North Ayrshire Council staff are set to adopt a new approach to dealing with people who may have suffered from trauma.

A meeting of their Health and Social Care this week was told that work to implement a trauma-informed approach was progressing.

The new three-year approach will see both the council and North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP) put in place systems and practices where the impact of trauma is understood by all staff, with policies, processes and services being designed to have a trauma-responsive approach embedded within them.

A report revealed: "Many people will have been affected by a traumatic event - or events - in their life, and the way that staff interact with those affected by trauma can have far-reaching consequences, both positive and negative.

"While everyone who has experienced a traumatic event deals with this differently, this approach means that staff are able to respond in an appropriate way.

"This involves listening to and validating people’s feelings, ensuring that they feel safe, building trust between staff and service users, and supporting them to make the decisions about their care that are right for them."

NAHSCP has recently employed a designated Trauma-Informed Practice Adviser for a three-year period, who will work alongside Child Protection and Adult Support and Protection.

The advisor will also develop and deliver sessions to NAHSCP staff around specific areas including children and young people, dementia care and mental health.

Training has also been rolled out across the council this month, from a basic Trauma-Informed Awareness course that is mandatory for all staff across NAC and NAHSCP, through to enhanced Trauma Skills and Psychological First Aid training.

Funding from the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund will see the commissioning of a support service for staff affected by vicarious trauma. This is where staff are negatively affected through exposure to traumatic stories and experiences of others, leading to stress, emotional involvement and being preoccupied with thoughts of clients outside of work. 

In year two, a network of Trauma Champions will be established within NAHSCP to promote and guide work on trauma within services.

Caroline Cameron, Director of North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “This three-year plan to further develop our trauma-informed approaches to practice will not only improve our staff and service user relationships, but also ensure that the wellbeing of our staff is prioritised.

“We want people with lived experience of trauma to consistently experience services and systems that offer choice, trust, safety, collaboration and empowerment, helping us to remove any barriers that may previously have prevented them from accessing our services.”