Expert body launches to support childhood trauma

In ‘Beyond the pandemic: Strategic priorities for responding to childhood trauma’ the UKTC identifies three ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting on the experience of childhood trauma:

• It increases the risk that more children will be exposed to trauma, including through sudden bereavement or exposure to domestic violence
• It increases the likelihood that those with prior experiences of trauma (for example, because of abuse) will experience significant difficulties
• It compromises the ability of adults and professional systems to identify a struggling child and mitigate the impact of trauma, including mental health problems.

The UKTC is a multi-disciplinary group bringing together 22 leading experts in research, policy and practice, hosted and supported by the Anna Freud Centre. It aims to drive positive change in the care and support provided to children and young people who have been exposed to different forms of traumatic event – including single incidents, as well as abuse and neglect.

The UKTC believes that the consequences for those affected by the pandemic may be profound and lifelong, unless there are clear UK-wide responses which seek to support children and young people.

David Trickey, Co-Director of the UKTC, said, ‘None of us has escaped the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, but some have been more affected than others.

‘For many children and young people, particularly those who have lived through previous trauma, the pandemic represents a series of potentially traumatic events. We should be in no doubt that this could have far-reaching consequences for their lives unless appropriate evidence- based help is available. We are seeing an increased need for services, and there is a need for a new energy in supporting children if we are to successfully mitigate against the impact of the pandemic.’

The UKTC makes four recommendations in response to the pandemic, which it addresses to Government departments, professional bodies and those developing policy and practice. These are to:

• Prioritise responding to trauma in national and local strategies
• Invest in specialist trauma provision for children and young people
• Equip all professionals who work with children and young people with the skills and capacity to support children who have experienced trauma
• Shift models of help towards prevention, through research, clinical innovation and training.

Each recommendation is followed by suggested steps to be taken to achieve it, often focusing on the need for increased collaboration and the harnessing of existing expertise.

Welcoming the launch, Paul Whitemen, general secretary the NAHT union, said that the challenge is not just to make up for loss of education now children have returned to school but to also support children’s mental health and wellbeing.

‘All the resources and services that should be there to help children and young people need to be operating efficiently and effectively together in order to make a difference,’ he said.

‘Schools cannot do it alone – they will need timely access to the right specialist services which need to have the capacity to help. Sadly those services have been as starved of funding as education over the last decade. The government must ensure that sufficient money is invested in supporting children’s mental health now, or risk failing children just as they most need help.’

Aside from the current pandemic, research suggests that one in three children is exposed to traumatic events by age 18 in England and Wales. Approximately one third of all mental health problems are associated with exposure to childhood trauma and adversity.

The UKTC has developed a set of resources translating the latest neuroscience findings in the field of trauma so that they are easily accessible to frontline professionals. This includes a ‘Childhood Trauma and the Brain’ portfolio highlighting the growing evidence base that shows resilience is possible.

More information

https://uktraumacouncil.org/

Resources

Childhood Trauma and the Brian