Last updated: 26 June 2024
Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a relationship-based approach which can be adopted by organisations to improve awareness of trauma and its impact, to ensure that the services provided offer effective support and, above all, that they do not re-traumatise those accessing or working in services.
Over the last year, Homeless Link has worked to develop a framework to support voluntary and community organisations within the homelessness sector to implement trauma-informed care in practice.
Through desk-based research, reviewing existing resources, and consultation with stakeholders and people with lived experience, we came up with 3 steps to being trauma-informed.
Step 1: Trauma awareness
Realising the prevalence and impact of trauma.
Step 2: Building safety
Building physical and psychological safety.
Step 3: (Re)building control
(Re)building control through empowerment and collaboration.
About the framework
The framework itself is divided into a series of tables; each focussing on one of the 3 steps. Each table examines how the step should be applied in terms of people accessing services, staff and governance. It poses a series of questions to help organisations assess their progress to identify areas for change or future development. Space is provided to write down evidence of how you, as an organisation, or individual, are meeting the indicators, and where there are areas of development needed.
The framework is a reflective tool which recognises the diversity of services and will enable frontline staff, managers, and leaders to consider where to make changes. Each organisation will apply the steps in a slightly different way to best fit their ethos and service provision.
To accompany the framework, we have gathered case studies from service providers across England, to demonstrate how they are embedding TIC/PIE and the impact of this on people accessing services and staff.
