Welcome to NHS Forth Valley’s webpage for the Transforming Psychological Trauma implementation project.
As part of a NHS Education for Scotland National Agenda, this ambitious project aims to support the whole workforce in Forth Valley to become trauma informed.
Full information can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland website.
Trauma Informed Week – Mon 26th – Fri 30th October 2020
Psychological trauma is more common than most people think, and we know that the impact of trauma can be a barrier to people receiving equitable services.
We can all help remove these barriers by being Trauma Informed. Join us in acknowledging the 5 principles of trauma informed practice and taking an action each day during our awareness week.
- See the poster for more information
Events: Join us for our first Trauma Informed Forth Valley event hosted by Wellbeing Scotland
Thursday 29th October at 12 noon
Hearing about trauma – listening to and supporting a disclosure
Trauma is everybody’s business, and while some workers feel apprehensive about working with trauma, it is likely they are already working with people who’ve experienced trauma. Disclosing abuse can be a vulnerable and a powerful experience, and workers/staff have an opportunity to respond in trauma informed way. This can provide safety, collaboration and avoid re-traumatisation.
In this lunchtime session, staff from Wellbeing Scotland and Forth Valley’s Transforming Psychological Trauma Implementation Co-ordinator will discuss staff responses to disclosures of abuse and invite you to listen and reflect with us.
Hosted by Wellbeing Scotland on Zoom. Please email fv.traumainformed@nhs.scot for meeting details.
Levels of Training
We believe the whole workforce would benefit from being Trauma Informed, as explained in these videos:
Trauma Informed – If you work with people, this training is relevant for you! Training may be delivered in person (online), as an e-module or as a team discussion pack.
There are 3 other trauma practice levels, depending on how closely you work with people, and the type of service you provide. Full details can be found in the National Training Plan.
- Trauma Skilled practice level includes staff who have more direct and substantial contact with people who may have been affected by traumatic events, whether the trauma is known about or not. Training may be delivered in person (online), or as an e-module on Turas Learn (see here). Everyone can register for a free Turas Learn account here.
- Trauma Enhanced practice level includes staff who have more regular and intense contact with people who are known to be affected by traumatic events.
- Trauma Specialist practice level includes staff whose role involves delivering evidence based psychological therapies to individuals affected by traumatic events.
Please contact Fv.traumainformed@nhs.scot or Edel.McGlanaghy@nhs.scot with queries about training opportunities in the Forth Valley region.
Staff Wellbeing
Staff wellbeing is a crucial aspect of being trauma informed, and there are some great resources available to support this.
For staff: Looking after yourself: Wellbeing planning tool & animation.
For managers: an e-module on Protecting the Psychological Wellbeing of staff for Managers and Team Leaders (Registration with Turas learn is necessary for access, but anyone with an email address, no matter what their location or role is, can register).
COVID-19
COVID 19 has had, and will likely continue to have, an impact on staff resilience and wellbeing. There are a number of specific resources available to support staff to look after others, themselves, and their teams during this time. These can be found here.
This Psychological First Aid e-module provides knowledge skills for staff to support the people they work with, and each other.
Service Assessment/Evaluation Tools
A self-assessment of your service can help you think about what you are already doing well, and what may benefit from changing. This Trauma informed lens tool can be used by any staff member, manager or person using your service to think about the many different aspects of a trauma informed service. If you would like support to use this tool, please contact us at Fv.traumainformed@nhs.scot .
Other Resources
There are many useful videos available on the NES website, including a great description of the Window of Tolerance by Forth Valley Nurse Psychotherapist, Jennie Young.