Training results in positive impact in supporting young people with attachment trauma
Support for young people who have experienced trauma will receive a boost with the latest cohort of education professionals sharing their expertise in the workplace.
A partnership between the University of Chester and six local authorities has resulted in the first of two cohorts completing the Attachment Trauma and Mental Health Practitioner Enquiry course, making a real impact on practice in schools.
The University’s CEPD (Childhood Education and Professional Development) Attachment Trauma Mental Health (ATMH) Partnership team is currently working on collaborative projects with six Local Authority Virtual Schools: Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington, Staffordshire, Rochdale, Liverpool and Trafford. Each authority has chosen a different model to support their work in developing strategic procedures and training staff to develop and embed a whole authority approach to attachment-aware and trauma informed practice.
The new Level 7 Practitioner Enquiry module was developed with Cheshire West Virtual School who were the first cohort to undertake the course and train a group of 30 secondary school ‘Trauma Informed Leads’ who will now act as trailblazers for the authority.
The programme investigates the impact of attachment, adversity, trauma and mental health difficulties, equipping professionals with the skills and knowledge to support children, young people and adults across all settings.
The University offers a range of programmes in this area including the non-accredited Universal Training and accredited Postgraduate courses: a 20 credit Practitioner Enquiry Module and a PG Certificate, with modules covering attachment, trauma, mental health and best practice for schools and other settings. All modules aim to develop reflective practice and support the practical application of theoretical models and research. To date more than 1,500 education professionals have taken part in the Universal Training.
Practitioner Enquiries topics were wide ranging from “evaluating the impact of training on the knowledge and understanding of the Senior Leadership Team in relation to Trauma, Attachment and Mental Health”, to “looking at the impact of animal assisted interventions on the emotional wellbeing of students who have a significant number of ACES”. A second cohort of 40 primary school colleagues from across Cheshire West and Chester are now completing the course.
A cohort of 50 colleagues from Liverpool and Rochdale have also completed the online version of this course and again will work as teams to support schools in their areas.
As part of their ‘Belong Project’ 20 colleagues from Trafford have completed the course and a second cohort will be started in January 2024 and 20 colleagues sponsored by Staffordshire Virtual School started their Practitioner Enquiry journey in September 2023.
Warrington Virtual School has worked with the University to develop a full suite of courses to give a graduated approach to their training model. Universal Training has now been delivered to more than 20 schools, with more sessions planned. Colleagues have also been involved in action research and a several have gone on to complete the Attachment Trauma and Mental Health PG Cert.
An exciting development this year has been the introduction of Facilitated Reflection sessions for groups of primary and secondary school colleagues to support best practice in schools.
The University is also working on a pilot project with the Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation, a national charity who work to support Looked After Children in independent schools, AC Education and A New ARC who specialise in supporting schools to adopt attachment-aware and trauma-informed practices. This project will be evaluated by the Rees Centre, located within the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, which produces research evidence to inform policy and practice in the areas of children’s social care and education.
Feedback from participants include: “I’ve taken on board lots of great ideas to carry forward for our two-to-five-year olds, lots of whom are needing help”; “the course was very informative and thought-provoking. A great opportunity to take a step back and reflect on our impact as educators and human beings on children” and “the taught sessions are very informative and thought provoking. The network sessions give a really good change to meet with colleagues and discuss ideas".
Dr Lynn Chappell, Head of Childhood Education and Professional Development, at the University of Chester, said: “We are working with colleagues from across the education sector to share our expertise in supporting young people who have experienced trauma and attachment to reach their full potential. It is encouraging to see so many education professionals embrace this training to make a real difference to the young people they work with.”