Our Journey

From a conversation in early 2018 to a membership of over 1000 people, our Network has grown and grown exponentially… sprouting new branches in a truly grass-roots and organic way, due to the passion and goodwill of the people involved.

We began as a conversation about how trauma and childhood adversity underpin so many of the difficulties people experience. We also wanted to challenge the fatalistic narrative that childhood adversity negatively predicts later outcomes. We want to validate people’s trauma whilst also celebrating the strength, insight and resilience that define so many people who have experienced hardship.

Our History

Our History

This was a conversation that took place in July 2021 with three of the founding members of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network.

They were asked to talk about how the Network came about, their thoughts on how it has grown, what they feel has been achieved and their hopes for its future.

From a conversation in early 2018 to a membership of over 1000

  • 2025

    Branch renewal project launches three new branches to the Network and welcomes new branch leads for those needing them. The work of the Lived Experience branch is now embedded across all branches as a mark of the shared understanding that the voice of experts of their own experience is vital to the endeavours of all Network branches.

    The Network works in collaboration with members and partners to establish a full cost recovery model for the delivery of its training and workforce development. The model remains focused on being able to support small organisations, charities, volunteers and individuals with significantly reduced or zero cost training experiences, aligned to its values. 

    Plans to expand the Network’s training pool with a train the trainer event in July.

  • 2025

    April

    In April the Network is part of developing and endorsing the National Trauma Informed Convener of Practice group’s briefing paper calling for a national strategic approach to understanding and responding to trauma in England and a petition advocating for this to be debated in parliament.

  • 2025

    January

    Network welcomes Dr Kathryn Mannix as a guest speaker in January on the theme of Death and Ordinary Dying – How can we get better at talking about it?

  • 2024

    November

    Successful AGM in November with reflective conversations about the privileges and pressures of being a supporter of the Network and its endeavours. Time taken to celebrate the golden nuggets of embedded or emerging trauma informed approaches in the city. 

  • 2024

    October

    Sophie Olson from the Flying Child joined us for a guest speaker session on her lived experience of child sexual abuse.

  • 2024

    Autumn

    The Inclusion & Resilience branch of the Trauma Network has now been welcoming organisations and individuals to share their experience of supporting marginalised groups for over a year. These branch meetings have led to beneficial connections being made across the city and spread the word about the critical work of organisations including, BtheChange, The Olive Project, Community Builders, M.A.N Culture, Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support, Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council, Women’s Centre Cornwall, Intercom Trust, and Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity. These meetings are recorded and shared on YouTube as a lasting asset.

  • 2024

    September

    The Network is proud to work in partnership with Public Health to provide trauma-informed practice training in relation to Nitazenes and people who use substances for first responders and medical practitioners within the city. 5 workshops are held between October and March 2025.

  • 2024

    August

    Dr Ray Middelton joins us as a guest speaker on using narrative approaches to build psychological safety.

    Lunch and Learn monthly conversations begin.

    The Network puts out a statement in response to the racist riots in the city and holds a special meeting of the Anti-Racist Allyship. Over 80 people attend, and the experience of racism and its traumatic impact shared with courage and vulnerability in this extraordinary gathering.

  • 2024

    Summer

    The Network’s foundational document ‘Envisioning Plymouth as a Trauma Informed City’ is updated to reflect the Network’s commitment to an awareness of shifts in context and meaning of language.

    The Network’s first survey of equality, inclusion and diversity completed telling us that we have some work to do to broaden the reach of the Network and its membership.

  • 2024

    Spring

    A period of focus on the governance of the Network as a CiC begins with clear strategic aims, a suite of policies and protocols and, as is natural in growing and developing organisations, some movement and change in co-ordination and the board of directors.

  • 2024

    May

    Plymouth Allyship Network is held under the care of the Inclusion and Resilience branch from May 2024 until December 2024.

  • 2024

    April

    The Network supports the start of the Plymouth 3 Lens Model project. Developed by opinion leaders from VCSE, Primary Care and mental health care from the Plymouth and wider Devon system who have an interest in mental health, the project is supported by peer researchers with lived experience. The model brings together three different but interlinked ways of understanding mental health challenges: diagnostic, strengths based, and trauma informed and offering a balance between these and the currently more dominant diagnosis-based model of practice, overarched by a person-centred approach. The model will be piloted with teams at Harbour and the Probation Service over a 12-month period between April 2024-April 2025. Learning from this project will them be shared and embedded across partners across the area.

  • 2023

    November

    A project develops for the Network to be involved in the piloting of the Trauma Informed Primary Care Project in surgeries across Plymouth.

