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Transitioning to a trauma-informed forensic unit: Exploring staff perceptions of a shift in organisational culture

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Please describe a relationship, service intervention, program implementation, policy, or other that you initiated or know about that would be considered trauma-informed:

My experience so far has been doing focus groups with staff of the female forensic units at Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough that recently transitioned to a trauma informed care model. The purpose of the study is to explore staff perceptions of a changing organisational culture after the service moved towards a trauma informed care model. This included exploring how the process has been so far, any positive outcomes and challenges and future implications.

 

What was the outcome?  

Some of my preliminary results indicate an increased understanding of the impact of trauma not just for service users but also for staff both at work and in their lives outside the ward. Teams and services users feeling more ‘blended’ on the ward and spending more time together. There are recurring themes of structure and safeness as well as changes in attitude towards service users. As I continue with my analysis, I would be happy to share more on the day. I would also be happy to share results of my systematic review on factors that have led to successful implementation of TIC in forensic systems.

 

What supported the positive outcome? (Systemic supports? Organizational supports? Interpersonal supports?):

So far according to my results staff members have appreciated the peer support within the service and the safe spaces created for them to be able to be open about their feelings.

 

In what way has your example changed you, your practice, or your goals?

I have become very aware of the lack of research on TIC in the UK and this is something that I would like to continue doing in the future. TIC holds a lot of promise for both staff and service users.

 

Tell us more about what motivated you to bring this example to discuss:

There is a massive gap in research and evidence-based practice in the UK about trauma informed care. Having recently completed a systematic review of the literature on the implementation of trauma informed care in systems I can confirm that all the research I can refer to has happened in the US, Canada, and Australia.  Any commissioning framework needs to consider funding for research and longitudinal evaluation of trauma informed services to have a better understanding of how TIC can translate and be implemented within the UK and NHS context. Research should involve both quantitative and qualitative measures and involve both staff and service users.

 

Whose needs are met in the example that you outline:

In this research example, I focused on the needs of staff.

 

Was there any one person or factor that was central to the success of your example and why:

Yes, there was: The service being very supportive towards me as a researcher accommodating my needs and the staff being willing to participate in focus groups and be very open and honest about their experience within a trauma informed care model.

 

What can you or others do to spread this good practice to colleagues and services:

Provide some evidence and disseminate!

 

 

Tags: compassionate and transformational leadership, healing interventions

Published: 2021-08-24