Trauma Responsive Social Work Services

Some key activities include:

• The Codes of Practice for social services workers and their employers revised to include a new Code on working in a way that is informed by an understanding of the impact of trauma.
• Continuous professional learning for registered social services workers updated to mandate learning on psychological trauma, with specific learning for newly qualified social workers (NQSWs)
• Piloting ‘Transforming Connections’ Trauma Skilled Training with follow up coaching support with social work students through three universities. Learning from this will be shared with the Social Work Education Partnership to consider next steps
• Piloted ‘Transforming Connections’ Trauma Skilled Training with follow up coaching support with over 200 NQSWs in 2023 to consider suitability of the training for NQSWs. Learning from this was shared with key stakeholders
• Delivering ‘Transforming Connections’ to NQSWs while we work with local NQSW leads to consider how best to embed this learning into their mandatory supported year programmes
• Working with colleagues leading on the development of a framework for career development for social workers to ensure learning of trauma enhanced practice is embedded

Some key activities include:

• Launch of the National Trauma Transformation Programme website, including some new resources for individuals working with victims and witnesses, and new e-module 5 to support the workforce working with individuals with dementia
• Development of the Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change: Guidance for Organisations, Systems and Workforces in Scotland (2023)
• Developed a document for NQSWs and their managers on recommended psychological trauma learning. The team are working with SSSC on how best to cascade
• TRSWS team supporting other policy areas with advice on how to embed trauma responsive approaches into their policy.
• Further activities from NES to support the Children and Families workforce with a focus on care experienced children and young people
• Development of resources to support alternative caregivers (kinship, foster, supported lodging carers and adoptive parents) provide trauma-informed care for their children and young people
• SSSC continually raises awareness of trauma resources and reviews their use in approved social work programmes through annual monitoring

Delivery of the implementation support and learning programme commenced in late 2023, initially with four local authorities across children’s, justice and adult social work services and workforce. Support is delivered to whole teams and may include co-located allied health and paraprofessionals.

Support is flexible and responsive to the specific needs of local areas, complements existing work and draws on available guidance for trauma informed organisations, systems, and workforces.

The team draw upon their cumulative practice experience in trauma responsive service design, development, and delivery. Our Implementation and Learning Practitioners are registered social workers with significant experience at trauma enhanced practice level within a social work context. The programme is also supported by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with extensive trauma specialist practice experience.

We continue to work with people with lived experience of trauma, and of care, in the design and delivery of our work. The programme is also supported though close working with NHS Education for Scotland, the Resilience Learning Partnership, the Improvement Service, and wider partners through our Partnership Delivery Group.

Pilot sites currently being supported by the team include Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, Scottish Borders Council, Stirling Council and West Lothian Council.

Initial learning from these sites will help inform scheduling, with further areas across Scotland to be supported by the team until March 2027. Thereafter an independent evaluation of the programme will help identify next steps.

Some key activities include:

• Co-designed and developed the Power sharing with experts by experience training with Resilience Learning Partnership and the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) , and delivered to three of our pilot sites of the Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Implementation Support and Learning Programme. Learning summary can be found here.
• the Expert Advisory Group and Partnership Delivery Group include organisations representing individuals with lived experience of social work services and trauma
• We are currently working with our governance groups to consider what more we can do draw on the expertise of individuals with lived experience of care and trauma

Some key activities include:

• Developed an evaluation plan with the Improvement Service to consider how we will evaluate the process and impact of the Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Implementation Support and Learning Programme
• Preparing to procure independent external evaluation of the process and impact of the TRSWS Implementation Support and Learning Programme. A report will be prepared by March 2027, which will inform next steps
• Produced the ‘Power sharing with experts by experience, for social work leaders – Summary of learning‘. This provides further information on how the learning sessions were developed, feedback from co-designers and co-deliverers, and results from participant questionnaires of the sessions.

The Partnership Delivery Group are considering how best we can support trauma enhanced practice to be embedded across social work services in Scotland.