  • Spring 2023

    March

    Members continue to organise into new branches so that we can have focussed discussions and learning around how trauma impacts across the wider system. This includes a relaunch of the criminal justice branch and early conversations about a veterans’ branch.

    Prof Luna Donezal and Dr Hayley Packham from Exeter University complete their evaluation of the Shame Competence training they developed. Agreement that The Network will work in partnership to be part of delivering this with once train the trainer completed.

  • Early 2023

    In the spring, the Network held its first train-the-trainer event and developed a training pool in response to the continued demand for the training the Network offers. 

    The Network concluded the 12-month program of workshops with the Trauma Informed Keyham Group which was initiated in response to the Keyham shootings to support the key responders in the community.

    Trauma-Informed Keyham community organisations who were key responders were supported to attend a conference at the Bath Recovery Centre: ‘Traumatised Communities to Trauma Informed and Relationship Centred Communities.’

  • 2022

    Year End

    The Trauma Informed Plymouth Network’s Trauma Informed Practice training has been delivered to over 1,000 members of the Plymouth workforce.

    2022 saw an intense focus on the ongoing delivery of the trauma informed training and engagement with agencies, partners and organisations showing curiosity in the Network’s approach. 

  • 2022

    July

    Peninsula-wide Trauma Informed Conference hosted at the University of Plymouth as a collaboration between trauma networks in Plymouth, Torbay, Devon and Cornwall. Key note speakers Nazir Afzal OBE, Dr Lucy Johnstone (Power Threat Meaning Framework) and Graham Chatterley (When the Adult Changes, Everything Changes) along with workshops on the PTMF, shame competence, compassionate language and co-production.

  • 2022

    March

    Lads Like Us deliver a powerfully moving guest speaker session about male childhood sexual abuse for the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network. People don’t want to leave after 2hrs 50mins!

  • 2021

    December

    The Trauma Informed Plymouth Network successfully becomes a not-for-profit Community Interest Company.

    The Trauma Informed Plymouth Network ends the year with over 300 members.

  • 2021

    November

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network Event ‘Why a trauma-informed approach requires shame sensitive practice’ – fourth reflective learning session with guest speaker Luna Dolezal attended by 114 people from across the Peninsula and as far away as Cork, S. Ireland.

     

  • 2021

    July

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network cross-system strategic leadership session facilitated by Dr Warren Larkin.

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network Event ‘An ounce of prevention is (still) better than a pound of cure’ Building upon a Trauma-Informed Care Foundation – some key concepts and ideas for lasting change. Third reflective learning event with guest speaker Dr Warren Larkin.

    Network coordinator post established through generous funding from Plymouth City Council to support the development and sustainability of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network.

  • 2021

    May

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network Event ‘Thinking Critically About Trauma’ – second reflective learning session with guest speaker Dez Holmes.

  • 2021

  • 2020

    December

    Trauma Informed leadership development workshop with the South-West Reducing Reoffending Partnership Board.

    Trauma Informed leadership & Kindness Charter input to Plymouth City Council Management Team.

     

  • 2020

    October

    Trauma Informed practice webinar with Barnardo’s Plymouth.

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network input to World Health Organisation Trauma Informed Communities Oslo webinar, coordinated by the Wave Trust.

    The Trauma Informed Plymouth Network reaches 185 members.

  • 2020

    September

    Trauma Informed leadership input to NSPCC national leadership team.

    Trauma Informed input to National Working Group – Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation members.

  • 2020

    June

    Network presents the Plymouth Approach at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of ACEs.

  • 2020

    February

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network presents the Plymouth Approach at the Wave Trust UK Alliance meeting for Trauma Informed Communities which is part of the World Health Organisation pan-European alliance.

  • 2020

    January

    1st Trauma Informed Practice training delivered to multi-agency professionals in collaboration with Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership & Office of Police and Crime Commission.

  • 2019

    November

    The Trauma Informed Plymouth Network reaches 133 members.

  • 2019

    October

    3rd branch of Trauma Informed Plymouth Network – Lived Experience – a safe place for people with lived experience (professionals and non-professionals) to share an equal space.

  • 2019

    September

    2nd branch of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network – Education.

  • 2019

    July

    Network presentation to Plymouth Strategic Health & Wellbeing Board, Windsor House. Trauma-informed approach endorsed by the board.

    Safer Plymouth ‘Trauma Informed System’ re-design presented to the Community Safety Partnership Executive.

  • 2019

    June

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network & Approach discussed at Plymouth City Council Cabinet. Recommendation: To provide Cabinet’s full support to the development of trauma-informed approaches, making Plymouth a trauma-informed City.

