Leeds Community Foundation and Forum Central are delighted to be partnering with Leeds Health and Care Partnership to deliver a grant programme which builds upon work delivered through two existing grants programmes: Trauma-Informed Work in Communities and Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Minority Ethnic Groups.

 Funding is focused on community organisations that:

• Work with children, young people and families who experience mental health inequities because of their race or ethnicity.
• Work with children, young people and families to promote strong, healthy relationships and teach relationship and pro-social skills.
• Boost protective factors in children and young people who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, adversity.
• Might not have a prior understanding of trauma or trauma-informed practice; yet, recognise their organisation values align with the trauma-informed approaches of: awareness, sensitivity, compassion and empathy.
• Have a sense of curiosity about becoming a trauma-informed organisation.

Funding was awarded to Re:establish, St Lukes Cares & Complete Woman CIC.

Re:establish, working in Beeston, Holbeck and Hunslet, empower young people to discover their potential and positively improve their lives, whilst enhancing the lives of others.

St Luke's CARES has a track record of providing a variety of community projects to meet the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged children, young people, unemployed people, elderly people and families living in poverty within inner South Leeds.

Complete Women CIC is a not for profit, voluntary organisation originally founded in 2009 and incorporated in 2018 by a small group of migrant women as an effort to reduce isolation and share knowledge to aid integration into a new unfamiliar culture.

Grant holders from the Trauma Informed Work in the Communities Fund meet bi-monthly and the Learning Briefing 3 is now available. 

Learning Briefing 3

This short report is based on the reflections of 6 different Trauma Informed Communities projects from the Trauma Informed Work in the Communities Fund. The peers were asked to reflect on an exercise taken from Karen Treisman’s, A Treasure Box for Creating Trauma Informed Organisations’ resource and the exercise was “Steps to reflect on different aspects of the work & of the organisation from a  trauma informed lens.” The group were asked to zoom in on an aspect of their work. The group thought about what might facilitate, hinder, increase, decrease people’s trust and safety and considered both emotional, relational and also physical safety. (Treisman 199) These discussions have been organised, where possible, into the trauma informed principles as a guide.  

Treisman, Karen. Dr. 1 ed., vol. 1, London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2021. 2 vols.

Naomi reflects on her journey on LS14 Trust on the surrounding community becoming trauma informed. Naomi shares that it is a process not just a training cause and it is about giving people permission to be wrong. 

Watch the video to hear Naomi's thoughts!

This Hub is a place for all who work with children, young people and families in Leeds to find out more about compassionate and trauma informed practice. You will discover ideas, resources and support to develop a trauma-informed approach within your work.

This is a new initiative that directly supports key priorities within the Leeds Future in Mind strategy, the Compassionate Leeds strategy and the Early Help approach. It is being established through the collaboration of senior strategic leaders across the children’s partnership in Leeds.

The team will enable a culture shift in Leeds towards compassionate and trauma informed practice in all agencies and sectors that work with children and young people, building on the existing strong practice in the city.

ITIP Programme Manager 

Click the following link for more information: ITIP Programme Manager

ITIP Development Facilitator

Click the following link for more information: ITIP Development Facilitator 

A BIG thank you to Andrea Cowans and the Leeds City College Luminate Education Group for inviting the Forum Central Trauma Informed Communities grant holders to their Relationship and Belonging; an antidote to trauma workshop with Lisa Cherry FRSA Trauma Informed Consultancy Services Ltd, Andi Brierley and Sheila Mulvenney.

Some key takeaways:

• Protective factors for young people can be care, education settings, communities, professionals who are well regulated and safe and families who are resourced and relationally connected.
  
