Issue 2 August 3023
What Has The East Dunbartonshire EDATC Aces And Trauma Collaborative Been Doing?
The EDATC came together on 23 May 2023 for the third meeting of the year and this time it was an in-person event, focusing on the goals of
the Collaborative for the next 12 months and onto the next three years. The event was facilitated by the Improvement Service which supports Local
Government with their Change and Improvement agendas. The event was highly successful with 25 members of the EDATC in attendance,
covering a wide range of services and directorates, all contributing to the aims and challenges for achieving a Trauma Informed East
Dunbartonshire over the next three years Alistair McDonald has been the EDATC Vice Chair for several months now and continues to support the
plans for rolling out training across East Dunbartonshire Council to ensure we have a Trauma Informed workforce.
On this page you will find information on:
Upcoming events
What resources are available
Who to contact
Trauma Informed Practice Coordinator
Sub Group Activity
EDATC Chair Alex O’Donnell, Victoria and four other colleagues will be attending an event hosted by ACE Aware Scotland with Dr Gabor Maté, a world-renowned author with over twenty years of experience working with families challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. Dr Maté has authored four books exploring the impact on the body and brain of addiction, trauma, childhood development and the relationship of stress and illness. This event will focus on Dr Maté’s book When The Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress and takes place on 30 September 2023. This will be an interesting and exciting event to support the continued learning around Trauma, its impact and why Trauma Informed Practice is so important for our society.
Scottish Government website - Enablers and barriers to trauma-informed systems, organisations and workforces: evidence review [ opens in a new window]
Scottish Government website - Enablers and barriers to trauma-informed systems, organisations and workforces: evidence review - appendices [opens in a new window]
Scottish Government website - Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards: access, choice, support [opens in a new window]
Victoria Bannerman – (TIP Coordinator)
Alex O’Donnell – (Trauma Champion & EDATC Chair)
Alistair McDonald – (Trauma Champion & EDATC Vice-Chair)
Councillor Susan Murray – (Trauma Champion)
Trauma Informed Practice Coordinator
In June 2023, the Scottish Government confirmed that funding for the Trauma Lead posts would be continued nationally. They have committed
another £1.6m across the 32 Local Authorities in Scotland to progress the Trauma Informed agenda which supports Victoria to remain in post to continue to lead and guide services towards making Trauma Informed changes.
The EDATC’s three subgroups have been very busy since they were established at the event in May.
The Environment subgroup has been continuously supporting services to transform their buildings and spaces to become Trauma Informed. Work led by Alasdair Macleod (Unpaid Work Coordinator) and Stewart Owens (Supervisor) is currently ongoing to focus on various services across the Council, HSCP and Third Sector, and will be celebrated in each newsletter, to show the small changes that can make a big difference to how a space feels for the people using and working in them. A lot of changes have occurred within the Justice Services building at Kilsyth Road which has inspired other services to make changes. Feedback has been collated from those using Justice Services about how the building felt previously and how the changes have made them feel valued and more positive about their journey. The Unpaid Work Team has also supported changes in other spaces e.g. improving gardens, indoor and outdoor paintwork and installing benches.
Most recently, they have helped to improve the outdoor space at the Homeless service at Old Drymen Road where they installed some hand-built planter boxes to grow vegetables. The Unpaid Work team also built some birdboxes.
The Policies and Systems subgroup has begun their initial focus which will be to support with the review of the local operational guidance relating to several Justice Service national policies. This is an important task as it supports services to begin the process of ensuring that the way policies are implemented provides Trauma Informed experiences for both staff and those receiving the service. If you would like support to review your service’s policies, please get in touch to discuss how we can help.
The People and Training subgroup has made significant progress in agreeing a training plan for Level One Trauma Informed to be rolled out across East Dunbartonshire Council.
Three of our long-standing EDATC members have been accepted to attend the Transforming Connections: Trauma Skilled Training for Trainers event on 22 August 2023 which will support in the rollout of the NES Level 2 training package – Adrienne Wright (Senior Educational Psychologist), Michelle Dearie (Child Protection Coordinator) and Willie Kennedy (Community Justice Coordinator).
As part of our commitment to the “Grow Your Own” training model, we also welcome enquiries from colleagues who would like to apply for further Training for Trainer courses run by NHS Education for Scotland and/or co-facilitating sessions alongside our trained members. Please contact Victoria Bannerman to discuss this.
What Are The MAT Standards And Why Are They Important?
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards have been developed by the Scottish Government to ensure evidence-based and consistent delivery of drug-treatment services across Scotland in order to reduce the number of drug-related deaths. The MAT Standards aim to remove barriers to accessing safe and consistent care by placing vulnerable people at the centre of services and offering compassionate and empathetic care for as long as it is needed. There is a key focus on treating people with dignity and respect and in ensuring that those who are motivated and ready to access the support they need, are encouraged to reduce their substance use safely and with help. MAT Standard 10 focuses on the provision of Trauma Informed Care whereby people will be offered “the kind of relationship that promotes recovery, does not cause further trauma or harm, and builds resilience” (Scottish Government, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards: access, choice, support - gov.scot (www. gov.scot), Standard 10).
Supporting the Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) with gathering evidence and implementing Standard 10 throughout services is a vital focus of the EDATC and we are working closely with Lynsay Haglington (ADP Coordinator) to ensure that East Dunbartonshire provides the highest level of care to those needing support. At present, East Dunbartonshire has achieved several green statuses and sits on provisional amber for other areas. Work is ongoing to ensure that we achieve green across the board by April 2024.
For more information, please contact Lynsay.haglington.