Trauma Informed Care

Trauma refers to an experience, or experiences, that result in feelings of helplessness, fear, loss of control and threats to life. It can feel like the mind is flooded and cannot make sense of what is happening, or that the mind and body are frozen in fear. Childhood abuse, domestic violence, poverty and violent assault are all forms of traumatic experience.

Children are very vulnerable to experiencing long-term trauma through abuse – physical, sexual, emotional or domestic violence – and through neglect. This is also called developmental or complex trauma, because of its impact on a child’s developmental outcomes and on their mental, emotional and physical health later in life.

The impact of developmental trauma

Children develop their personality and ways of dealing with the world mainly through relationships with parents and caregivers. If they are not safe and not cared for, they develop coping strategies to survive what has happened to them. They may blame themselves and feel a deep sense of fear and shame. They may find it very difficult to trust others, in childhood and as adults. Often children who have experienced abuse have a low sense of self-worth.

Because children’s brains are still developing, it can be hard for them to remember or put into words what happened. They may act it out through challenging behaviour, or withdraw – at home, at school and in their communities. They may find it hard to learn and concentrate, and to make and keep friends.

As adults, people who experienced childhood trauma may struggle in relationships, finding it difficult to trust and always expecting something bad to happen. Often people are not consciously aware of this. It can be hard to understand their own or others’ thoughts and feelings (Van der Kolk, 2015), and when they have their own children this may be particularly hard.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Over the past twenty years, research has shown the lifelong impact that childhood trauma can have. Adverse Childhood Experiences are potentially traumatic events that occur during childhood, including abuse, neglect, experience of domestic violence and separation. ACEs research has linked childhood trauma to difficulties in adult mental and physical health (Felitti et al, 1998).

Social inequalities and injustices also affect childhood stress and trauma – poverty, discrimination, poor housing, exposure to violence in communities, and a lack of opportunity and appropriate support (Ellis and Dietz, 2017; Nurius et al, 2015).

It is important to know that it is never anyone’s fault when they experience trauma. Children deserve protection, love and care. It is not your fault if you experienced abuse as a child, and help is available.

What trauma informed care means in practice

Trauma informed care involves all staff in an organisation recognising and understanding the impact of trauma on a person’s life and development, on their families, and on society as a whole. At Childhood Matters it shapes how we design services, how we meet people at the door, and how we support our own staff.

• To create a warm, calm environment at our centre and in our community services
• To provide support for and containment of difficult feelings
• To recognise parents’ strengths and empower parents to develop them
• To provide trauma specific services where needed, including psychotherapy and clinical and counselling psychology
• To support families in their communities, or on return to their communities, and to expand their support networks
• To support staff with the possibility of vicarious trauma through reflective supervision, peer support, reflective practice groups and training
• To recognise the coping strategies, skills and defences that helped people survive, and to support them to develop new ones where needed

Trauma is one part of a person’s life

While it is crucial to recognise trauma and create space for people to mourn and heal, it is equally important to recognise individuals’ and families’ strengths, survival and coping strategies, and the aspects of their lives and experiences beyond such events.