What Has The East Dunbartonshire Aces And Trauma Collaborative Been Doing?
Following a collaborative development session in May 2023, East Dunbartonshire’s ACEs and Trauma Collaborative (EDATC) and the Council’s Trauma Champions developed a Trauma Informed Practice Outcomes and Improvement Plan (2023-2026) for creating a trauma informed and responsive East Dunbartonshire. The Plan sets out East Dunbartonshire’s ambition and key areas of focus required over the next three years.
Progressing these short and long-term areas of focus required activity around a small number of key priorities over the next 6-12 months, which were identified
as crucial to progressing the Plan through ongoing discussions across the EDATC and engagement with key partners/ stakeholders.
In order to do this, the EDATC met on 30 January 2024 for a second in-person event to focus on collectively developing specific actions for delivery of Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) across these priority areas.
The event was successful and feedback was very positive, with all members focusing on strengthening leadership commitment, evaluation and feedback loops and workforce knowledge, skills and capacity. The discussions were facilitated by colleagues from the Improvement Service to allow for attendees to focus on the
discussions.
Should you have an interest in joining the EDATC and/or would like to present how your service is providing a Trauma-Informed experience for people, please
contact the Trauma Informed Practice Coordinator at: Victoria.bannerman@eastdunbarton.gov. uk for more information.
Trauma Informed Practice Coordinator
Vicki continues to work in collaboration with the national group of Trauma Leads and has been contributing to discussions relating to the progression of Trauma Skilled
training. She has worked with the Improvement Service to organise a meeting with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) with a smaller group of representatives to support understanding of the challenges relating to issues such as increasing trainer capacity through Training For Trainer events and how to support access to the workforce who do not have online access within their role.
Vicki has been part of a Short Life Working Group to discuss Trauma Informed Supervision Policies with an aim to potentially develop a national framework; however, this group is still in the very early stages of development.
In March, Vicki attended her first East Dunbartonshire Staff Wellbeing Subgroup meeting, which supports the embedding of Trauma-Informed and supportive wellbeing ideas across the HSCP. A large-scale staff survey was undertaken in 2023 with helpful feedback around staff wants and needs which has been analysed and supports implemented. The Staff Wellbeing Subgroup also identifies the health and wellbeing national campaigns across the year and aims to ensure resources around those
aspects are circulated and events held to highlight the importance of these. For more information please contact: Margaret.hopkirk@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Vicki continues to also attend a wide range of subgroups locally and nationally. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to extent an invite to request that Vicki attend a meeting, either as a one off or on an ongoing basis to support moving forward with Trauma Informed Practice: Victoria.bannerman@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Updates from East Dunbartonshire Services
In partnership with Jon Bradley (Team Manager) from Justice Social Work, Vicki has developed a Wellbeing Practitioner and Supervision Support Plan which was launched on 2 April 2024 as part of Stress Awareness Month. The Plan sits alongside the Supervision Policy recently implemented across Social Work, to provide a focus on improving staff wellbeing for teams who are exposed to and UPDATES FROM EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE SERVICES experience high levels of trauma in their role. The Wellbeing Support Plan helps workers to identify the behaviours and feelings they might have and/ or show when they are finding work difficult, as well as what they need to do themselves and what they need from others to help them cope throughout more difficult experiences. The purpose is to ensure that these experiences and feelings are identified and supported early on with the hope it can prevent staff burnout. The Plan can be shared with a line manager, but it does not need to be, whereas the Supervision Support Plan is a strengths-based, wellbeing focused template to ensure there is open discussion between both participants around a worker’s ongoing and evolving needs within the workplace.
The East Dunbartonshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) Strategy was recently updated to reflect additional priorities from the Scottish Government such as, but not limited to, Medication Assisted Treatment Standards (MAT), Residential Rehabilitation and Lived and Living Experience. The amended ADP Strategy went out for public consultation in 2023 and has been updated based on consultation feedback. The strategy runs until 2025 and will have a Delivery Plan providing details on the actions required to implement the ADP priorities that will be driven by the ADP Subgroups detailed in the diagram.
The ADP Strategy will be published on the East Dunbartonshire HSCP website but to request a printed or PDF copy please email: Lynsay.Haglington@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Subgroup Activity
The EDATC’s three subgroups have continued to progress their individual agendas over the last few months.
Policies and Systems subgroup
This subgroup has a focus on long-term systems change across the whole of East Dunbartonshire Council and HSCP. The group met most recently to support the ADP Coordinator Lynsay Haglington with updating the Alcohol and Drug Partnership Strategy (as
mentioned above), as well as the MAT Standards process.
The subgroup will continue to focus on reviewing local policies and operational guidance to ensure they are Trauma-Informed in how
they are written, developed and implemented across the organisation.
People and Training subgroup
As part of our ongoing commitment to the ‘Grow Your Own’ training model, we have been working to support those interested in becoming a trained facilitator for the Trauma Informed and Transforming Connections: Trauma Skilled Training courses. We have now received applications from seven people across different services. Two of these nominees have attended a Training For Trainers event held by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) on 21 March 2024 and have joined the current trainers’ network, increasing our current team to six people. It is hoped that in the next few months, Vicki will work with NES to develop a local Training For Trainers programme which will allow the next group to move forward and join the Trainer Network.
