Tools and Resources

The Improvement Service, in partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government, NHS Education for Scotland and the Safe & Together Institute, has published a companion document to support all professionals working with women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse and those working with perpetrators to strengthen awareness and understanding about trauma-informed and domestic abuse-informed practice. The document provides context, key messages and practice-focused reflective questions to support professionals to work in a trauma-informed way that recognises the nature, prevalence and impact of domestic abuse. The document aims to strengthen understanding of how taking a domestic abuse- and trauma-informed approach can support improved outcomes for women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse and can support staff wellbeing and safety. Partner organisations including the Caledonian System, Community Justice Scotland, the National Violence Against Women Network, SafeLives and Scottish Women’s Aid have informed and endorsed this document.

Domestic abuse and trauma-informed practice: companion document

The Improvement Service, in partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government and NHS Education for Scotland, has published a companion document to support all professionals working with people and their families affected by alcohol and drug use to strengthen awareness and understanding about trauma-informed practice. The document provides context, key messages and practice-focused reflective questions to support professionals to work in a trauma-informed way, that recognises the prevalence and impact of trauma for many people affected by alcohol and drug use. The document aims to strengthen understanding of how taking a trauma-informed approach can support improved outcomes for people and their families affected by alcohol and drug use and can support staff wellbeing and safety. This document has been produced in collaboration with partner organisations/ networks including LPASS, the MAT Implementation Programme, local multi-agency Alcohol & Drugs Partnerships and Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs.

Alcohol and drug use and trauma-informed practice: companion document

This document is designed to support all those in the workforce who are supporting people affected by mental health difficulties and aims to strengthen awareness and understanding of trauma-informed practice. The document provides context, key messages and practice-focused reflective questions to help people work in a trauma-informed way that recognises the nature, prevalence and impact of poor mental health and experiences of trauma.

Mental health and trauma-informed practice: companion document

With the right support at the right time, we know that each and every child who experiences trauma can recover and thrive. This document is for everyone who supports children and young people with experience of trauma. It has particular advice and guidance for those supporting children and young people with care experience – who may both need and benefit from trauma-informed practice. Many thanks to all of the individuals and organisations who contributed to developing this resource, ensuring this document has been shaped by the voices of expertise by experience and expertise by profession, including CELCIS, Each and Every Child, Education Scotland, local authority colleagues, The Promise and Who Cares? Scotland.

Care experience and trauma-informed practice: companion document

This briefing aims to raise awareness of the impact of psychological trauma on individuals and communities. It highlights how adopting a trauma-informed approach to Scotland’s COVID-19 recovery, renewal and transformation agenda can support key priorities in building back better, including improving outcomes for vulnerable people and communities affected by trauma.

Taking a trauma-informed lens to Scotland’s COVID-19 recovery, renewal and transformation

This short infographic looks at the potential impact of COVID-19 on people affected by trauma, what this means for services, systems and the workforce, and the next steps for Scotland’s recovery and renewal.

Infographic: A trauma-informed approach to Scotland’s COVID-19 recovery, renewal and transformation

This briefing highlights what we mean by psychological trauma, and the impact and prevalence of trauma across Scotland. It seeks to raise awareness of how trauma-informed services, systems and workforces can respond in a way that reduces barriers to support, supports people to recover from their experiences, improves people’s life chances, and supports workforce wellbeing. It also explores the key role that councillors and board members play in supporting the sustainable development of trauma-informed services, systems and workforces.

Trauma is Everybody’s Business

This short paper explores how a small number of key cross-cutting agendas to tackle inequality, trauma and adversity, including The Promise, Equally Safe, the intended implementation of the UNCRC, and a trauma-informed approach, can be aligned at the local level to maximise commitment and resources available.

Tackling Inequalities, Trauma and Adversity Across the Lifespan: Mapping Cross-Cutting Agendas

There are a number of key policy agendas that are part of a broader ambition to improve outcomes for people and communities across Scotland affected by poverty, inequality, trauma and adversity, including child poverty, Equally Safe, implementing UNCRC, National Trauma Transformation Programme, The Promise and Whole Family Wellbeing Funding. This briefing highlights in more detail the links across these key policy agendas. It explores opportunities for re-framing these multiple policy ambitions not as competing, but as multiple opportunities to work together across departmental, service and organisational boundaries around the common goal of improving outcomes for people and communities affected by poverty, inequality, trauma and adversity.

Improving outcomes for people and communities affected by poverty, inequality, trauma and adversity: joining the dots across key policy agendas

This infographic provides an overview of a small number of key national policy agendas, approaches and commitments, all designed to support a cross-policy, person-centred approach to improving outcomes for people and communities across Scotland affected by poverty, inequality, trauma and adversity. This infographic is designed to support with joining the dots across these cross-cutting agendas, through highlighting the commonalities across these agendas/ strategies’ visions, key principles, priorities and intended long-term outcomes.

Infographic – Improving outcomes for people and communities affected by poverty, inequality, trauma and adversity: joining the dots across key policy agendas

Kathryn McKenzie, Trauma Informed Practice Lead Officer, Inverclyde Council

Kathryn McKenzie, the Trauma Informed Practice Lead Officer in Inverclyde Council, talks about the approach taken in Inverclyde to embedding trauma-informed practice, and the importance of leadership and organisational culture in driving change in organisations.

