How will we become a Trauma Informed Organisation?
“Although sensitive skill is needed with being trauma informed it is not rocket science – skill and a big heart has to be hand in hand and heart in hand.”
A. Rose, Service User Lead for C&I’s Trauma Informed Model
In line with our Trust model (see Figure 1), we are committed to being a Trauma Informed Organisation by:
- Developing and implementing a trauma informed framework across the whole organisation and at all levels, with change and learning supported and led by the most senior staff in the organisation.
- Developing the organisation based on an evidence-based trauma informed model and evidence from those who use our services.
- Working alongside those with lived experience, employing a ‘work with’ and not ‘do to’ approach, while being transparent about the occasions where the ‘work with’ is not possible.
- Building knowledge and learning of trauma and its profound and intersecting impacts for the whole organisation.
- Recognising trauma and the potential for trauma in our staff and carers as well as those who use our services by creating a culture of staff wellbeing.
- Ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of changing a trauma informed culture.
- Considering the impact of the physical environment on trauma informed approaches.
Our clear organisational structure supports on-going learning and change:
- Board Champions: Staff at Director-level (at C&I, the Medical Director) who champion trauma informed approaches among the Board, Executive Team and senior leadership and feed into the Trauma Informed Collaborative, recognising that change and learning must be supported and led by the most senior staff in the organisation. Figure 2:
- Trauma Informed Collaborative (TIC): The central expert reference and leadership group that leads on a cultural transformation of services and teams, carrying out the Board commitment to becoming a Trauma Informed Organisation.
- Trauma Informed Hubs: Working groups that oversee change needed in their area of work, whether they are working as a service that delivers patient care or not.
- Service users are represented throughout all levels of this structure (see image 1: C&I Model of a Trauma Informed Organisation, 2021). This structure and leadership will work together to create and support change across the organisation.
