Introduction to Trauma: What Every Carer and Practitioner Should Know
Trauma is not defined by a distressing event, but by the impact it leaves on the brain, body and relationships. For children in care, trauma symptoms are often rooted in neglect, abuse, or repeated loss. Understanding how trauma presents is the first step to responding effectively.
Key ideas include the 'window of tolerance' — the zone where we can think and feel without becoming overwhelmed and dysregulated. Children who’ve experienced relational trauma can easily move outside of their window, e.g., becoming loud and aggressive or shut-down and withdrawn. Working with children who frequently fall outside of their window of tolerance can be impactful for carers. Exposure to others’ trauma or high-risk behaviours can take a personal toll, with carers at risk of developing 'vicarious trauma'.
Our Level 3 Award introduces these core concepts in accessible ways. Participants explore the impact of relational trauma on the brain, body and attachment patterns, linking them to behaviours they see every day in children’s homes and foster placements.
This 3-day course equips frontline carers and staff with a trauma lens — the ability to look behind behaviour and respond with empathy, consistency, and resilience.