Jo Derrick, CEO, STAF

Jo Derrick, CEO at membership organisation STAF (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum) discusses the journey STAF have been on in relation to implementing trauma-informed change within their organisation and with their members, and how embedding trauma-informed practice in organisational culture and leadership is crucial for change.

Sarah Sutherland, Person Centred and Trauma Lead, East Lothian Council

Sarah Sutherland, Person Centred and Trauma Lead at East Lothian Council discusses the importance of staff wellbeing for public sector staff and some of the initiatives introduced in East Lothian to address the impact of pressures on public sector workforce

Aille McGinty, Learning Development Lead in Clinical Operations, Social Security Scotland

Aille McGinty, Learning Development Lead at Social Security Scotland, share their journey to implement trauma-informed debriefing sessions for client-facing staff and the impact this has had on staff overall wellbeing at work.

Forth Valley Input: Cheryl Aitken, Falkirk Council & Paul Malone, Stirling Council

Partners in Change: Gareth Thomas, Service Development Manager, Apex Scotland

Alison Chapman, South Lanarkshire Council and Anthony Morrow, Sanctuary Scotland

• Learning report from the children and families event
• Videos from the children and families event
• Speaker slides from the children and families event

• Learning report from the VAWG event
• Videos from the VAWG event
• Speaker slides from the VAWG event

• Learning report from the justice event
• Videos from the justice event
• Speaker slides from the justice event

• Learning report from the housing and homelessness event
• Videos from the housing and homelessness event
• Speaker slides from the housing and homelessness event

• Learning report from the adult social care event
• Videos from the adult social care event
• Speaker slides from the adult social care event

How can adopting a trauma-informed approach help drive forward improved outcomes as part of Scotland’s roadmap for COVID-19 recovery, renewal and transformation?

This online event in January 2023 was open to all IJB members (Voting and Non-Voting) across Scotland, and was hosted by Health and Social Care Scotland and the Improvement Service. The event was designed to bring together IJB members to consider the Scottish Government and COSLA’s ambition to develop trauma-informed services, systems and workforces across Scotland and how this can support health and social care priorities. This video features inputs from Dr Sandra Ferguson (NHS Education for Scotland), Shumela Ahmed (Resilience Learning Partnership) and Luan Grugeon (NHS Grampian & Aberdeen City Integration Joint Board).

This online event was open to all Elected Members across Scotland. It was designed to bring together Elected Members to consider the Scottish Government and COSLA’s ambition for trauma-informed and responsive services, systems and workforces across Scotland. This event was chaired by Cllr Shona Morrison (COSLA President), and includes inputs from Shumela Ahmed (Resilience Learning Partnership), Cllr Jim McMahon (East Ayrshire Council) and Cheryl Aitken (Falkirk Council).

You can view all presentations from the event here.

This online learning event, hosted by the Improvement Service, brought together local and national stakeholders and practitioners to share learning from three new reports published by the Improvement Service and Scottish Government, reflect on progress and impact and celebrate the work local authorities and key community planning partners have been doing to embed a trauma-informed and responsive approach across systems, organisations and workforces. The event also provided an opportunity to reflect on recommendations and next steps for this work across Scotland and consider how to strengthen collective leadership for this agenda.

You can access a learning note here and watch recordings of speakers below:

Kathleen Winter, Child Health Commissioner for NHS Ayrshire & Arran, Chaired the event and provided opening remarks around the importance of collective leadership and connection to drive forward the trauma agenda.

The Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd, and COSLA President, Councillor Shona Morrison, co-chairs of the National Steering Group for the NTTP, opened the event and spoke of their commitment to progressing this agenda nationally.

Laura James, National Improvement Lead for Trauma at the Improvement Service, provided an overview of the NTTP and the national policy context for embedding trauma-informed and responsive systems, organisations and workforces in Scotland. Jenny Smith-Littlejohn, Learning and Evaluation Project Manager at the Improvement Service, and Derek Ewens, Senior Researcher at The Lines Between, provided an overview of findings from the Embedding trauma-informed and responsive systems, organisations and workforces: National learning report and the National Trauma Transformation Programme – Local authority delivery trials follow-up evaluation, including learning around progress and impact, key opportunities and challenges, and key recommendations for progressing this work locally and nationally.

Dr Suzanne Aziz is the Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Coordinator for NHS Glasgow & Clyde, and shared learning about the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership’s journey to implement trauma-informed practice, focusing on leadership commitment and strategic opportunities.

Angi Pinkerton is the Trauma Informed Practice Officer at South Ayrshire Council, and shared South Ayrshire’s work to date, focusing on the importance of leadership buy-in, prioritising staff care, support and wellbeing, and how a trauma-informed and responsive approach supports existing local and national priorities.

Sophie Gwyther is the Lead Officer – Protecting People at Dundee Council, and shared learning about leadership engagement and the development of a workforce lived experience of trauma group within the council.