• It is not what we do on our own, it is what we do together that makes the difference.
• Belonging - Accessibility, language, humility. Does what I need exist? How do I find it? Will people there understand me? Do they look/sound like me? Does the language other me? Does the language problemise me? Do people assume that I know what I want?
• "For me it isn't what you know, it is how you are" Wherever you are in a system/organisation, provide a smile, connection to give that young person a sense of belonging.
• "This young person isn't engaging" to "We're not connecting" - It becomes reciprocal rather than blaming the child. It also places responsibility on the adult/professional.
• Purposeful connection happens through physical( being close, eye contact, smiling or facial expressions), emotional(listening, hearing, reassuring, validating), cognitive (how we see the young person and our of understanding of why) connection.
• "We all know how to connect BUT sometimes we feel it is second. It takes no longer to connect than NOT to"

James Allen from Beacon House spoke about becoming trauma informed being a journey rather than a destination. "It is a set of principles to guide us, a lens to use and also it is a map.

David Gill spoke of organisations wanting a simple tick box to becoming trauma informed and spoke about his journey and approach. I particularly valued the section around marginal gains used in British Cycling, which looks at improving every area by 1%.

"Look at the bits that get classically overlooked. Don't put pressure on yourself to fix things. Aim to understand and improve."

Kathryn from Let's do More who spoke about what to expect when using a trauma informed approach. Expect to to get it wrong, to feel heartache, helpless & hopeless, to feel frustrated and like giving up and to be triggered. On a more positive note, you also see more of an impact and do what actually works, feel connection and joy, less burn out and you start to heal yourself.

Sarah Shand's session looked at how our work can impact on us using Professor Paul Gilbert OBE Compassion Focussed Therapy 3 emotion regulation systems: Threat, Drive and Sooth. Sarah asked the group to build their own Soothing System for work.

For more information about the 3 emotion regulation systems, click on the following link: 3 Circles - Compassionate Focussed Therapy

Sarah also talked about Distress Tolerance, "Emotions are ok - emotions can be safely managed. There are different ways to manage distress and emotions."

✍ Finally, a fab poetry session with Surfing Sofas (UK)!

In 2021, Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership was one of 12 vanguards to be awarded funding to to develop a systems approach to enhancing support for vulnerable Children and Young People who have or may have experienced trauma or adversity and those at risk of encountering the Youth Justice System. You can read their progress in the 2022-2023 Annual Report. 

West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership have published guidance around using trauma informed language to support conversations across services in West Yorkshire. It is not an exhaustive guide but a tool to move towards trauma informed settings, services and systems. The guide is an invitation to develop deeper awareness around stigmatisation, understanding that when we change the language, we change how we see the world. 

Special thanks to Youthwatch Leeds for their valuable contributions to this report.

This Roadmap has been designed to help services and organisations identify and reflect on progress, strengths and opportunities for embedding a trauma-informed and responsive approach across policy and practice.

This handbook aims to support action to address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by providing
professionals and organisations with guidance on implementing work to prevent ACEs, build resilience, and develop trauma-informed organisations, sectors and systems.

There are fantastic case studies and resources attached to this report!

This report explores traditional strategies and examples of community building alongside the challenges of trauma informed community building. 

"A message to parents, teachers and anyone responsible for children. Yours sincerely, Children.

This poem/video highlights the crucial role we play in the future of the nation's mental health. A securely attached child's caregiver only needs to get it right 30% of the time. We all make mistakes, but it's how we repair the ruptures that can prevent trauma and the later impacts on mental and physical health.

'Sticks and Stones' by Ton Mazzone. Voice over by my daughter, Evie-Rose" 

"Strong communities create strong relationships" 

This guide explores the building blocks of adversity-informed environments.

Rethink is a restorative way of thinking about the families we work with.

It uses an evidenced based model of case formulation to help us organise information and structure our conversations to reach a shared understanding from which to base our plans.

Intro to Rethink forums

28th Nov 2023  09:15am – 12:30pm  Tech North
4th Dec 2023 13:15pm – 16:30pm Kernel House
11th Dec 2023 13:15pm – 16:30pm Albion House

Formulation Skills forums
1st Dec 2023 09:15am – 12:30pm Tech North
13th Dec 2023 13:15pm – 16:30pm Albion House

How to book
Choose the date and venue you prefer and then email us to request a place.

