We listen. We care. We love.
Project Return was created to ensure that the wellbeing and success of young people leaving care is indistinguishable from that of their peers. The project is now underway and we're looking for young people and members of the workforce to join our steering group. Find out more about what's happening with Project Return and how to get involved. Read more
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) have recently published a new psychological training plan. Find out more on our news piece here. Read more
In May 2019, Dr Karen Treisman returned to Glasgow to deliver our full-day training course 'Navigating the Iceberg'. Find out three ways that we are taking forward this work on organisational change towards trauma-informed practice. Read more
Staf attended the ACE Aware Nation event with Dr Gabor Maté in Glasgow in June 2019. The day reinforced our belief in the importance of relationships but it has also opened our eyes to the impact of the opposite – alienation. Tackling alienation and building the relationships needed to heal from trauma will take commitment from all of us. Read more
In a country that believes that all young people deserve care and love, it cannot be right that their wellbeing and success is often determined by the adversity and trauma they have experienced. Find out more about Project Return, which seeks to address this, here. Read more
We're excited to announce that our day of learning and development with Dr Karen Treisman is now sold out and that so many of our members are booked on to this event. Find out more about what to expect on the day. Read more
In Staf's first-ever podcast, we spoke to Pauline Connelly who is a Senior Worker at Tremanna children's home in Slamannan, just outside Falkirk. Our Head of Learning and Development, Pamela Graham, spoke to Pauline about how we can support the workforce to deliver trauma-informed and trauma-responsive care and about the unique model of care that has been developed at Tremanna. Read more
Following on from our National Conference 2018, 'Healing from Trauma and Moving On', here you will find some resources from the day, including speaker presentations as well as books and videos mentioned during the day. Read more
On 17-18 September 2020 we will be hosting an International Child Trauma conference with Dr Bruce Perry alongside partners Aberlour, Clackmannanshire Education and Psychology Services, Seamab, Kibble, and Children in Scotland. Find out more in this blog. Read more
Staf have welcomed yesterday's announcement made by deputy First Minister John Swinney that the Scottish Government will invest an additional £1.35 million to create a national training programme, developed for workers supporting people who have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and traumatic experiences in adulthood, such as physical or sexual abuse. Read more
Sixty percent of adults report difficult childhood experiences, including drawn-out divorces, violence and abuse. The effects of trauma are long-lasting, ranging from anxiety to post-traumatic stress disorder and physical illness. But what if trauma also results from a shortcoming on the part of society to support families in thriving? If society helped informed teachers and parents meet children's basic needs for attachment and connection, would we produce fewer traumatised adults? Read more
Listen to a podcast by Dr Richard Schwartz, Founding Developer of the Internal Family Systems model, on how we can understand ourselves better if we think about our inner conflicts as arguments between parts of ourselves. He outlines the kind of mindful interaction through which we can assume effective leadership of these conflicting parts. Read more
This video tells the story of Chantal, a young woman who survived the genocide in Rwanda, and overcame losing her family to become a successful shop owner with the help and support of Dr Lori Leyden and Project Light. Find out more. Read more
Compassion fatigue and foster carers. Compassion fatigue is a physical and emotional response to the stresses of working with traumatised people. This study explores compassion fatigue in foster carers and the impacts this can have, with the aim of improving awareness and highlighting the support strategies which carers find helpful to reducing compassion fatigue. Read more
Oprah Winfrey reports on how trauma plays a role in childhood development and what new methods are being used to help children and young people who have experienced it in a recent report for American news channel CBS. Find out more. Read more
This short video, from the SevenSlideSeries at the ChildTrauma Academy, gives a brief introduction to core concepts about brain structure and function that provide the basis for developmentally sensitive and trauma-informed caregiving, education and therapy. Read more
This booklet by Dr Bruce Perry, Founder and Senior Fellow at the ChildTrauma Academy, presents an overview of secondary trauma, with the aim of giving readers a better understanding of how working with traumatised children and young people can affect us personally and professionally. Find out more about this booklet 'The Cost of Caring'. Read more
In this fascinating presentation, Dr Dan Siegel (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA) looks at the links between neuroscience, adolescence, relationships and community. Read more
An attachment disorder is often only one part of the puzzle in understanding how a child's adverse childhood experiences have shaped their emotional world and outward behaviour. Find out more about repairing developmental trauma. Read more
We know how important it is to give young people tools to deal with their trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). But how often do we look at other ways young people can thrive - namely through their desire to help others? Read Ruairi's blog to find out more. Read more
The Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) framework us a flexible intervention which was developed for children and young people who have experienced complex trauma. Find out more and read Kinniburgh, Blaustein, Spinazzola and van der Kolk's paper: Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competency. Read more
This six-minute video provides an overview of The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain, a Working Paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. Read more
The Scottish Care Leavers Covenant is a bold and committed promise to young people who have experience of the care system: that they matter. Read more
(Through the eyes of care leavers) The experience of young people leaving care and suffering from depression in Scotland. Marina Amaral's thesis examines the Throughcare experience and outcomes achieved by young people who are simultaneously leaving care and experiencing depression. Find out more and download Marina's thesis. Read more