Trauma Responsive Social Work Services Expert Advisory Group: minutes: March 2025

Attendees and apologies

 

• individuals providing social work services across Scotland from various practice areas
• Resilience Learning Partnership (RLP)
• Scottish Government (SG)

Items and actions

Overview

This was the tenth meeting of the Trauma Responsive Social Work Services (TRSWS) Expert Advisory Group. The purpose of this meeting was to review progress to date and start to identify gaps and priorities for the Work Plan for 2025 to 2027.

Introductions, welcome and apologies

The meeting began by introducing the new Chair of the group and noting apologies from members. All members in attendance gave brief introductions.

Note of previous meeting and actions

The group had previously agreed the meeting note from the last meeting on 4th September 2024. All actions from this meeting were completed by the relevant action owners.

Update on membership

Communications have been issued to Chief Social Work Officers, Scottish Association for Social Work, and Social Work Scotland’s Learning & Development subgroup seeking notes of interest for new members. The team highlighted that they are particularly interested in hearing from staff in frontline practice in rural and remote areas.

TRSWS Work Plan stock take and next steps

As part of the TRSWS Programme spring review, the TRSWS Programme Lead and Policy Lead presented a stocktake of the work delivered so far for each priority area within the Work Plan. The presentation will be shared with members with this meeting note and can also be requested from the Secretariat. During the presentation, members were asked to reflect on their experiences of this work within their own organisations and to help identify future priorities and next steps. A summary of reflections from members for each priority area can be seen below:

Priority 1 - Ensure appropriate levels of trauma trainings are embedded into social work education, Newly Qualified Social Worker Mandatory Supported Year and the forthcoming Advanced Practice Framework for social work

Members provided the following reflections:

• The trauma skilled practice training offer for Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) delivered by the TRSWS team was helpful in embedding learning for staff post social work education
  • TRSWS Programme Lead highlighted that this offer was coordinated with local NQSW leads, and since July 2024 the team will have offered 240 places to NQSWs
• A member reflected on their experience as a NQSW, they have found the transition to the new mandatory supported year challenging due to the complexity and volume of work required to be completed
• Another member from reflected that the new mandatory support year has had a ripple effect on frontline managers regarding their preparedness to embed trauma informed practice and deliver supervision. They reflected that in some services there is a feeling of disconnect with senior leaders at Chief Social Work Officer level
• RLP referenced the TRSWS teams’ work with four of the nine qualifying social work course providers. They suggested that work to engage with the other five universities should be prioritised, although they appreciated the challenges of this due to capacity

Priority 2 and 3 - Improve access to all appropriate levels of trauma training and promote resources to social work workforce

• RLP recognised the breadth of work that is taking place nationally to improve access to trauma training. They suggested that further work needs to be carried out to review policies and procedures through a trauma informed lens, helping to reduce barriers to incorporate learning into practice. They suggested that senior strategic leaders, not just social work leaders, should be more involved in this work
  • TRSWS Programme Lead highlighted that the team offers strategic support to pilot sites of the TRSWS Programme. They agreed that further consideration needs to be given as to how the team engages with executive teams/leaders that are part of the wider organisation
  • A member  reflected on the many pockets of work happening locally but this is often targeted towards social work. They highlighted that a whole organisational approach to embed trauma informed practice would help to reduce duplication
• TRSWS Policy Lead highlighted that the team continuously promotes the use of the Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change
  • RLP highlighted that the Transforming Psychological Trauma: Knowledge and Skills Framework is a really helpful resource that provides staff with an overview of the four trauma practice levels
• Another member raised that some staff are struggling to see the connections between new models and ways of working that are being introduced locally
• Another member highlighted the importance of considering how learning is sustained and how can local authorities evidence this

• TRSWS Programme Lead acknowledged the challenges of local authorities gaining access to trauma enhanced and specialist practice level training. There are small pockets where this has been possible, through NHS access/multi-disciplinary teams and partnership arrangements, but it is not currently available as standard for local authority located social workers. They also recognised the challenges of accessing trauma skilled practice level training due to the limited number of staff that meet the criteria to be trainers
  • A member raised that local colleagues in justice services have developed a training package for trauma enhanced training that is mapped over to NES learning materials. They also have a practitioner delivering the survive and thrive training package to staff

Priority 4 - Establish an implementation support team to deliver a cohesive programme for the social work workforce, including support for operational middle and front-line social work leaders

• A member highlighted that their local authority had recently appointed a new trauma lead officer who will assist in the sharing of information regarding trauma responsive approaches and best practice in a more cohesive way
• Another member raised that they have been asked to deliver training to foster carers in September. They are looking to develop a learning package that is tailored specifically to this group and would be keen to link in with the TRSWS/SG Alternative Carers Unit to hear more about their recent trial of this work
• Another member highlighted that they feel that there is an expectation put on NQSWs to continuously progress their practice at pace, resulting in a jump from skilled level to enhanced. They also feel that this is not always seen as a priority by more experienced staff

Priority 5 - Draw on the expertise of those with lived experience of care and trauma to deliver the plan

• TRSWS and RLP have co-produced and co-delivered sessions on power sharing with experts by experience to leaders in 3 pilot sites. This work is being evaluated, and a learning summary is currently in draft which will be shared to members once finalised

• TRSWS Programme Lead highlighted that within the comms seeking new membership of this group, it explicitly states that we are interested in hearing from professionals with lived experienced of trauma
• A member highlighted the importance of people with lived experience be renumerated for their time and expertise. They suggested that having greater connections with third sector organisations will help to open up channels for learning

Priority 6 and 7 - Ensure evaluation of all aspects of this programme of work, and build sustainability into the programme through a range actions, including development of train the trainers infrastructure relevant to the social work workforce

• RLP suggested that it may be useful for the TRSWS team to link in with the Improvement Service to develop some case studies about the programme which can be shared with wider stakeholders
• TRSWS Programme Lead highlighted that there isn’t currently a national approach in relation to the training for trainers programme. The team recognises the need to help support training for new trainers and will continue to follow up on training criteria

Menti poll feedback

Following some initial discussion, members were asked three menti poll questions to help identify next steps and future priority areas of work. The questions and responses can be seen below:

Q1. What are the priorities for you, your team/service that can be delivered locally?

Individuals shared the following reflections on this question:

• more engagement with strategic leaders across various disciplines
• focus on manager
• access to trauma enhanced level training
• more Transforming Connections training
• utilising the Roadmap
• have a better understanding of how to utilise the Roadmap
• need more training for trainers at both trauma skilled and enhanced level

Q2. Are there key roles or actions you would see the Partnership Delivery Group prioritise?

• Chief Social Work Officers group
• leadership focus
• further involvement of Third Sector work/colleagues, i.e. Each and Every Child initiative
• greater lived experience representation
• develop reporting mechanisms to help provide accountability

Q3. What should the TRSWS team prioritise?

• Improve access to trauma enhanced level training through training for trainers
• continue to share learning and best practice with local authorities and wider stakeholders
• roll out of accredited professional supervision training
• develop/update more accessible learning resources
• share expectations of SG regarding local responsibilities
• keep supporting national connections

Actions

• Secretariat to share slides from the TRSWS presentation and evaluation plan for the programme
• TRSWS team to link in with member from East Dunbartonshire regarding learning for training for foster carers