[email protected]

A Virtual Learning Café (VLC) run by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) as part of our YEF Evidence in Practice series. 

Hear from expert academics and practitioners on relevant research, insights, and practical ideas drawn from professional experience to understand the family support service experiences of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and how services can be delivered in culturally sensitive ways.

• Wednesday 6th December 2.00-3.30pm
• Online

Monday 11 December - Finding reconnection after traumatic bereavement.

In this session we focus specifically on working with those affected by bereavement (including traumatic bereavement), recognising and honouring the pain of their grief whilst seeking opportunities to create moments of light. Here we also explore cultural assumptions and how they shape individual experiences creating further disconnection at a time when connection is most needed.

Monday 15 January - Reconnecting systems
Selected text: Brené Brown - ‘Dare to Lead’

This session builds on the gold level content by considering how we can navigate traumatised systems with courage and compassion. Using the ‘Daring Leadership’ approach we explore different ways of working which honour our values and help us to create workplaces which reflect our commitment to a trauma informed approach.

Monday 11 March - Learning to rise in the darkness
Selected text: Emily and Amelia Nagoski - ‘Burnout’

This session looks at burnout, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue, acknowledging how bearing witness and joining someone in their darkness may break our hearts. Most significantly this session seeks to explore strategies for responding to stress, generate new insights and raise questions about what we need to tend to and mend our broken hearts.

Monday 8 April - Beyond reconnection
Selected text: Tarana Burke and Brené Brown - ‘You are Your Best Thing’

In the final session, we focus on the stories of a number of authors captured in this anthology on black humanity, reflecting on their key messages. Most significantly this session seeks to remind us that paying attention to identity and context is critical in reconnection work, so too is the understanding that culture, religion, race and social circumstances may exacerbate disconnection beyond anything we could ever have imagined. Such understanding is essential in equipping us to undertake this journey.

This strategy sets out Compassionate Leeds vision, which is for partners in Leeds to work collectively as a trauma-informed city. Where we realise the widespread and unequal impact of adversity and recognise the part we can each play in overcoming this. Through nurturing relationships and building strengths, the hope is that all babies, children, young people and those who care for them, will feel safe and thrive.

Future in Mind: Leeds is a strategy (plan) explaining how people will work together,
across services in the NHS, Leeds City Council and in the community, to improve
children and young people’s emotional and mental health in the city. This covers
children and young people from birth up to age 25.

The voices and views of children and young people are at the heart of making Leeds a child friendly city. When Leeds first set out its vision, we listened to the ideas of thousands of young people of all different ages. They told us what they thought would make Leeds a better city for them to play, live and grow up in and their feedback was grouped together to form our 12 wishes.

Young Lives Leeds Forum is the strategic forum for Third Sector organisations working to improve the lives of children, young people and their families in Leeds.  

To find out more information about membership and the network meetings and bulletins, please visit the Young Lives Leeds page. 

All black boys deserved to be seen, heard, celebrated, and valued. It’s ok not be ok, but it’s better for you to speak up than to suffer in silence. We’re inviting black boys in Leeds to join the #SpeakUpLeeds campaign and influence change.

Share your story and the campaign on social, using the hashtags #SpeakUpLeeds and #BlackBoyJoy.

Leeds Mindful Employer Network is a local network, led by Leeds Mind alongside a Steering Group of local employers. It is free to join for all employers and business owners across Leeds and the local area interested in mental health at work. Leeds Mindful Employer can help you with areas such as developing a healthy workplace culture, promoting good mental health and well-being, embedding good practice and making it sustainable and many more!

Sally Drinkwater 
Community & Young People's Engagement & Development Lead for the Trauma Informed Programme
Pronouns: she / her
Mobile Number: 07361 576 169

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