What is trauma‑informed care—and how do schools do it?

by Sarah Ward, The Conversation

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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Trauma-informed approaches have become increasingly prominent in education policy and guidance, although the term is not always explicitly used.

Trauma-informed practice recognizes that trauma—an event, series of events or set of circumstances that a person experiences as harmful or life-threatening—can affect a person's well-being mentally, physically, emotionally and socially.

Teachers and other school staff should therefore aim to create a culturally sensitive, safe environment that avoids retraumatization, in which people again feel the thoughts, emotions and sensations they experienced.

Drawing on my teaching and research in trauma-informed education, I have worked with children, young people, schools and other children's services to support mental health and well-being. In this article, I share some reflections from what I have learned over the years.

School staff are not expected to be trauma experts. However, there is a growing expectation, reflected in taught content in the national curriculum, that they have a shared understanding of trauma and its impact. The hope is that the approaches and practices they adopt to support children and young people will be trauma-informed.

There is growing understanding and evidence that trauma can significantly affect children and young people's learning and school experiences. This can include difficulties with focusing, relationships, academic achievement and behavior. Experiences of trauma have also been linked to an increased risk of suspension and exclusion.

However, trauma-informed care should not be limited to interventions in specific classes or workshops. It should also be practiced in everyday interactions and conversations.

How it works in schools

For schools, trauma-informed care is most evidently championed through a whole-school approach to mental health and well-being.

The principles of a whole-school approach are designed to include everyone: staff, parents, caregivers, children and young people alike. Through this approach, supporting children and young people becomes everyone's responsibility.

This can help shift the focus from "what is wrong with this person" to "what does this person need?"—a popular saying in trauma-informed care.

If done well and fully, a whole-school approach is a great way to embed trauma-informed care in a school.

Leadership and management are central to a whole-school approach. Since 2017, schools have been encouraged to identify and train a designated senior lead for mental health. This staff member is responsible for ensuring that a whole-school approach is implemented and adopted.

Training is available for these roles and other staff members. Trauma Informed UK, which offers training for all staff and advanced courses, is a good starting point.

While frameworks and guidance are important for structuring trauma-informed approaches, understanding and responses are often best developed and reinforced through small, regular positive interactions and practice.

Never underestimate the power of a trusted adult and the availability of a safe space. This trusted adult can often act as a protective buffer against the adverse effects of trauma.

A trusted adult can help a child or young person feel a sense of belonging, foster empathy and compassion, and offer nonjudgmental listening and support. All of these contribute positively to mental health and well-being.

Challenges and considerations

The "whole" in a whole-school approach must be taken literally. Trauma-informed approaches and responses must be written into policies and actively adopted as part of school culture.

For example, strict zero-tolerance approaches to behavior are not in line with the principles of trauma-informed care and practice. They can encourage staff to interpret certain behavior as defiance rather than distress.

Despite growing enthusiasm for and training in trauma-informed approaches in schools, there is limited understanding and guidance on what this looks like in practice.

At the moment, a broad school-based consensus on trauma-informed care that can be implemented nationally feels out of reach. There is too much variation in school culture, individual school policies and access to funding. No two schools are on an even playing field.

Most important is understanding that being trauma-informed is not the same as being trauma-responsive. Being trauma-informed means knowing and understanding; being trauma-responsive goes beyond that.

Being trauma-responsive means taking action in response to the needs of a child or young person—for example, making an appropriate decision or providing suitable, adapted practices. Schools should be both trauma-informed and trauma-responsive.

Trauma-informed care should not be judged solely by the policies written or the number of staff trained, but by whether staff, parents, caregivers, children and young people experience a school as a safe, trusting and compassionate place.

Key medical concepts

TraumaMental Health

Clinical categories

Psychology & Mental healthPsychiatryChildren's healthPediatrics Provided by The Conversation Who's behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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