault should be able to choose where to access the appropriate medical and psychosocial interventions including the option to stay as close to home as possible.

Case Study: The Willows Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service

A new mum of two, shares her experience of care received during and after her pregnancies. Highlighting the important impact of embedded Trauma-informed principles and building Trusting, Empowering Relationships with her care providers.

Case Study: Maternity