  • 2019

    March

    The Safer Plymouth Trauma Informed Plymouth Network Conference. Launch of the Approach to Envisioning Plymouth as Trauma-Informed City document.

    Keynote speakers:

    • Gilli Watson, Chartered Clinical Psychologist Consultant and Trainer. The Impact of Social Inequalities on Health and Mental Health: Towards Trauma Informed Practice and Communities.
    • Rudi Dallos, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Plymouth University Trauma, Blame and Good Intentions.
    • Richard Byng, Research Professor – Neuroscience of Trauma Mental Health Consequences of Trauma and Adversity.
    • Lindsay Cooper Smith, SEN Teacher at The Edison Centre and Trauma Informed Schools Co-Ordinator for Discovery Multi Academy Trust.
    • Trauma Informed Plymouth Network – Principles into Practice: focusing on the 5 key principles of Safe, Kind, Collaborative, Empowering and Person-centred – workshops facilitated by Shelley Shaw, Simon Hardwick, Hannah Shead, Bartosz Zaniewski and Anna Moss.

  • 2019

    January

    Trauma Informed Plymouth Network development session at Stoke Damerel Community College facilitated by Dr Warren Larkin around trauma informed system change and the TASC model.

    In an early attempt to describe the aspirations for the city as a trauma informed community, a ‘Kindness Charter’ was developed. This set out the hopes for Plymouth and what we might recognise as the hallmarks of a community with trauma informed approaches at its heart.

    1. Our Plymouth workforce will be Trauma Informed, Adverse Childhood Experiences aware and able to use our trauma lens to inform their on-going reflective and responsive practice.
    2. Our Plymouth workplaces will be trauma informed. We will always use the trauma lens to support the health and well-being of our workforce, who we recognise and celebrate as the cornerstone of our trauma informed approach.
    3. Plymouth will be united in being courageously prevention focussed, taking a public health approach to tackle childhood adversity and trauma in all its forms. We recognise that trauma can impact on the full life course and across generations.
    4. Plymouth will base its emerging trauma informed practice on the best available evidence. This will always include actively listening to the voices of people with lived experience across all services and organisations. We will develop a reflective and supportive learning culture, where we feel safe to innovate and challenge what needs to be changed. This will include being open in sharing what has worked and what hasn’t.
    5. Our services will develop a trauma informed leadership culture based upon kind relationships that are safe and collaborative. Our leaders at all levels will support the Plymouth workforce to implement the Plymouth trauma lens into daily practice.
    6. Envisioning Plymouth as a trauma informed city requires a long-term commitment to our journey, progressing from being trauma informed to responsive and specialist as appropriate to each relationship and setting. We will work together to record and celebrate the real changes we achieve and support the people who champion our Trauma Informed Plymouth Network.
    7. Plymouth as a trauma informed city is about ‘all of us’. We will take an inclusive approach which recognises the strengths and supports the resilience of our community. We will seek to collaborate with all organisational sectors, to foster empowerment and work towards more equal power relationships.
    8. We will share responsibility for communicating and actively promoting our Trauma Informed Approach across Plymouth. We will work within our communities, aiming to reach people of all ages and backgrounds. We will champion and look to encourage public debate, influence local policy and inform national and international conversations on trauma informed approaches.

  • 2018

    November

    A network planning session led to the creation of the Plymouth Trauma Lens, which was borne from discussions about the values that underpin a trauma informed approach. Approach to Envisioning Plymouth as Trauma-Informed City document was starting to take shape.

    Safer Plymouth (Plymouth City Council) formally stated an intent to adopt the trauma informed approach as the core narrative of the Community Safety Partnership.

     

  • 2018

    July

    1st branch of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network – Workforce Development.

     

  • 2018

    May

    NSPCC hosted the first Trauma Informed Plymouth Network meeting – 15 people attended.

    Network attended a school’s ACE conference at Stoke Damerel Community College where Warren Larkin was the keynote speaker.

  • 2018

    January - April

    Where it all began! Two of our Network founders met by chance at a community safety workshop and connected through a conversation regarding trauma informed practice. This led to an initial meeting involving our 5 Network founders, Simon Hardwick, Anna Moss, Shelley Shaw, Ollie Mackie and Sarah Goddard, where the decision was taken to establish the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network.

Join our movement for change

Our ambition is for Plymouth to be a trauma-informed city. Our independent network is open to anyone connected with Plymouth with a desire to learn about and promote trauma informed ways of being. You too can join our Network and help Plymouth become a safer and kinder place, where the impact of trauma and adversity is both recognised and responded to with sensitivity and compassion.

Become a member