Women, Children, Young People and Families

Scotland has a vision of a trauma informed and responsive workforce and services that can recognise where people are affected by trauma and adversity, and that respond in ways that prevent further harm, support recovery, address inequalities and improve life chances. The National Trauma Transformation Programme (formerly known as the National Trauma Training Programme) is a major and long-term change programme, which aims to support this vision. The Scottish Government has invested over £9 million on the core Programme to date.

The NTTP provides a wide range of learning resources, guidance, and implementation support for all sectors of the workforce, including leaders, to up-skill staff to the appropriate level of trauma-informed and responsive practice and, critically, to embed and sustain this model of working which can be accessed by clicking here.  Wider resources are available within the NTTP Website by clicking here.

In 2020, the Scottish Government commissioned NHS Education for Scotland, Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions directorate, to provide evidence-based recommendations on what further support is needed to enable all staff working in maternity services to be trauma informed and appropriately responsive to women and families who have experienced trauma, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

A full report, summary report and infographic of findings can be accessed below.

Supporting recommendations from the ‘Transforming Psychological Trauma in Maternity Service’s report‘, the NTTP supported the trauma-informed maternity services pathfinder projects, based within two health boards. The pathfinder projects commenced in January 2022 and has an overarching aim to ‘Strengthen our understanding of what further support is required to implement and embed sustainable models of trauma-informed practice within maternity services’(NTTP).

The pathfinder projects supported the wider understanding into the service context and readiness for Trauma-informed practice, provided tailored training for the workforce and improvement planning with early implementation support for trauma-informed practice.

This detailed report highlights the project process and key findings from the pathfinder projects following an in-depth familiarisation and scoping exercise, transformation project planning and implementation of identified priority areas of maternity services within the two integrated joint boards.

The learning report is intended to support services across Scotland to consider the opportunities and challenges of planning for, developing and implementing sustainable trauma-informed (TI) practice. A key aim of the pathfinders was to enable all staff working in maternity and neonatal services to be TI and appropriately responsive to women, individuals and families who have lived or living experience of trauma (LLET).

The Government publication can be viewed on their webpage by clicking here.

These resources were developed to support the pathfinder’s implementation steering groups to consider their findings from the familiarisation and scoping activities and start to develop their implementation planning while consider the services readiness.

The NTTP published ‘A Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change: Guidance for Organisations, Systems and Workforces in Scotland (2023)’ which will further support implementation planning that can be accessed by clicking here.

As part of the National Trauma Transformation Programme (NTTP), Maternity Pathfinder projects, there has been a range of activities to hear the voice of those with lived experience of trauma to help inform maternity service plans of change in their journey to embed trauma-informed practice. The three animations were created through a one-to-one session with the new mum’s, who were keen to share their personal experience to help inform change for future families.

This animation shares the impact of complex trauma’s, throughout the woman’s childhood and into her adulthood, on her pregnancy experience and emotional wellbeing. She provides key recommendations for the maternity workforce that would improve care for families.

This animation share’s the story from a woman with diagnosed complex post traumatic stress disorder and her reflection on her pregnancy experience, with her perinatal period being recognised as a pivotal time in her recovery. She highlights the psychological impact of trauma on individual’s responses and the importance for the workforce to have an understanding and embed trauma-informed practice within their care.

This animation highlights how the impact of a significant trauma event can be triggered during a pregnancy and can escalate anxieties throughout their maternity care. Demonstrating the importance of embedding trauma-informed principles in all care provided.