Workforce Development

In response to a large workforce development survey in 2018 that identified that 83% of Plymouth respondents saw trauma as a priority for their practice, the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network developed a L3 certificated Trauma Informed Practice course. Over 1,600 members of the Plymouth workforce have attended multi- and single agency courses since January 2020.

The Network has also developed reflective and psychoeducational workshops on vicarious and secondary trauma and adapted trauma informed practice webinars for primary healthcare professionals and businesses working in the private sector.

The Network’s training is delivered by members of the community who are passionate and skilled. We support them through the running of a train the trainer process, building on their existing skills and experience. Our most recent train the trainer process was in July 2025. Details of any future expansion of our pool will be advertised on this page and through our members’ monthly newsletter.

Trauma Informed Practice

Please Note: This training offer has concluded for now, and we are currently investigating new training models. We greatly appreciate your patience, and encourage you to join our mailing list for the latest updates and announcements.

If you are booked on the training but cannot attend, please let the team at the Plymouth Safeguarding Children’s Partnership know at safeguardingtraining@plymouth.gov.uk

Face to Face – Full Day 9.30am – 4.30pm
Plymouth Safeguarding Children’s Partnership

Who is this course for?

The course is aimed at staff who provide support services to children, young people, families and adults.

How much does it cost?

Until March 2026 this training was funded through the generosity of the Changing Futures Program, and therefore came at no cost to individuals, agencies and professionals working in Plymouth. As Changing Futures comes to an end, we are investigating other training options an models. Join the Network as a member to receive the latest updates and announcements.

info@tipn.org

Trauma Informed Practice

Our most popular option, this full day course counts as an L3 certificated safeguarding course and is kindly coordinated and evaluated by Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership. While we are committed to delivering face to face sessions wherever possible to ensure the richest relational experience, we recognise that this might not work for all organisations.

The course explores:

Definitions and prevalence of trauma including adverse childhood experiences
What a trauma informed approach is
The signs and effects of trauma in individual people, families and communities. This includes the workforce within organisations that deliver services.
How we respond in a trauma-informed way introducing the values that underpin a trauma informed approach
The importance of language in ensuring we are both trauma -informed and shame sensitive
How to reduce trauma-related distress and resist re-traumatisation within our own practice and procedures.
How to promote resilience and recovery, not just in the people we seek to support but within ourselves and our colleagues.

The Trauma Informed Practice course can be booked via the Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership.

If you would prefer this delivered as a single agency day, please contact us at info@tipn.org for further details.

Book now

Contact us via email at info@tipn.org to discuss whether a condensed online version of this training might suit your organisation’s needs. As a taster session, a condensed 60-minute Introduction to Trauma can be made available to some organisations.

In line with our value of collaboration, we offer bespoke training packages that adapt and build on our existing material to suit the needs of specific organisations. Recent examples include collaborations with the Public Health Team on trauma-informed practice related to Nitazenes and people who use substances, Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support, and Bed and Breakfast providers in the city.

Celebrating 5000 trainees

We are indebted to MSC in Clinical Psychology Postgraduate at the University of Plymouth, Eugene O Eraikhuemen, for his study in 2024 in relation to the Network’s training.

The quantitative data in this evaluation shows a high level of satisfaction of between 90% and 100% in terms of usefulness, impact, content, quality and helpfulness.

Key themes emerged from the evaluation:

Professionals frequently mentioned how the training enhanced their ability to recognise signs of trauma in clients, understand the roots of trauma, and appreciate its pervasive effects on behaviour.
Participants felt more confident about their capacity to manage challenging circumstances involving clients who have experienced trauma. Some professionals shared that they would start including trauma-informed questions into their assessments to help create a safer and more supportive environment.
Participants reported feeling more self-aware, especially regarding their own emotional reactions and self-care routines. Professionals were prompted to consider their own actions and how they might affect traumatised clients.
The participants shared their perspectives on the training’s most useful elements and areas for improvement. The Network has listened to how important the interactive and relational elements of the training are.
Participants reflected on support networks and organisational culture, and how they can either help or impede the adoption of trauma-informed practices. This reflects participants’ experiences of how willing their organisations are to adopt trauma-informed approaches, and how much support they receive from coworkers and management.

Adverse Childhood Experiences

In 1998, Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda published a ground-breaking study that demonstrated a causal correlation between adversity in childhood and later physical and emotional health outcomes.

The Trauma Informed Plymouth Network have recorded a 40-minute webcast highlighting the findings and inviting reflection on the research.

Please credit the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network if sharing with others. Resources produced and developed within the Network remain the intellectual property of the Trauma Informed Network CIC and should be properly referenced as belonging to the Network, or the specific named members who have developed the resources.

Secondary and Vicarious Trauma

In response to the pandemic, the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network developed a reflective session Same Storm Different Boats. This online session provides opportunities to consider the difference between burnout, vicarious trauma, secondary trauma and compassion fatigue and to consider the impact on the workforce of supporting those who have experienced or are experiencing trauma.

In response to the tragic events in Keyham in August 2021, the Network offered an online reflective session Responding to Community Trauma which incorporates an introduction to how people might respond differently to trauma, ideas for supporting those affected by trauma, how to look after ourselves and each other as well as promoting local resources.

This training is delivered as a single agency session to help us relate to the specific contexts of organisations seeking to support staff through the training.

Please contact us via email info@tipn.org or our contact form for more details.

The Shame Lab

Many of you will remember Professor Luna Dolezal’s 2022 guest speaker session, “Why a ‘Trauma Informed Approach’ Requires ‘Shame Sensitive Practice’.” A shame researcher for 15 years and co-founder of The Shame Lab, Luna helped adapt our “Envisioning Plymouth” document and trauma lens to incorporate shame sensitivity.

From June 2024 to April 2025, the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network collaborated with The Shame Lab to deliver 18 full-day Shame Competence trainings to over 300 members, delivered by Vicky Brooks and Sarah Cox (project details here).

We are proud of this partnership and delighted that Luna has shared the final evaluation on our website. We hope you get a lot from the learning captured in this report.

Read the Evaluation Report

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