Transforming Connections:
Trauma Skilled sessions have been taking place monthly since October 2023 and so far nearly 130 people have attended a session from across a huge range of services. The next three dates: 23 April, 9 May and 18 June are also fully booked; however, a small waiting list is being operated to ensure the remaining dates are at capacity wherever possible. Should you wish to join the
waiting list, please email cpc@eastdunbarton.gov.uk to request a space.
New dates will be released in June for the next set of training sessions from August – December 2024 and will be available across the full Council and HSCP workforce, including our Third Sector partners and national agencies present in the local area. They will be available to view via the SW Joint Learning Calendar. To request a copy of the JL calendar and places on the training, again please email cpc@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.
East Dunbartonshire continues to engage with other Local Authorities and the National Trauma Leads group to consult on developing a local e-learning module to support the foundational Trauma Informed level of training.
Should you wish to discuss what level your service/staff require and would like to discuss the option of a single agency training session for either Trauma Informed or Trauma Skilled level, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Victoria.bannerman@
eastdunbarton.gov.uk
Environment Subgroup
Jackie Sullivan and Aileen Farrell from the Housing and Homelessness Team situated in William Patrick Library, have sought feedback through staff and tenant surveys over the last few weeks. The staff identified certain supports within their off ice space which they felt would be really helpful, e.g. to provide them with a break away/quiet space and this was taken on board by management. The staff now have a dedicated area within their off ice where they can go over their lunch break to have some down time away from the noise and bustle of the main off ice area.
Tenant surveys have been steadily coming in; Jackie and Aileen will spend time looking at the feedback and consulting with the subgroup to look at how it can be actioned over the next few months.
Lucy McGonigle and Josie Stewart from the Primary Care Mental Health Team held a focus group on 28 March 2024 with several patients across the Mental Health Services housed in the KHCC building. Lucy and Josie reported the discussion to be really helpful and patients had some great feedback for how to make the KHCC building more Trauma-Informed. We are going to meet as a group to work through the feedback and use this to inform discussions with Senior Management to look at how KHCC can be improved and continue to support the needs of patients attending services there.
Huge thanks to all four of you for your ongoing work to make your buildings Trauma-Informed!
Justice SW Services are also in the process of significantly updating their Unpaid Work building. A full refurbishment has taken place over the last few weeks, with a mezzanine floor added and a new purpose built group work room which will have up-to-date technology. Group work is a hugely important part of the journey for offenders, and this will be a fantastic space to support them going forward. The building will reopen on 22 April 2024. Well done to the Unpaid Work Team for dealing with the upheaval as it has all being going on too!
Upcoming Events
The collaborative ‘Meet the Services’ event continues to take shape and will be held on 24 April in Kirkintilloch Town Hall from 12 – 7pm. We are really looking forward to welcoming a wide range of services from across East Dunbartonshire Council, HSCP, Third Sector, Community Planning Partnerships and National Agencies. This event is for the whole community to meet, greet and chat with the local and national services that support the people of East Dunbartonshire every day. For any enquiries please contact Yvonne.lambie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk. Please come along on the day and find out what services are available across East Dunbartonshire for both you and those who attend your services.
Scottish Trauma Informed Leadership Training Webinars 2024/2025
The next FOUR STILT webinars are scheduled for the following dates. Registration for all STILT sessions is now open, please click the associated links below. If you have previously attended a session prior to June 2023, please consider attending another session, as the content has been updated to take account of new learning and progress made by the Trauma Leads nationally, in the last
18 months.
Thursday 6th June 2024, 1-4pm [opens in a new window]
Tuesday 3rd September 2024, 1-4pm [opens in a new window]
Thursday 5th December 2024, 1-4pm [opens in a new window]
Tuesday 25th February 2025, 1-4pm [opens in a new window]
What Resources Are Available?
Elected Members Event ‘Trauma Is Everybody’s Business’ - an event hosted by the Improvement Service for Elected Members took place on 20th February 2024, designed to bring together Elected Members to consider the Scottish Government and COSLA’s
ambition for Trauma-Informed and responsive services, systems and workforces across Scotland. A high number of Elected Members attended and there was a lot of really great engagement by participants. You can view a recording of inputs from the event here with a particular focus on why Trauma-Informed services matter and how a Trauma-Informed approach can support Elected Members in their role across Local Authorities.
NSPCC Learning website – Child Health and Development Programme supporting training on: How childhood trauma affects child brain development: Understanding child brain development | NSPCC Learning [opens in a new window]
Implementing Safe & Together in Scotland: Creating Domestic Abuse- Informed Workforces, Services and Systems - Year Two Learning Report - this learning report marks the second in a series highlighting key learning from 12 local authorities/partnerships (of which East Dunbartonshire is one) working to embed the Safe & Together model across Scotland, and the impact this work is having. The report focuses on the emerging learning and evidence of the impact of embedding domestic abuse-informed practice for professionals and families affected by domestic abuse. You can read the report here [opens in a new window].
Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change: Guidance for Organisations, Systems and Workforces in Scotland (2023): Implementation - National Trauma Transformation Programme [opens in a new window]
Who To Contact?
Victoria Bannerman – Victoria.Bannerman@eastdunbarton.gov.uk (TIP Coordinator)
Alex O’Donnell – Alex.ODonnell@eastdunbarton.gov.uk (Trauma Champion & EDATC Chair)
Alistair McDonald – Alistair.mcdonald@eastdunbarton.gov.uk (Trauma Champion & EDATC Vice-Chair)
Councillor Susan Murray – Susan.Murray@eastdunbarton.gov.uk (Trauma Champion)