Trauma

This roadmap has been designed to help services and organisations identify and reflect on progress, strengths and opportunities for embedding a trauma-informed and responsive approach across policy and practice. It is based on evidence, learning and good practice from the Scottish context alongside existing relevant Scottish frameworks and guidance. It draws extensively on what people with lived experience of trauma have said would help improve access to support, reduce re-traumatisation, recognise resilience and support recovery.

Trauma-informed practice is grounded in and directed by a complete understanding of how trauma exposure affects a person's neurological, biological, psychological and social development. For trauma survivors, trauma-informed services can bring hope, empowerment and support that is not re-traumatising. Trauma-informed practice is informed by neuroscience, psychology and social science as well as attachment and trauma theories. This toolkit uses trauma-informed principles, identifying concrete examples of trauma-informed practice across a wide variety of settings.

This presentation was delivered in April 2024 to a joint Child Protection / Adult Support and Protection meeting. It explains the significant case review / learning review of Margaret Fleming, who was murdered late 1999/early 2000. The review sought to learn from Margaret's life and explicitly adopts a human rights and trauma-informed approach. The learning disability community were included within the review.

Dundee City Council’s Protecting People team have ideveloped a robust trauma-informed approach when working with people with lived experience. This report describes how adults with lived experience influence and contribute to local decision-making, including in Adult Support and Protection. The report stresses a sense of opportunity when working with people who have experienced trauma, and taking a strengths-based approach. This shifts the focus from risks and limitations, and creates opportunities to hear positive stories instead.

Trauma-informed practice is a model essential to Adult Support and Protection. It is grounded in, and directed by, an understanding of how trauma affects someone's neurological, biological, psychological and social development. This 7-page briefing particularly considers the issue of 'non-engagement' through a trauma-informed lens. It works with the idea that behaviour - such as non-engagement with services - is a form of communication. The briefing supports professionals to use curiosity and empathy to build connection and create safety in their work.

Trauma-informed practice is a model essential to Adult Support and Protection. It is grounded in, and directed by, an understanding of how trauma affects someone's neurological, biological, psychological and social development. This briefing sets out how principles of trauma-informed practice (safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration and empowerment) can work alongside ASP processes. The material in this briefing has been adapted from the National Trauma Training Programme specifically for an ASP context.