The Trauma Informed journey

Throughout Northern Ireland we have committed leaders working collectively to develop a trauma informed Northern Ireland.

Developing Trauma Informed Approaches in Northern Ireland

In August 2018, the SBNI commissioned Queens University Belfast to complete an evidence review of the literature and practice of trauma informed care.

Within the evidence review it refers to the set of key core components of service culture, design and delivery that help practitioners and organisations to design responsive, holistic and effective systems of care.

A full evidence review is available alongside several sector specific trauma informed research documents from health and mental health, social care, child welfare, justice and education perspectives. An updated review was commissioned in 2022.  The research commenced in 2023 and findings were launched on 22nd February 2024. (Executive summary report and recommendations from this NI research are available on tab above) 

  • ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Key Messages

    ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Key Messages.pdf

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  • ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Child Welfare System

    ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Child Welfare System.pdf

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  • ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Education System Report 2a

    ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Education System Report 2a.pdf

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  • ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Health and Mental Health

    ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Health and Mental Health.pdf

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  • ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 The Justice System

    ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 The Justice System.pdf

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  • ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Developing a Trauma Informed Approach - Full Evidence Review

    ACEs Report A4 Feb 2019 Developing a Trauma Informed Approach - Full Evidence Review.pdf

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The SBNI Strategic Plan 2022-2026 sets the direction for the next 4 years in which SBNI commits to building on its work and embed a trauma informed approach to underpin all of its work to safeguard children and young people. This work is being taken forward by a newly formed Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) Committee. There are currently two TIP implementation managers who will continue to support member and partner agencies to embed a sustainable transformation model of Trauma Informed Practice building on existing knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Practice.

The organisations that have representation on the TIP committee include; HSC Trusts, Education Authority (schools & youth service), PSNI, PHA, SPPG, Probation, Youth Justice Agency, Councils, NIGALA, and the Community and Voluntary sector.

The committee acknowledges that recognising and responding to the imprints of childhood adversity and trauma, will remain an integral part of achieving best practice and implementing  trauma informed organisations and communities across Northern Ireland. We recognise that trauma informed practice can only happen in the context of trauma informed and responsive environments, policies, systems and organisations. The TIP committee meet on a quarterly basis. For further information please  contact our implementation managers. 

The Implementation managers continue to support organisations to infuse the SAMHSA principles and domains utilising trauma informed sequential intercept / universal service delivery model (USD) approach to support organisational development and service improvement structures across the system. To find out more about how the Sequential Intercept and Universal Service Delivery Models allow us to understand how we could enhance the trauma informed approaches our services , download the research paper; QUB Applying a Sequential Intercept Model to the Northern Ireland Context (2019)  or updated research on SIM is available in the resource section.

To read the Insight report on systems change readiness click below.

https://www.safeguardingni.org/resources/eitp-trauma-informed-practice-…

  • Applying the Sequential Intercept Model to the NI Context (Summary Report)

    Applying the Sequential Intercept Model to the NI Context (Summary Report).pdf

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  • Applying the Sequential Intercept Model to the NI Context (Full Report)

    Applying the Sequential Intercept Model to the NI Context (Full Report).pdf

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Contact the SBNI EITP Trauma Informed Practice Project Team to find out how the key components of trauma informed practice identified within the reports are being implemented across the sectors in Northern Ireland.

2017 - Raising awareness of adverse childhood experiences

The first Northern Ireland ACE Conference was hosted in Templepatrick in November 2017 to begin a conversation about Adverse Childhood Experiences in Northern Ireland. The conference was attended by over 300 staff from health, social care, education, justice, academia, local government, the community and voluntary sector and Government Departments in Northern Ireland. Colleagues such as Professor Mark Bellis from Public Health Wales and Sara Dodds from Scottish Government shared their ACE journey and ACE research findings during the event.

5 Nations Government ACE Forum

Since 2017, a Government Forum for the ACE agenda continues to develop. This forum intially brought together 3 nations (England, Scotland and Wales) however it  has expanded to enable a further 2 other nations including Northern Ireland to be represented on what is now known as the 5 Nations Government ACE Forum. This forum invites colleagues from Scotland, England, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland to be a part of the ACE conversation.

This forum provides a space for sharing good practice and ensuring a common ACE and Trauma Informed language across the nations.

2018 / 19 - Building a trauma informed workforce

In April 2019 the Northern Ireland ACE Reference Group hosted its second conference to demonstrate the momentum that the Adverse Childhood Experiences agenda had made in Northern Ireland sixteen months since the first ACE conference in Templepatrick. The conference was attended by over 145 senior leaders representing health, social care, justice, education, the community and voluntary sector, local government, housing, general medicine, academia and Government Departments. It was an opportunity for representatives from across the sectors to share their agencies journey in raising awareness of ACEs and embedding trauma informed practice within their workforce. It was also an opportunity to embrace the commitments from leaders representing their organisations at the conference to develop a strategic delivery plan across the system to continue the roadmap of developing a trauma informed nation in Northern Ireland.

A conference report has been published to share a summary of the conference and highlight the opportune implementation pathways for the ACE agenda in Northern Ireland within organisations and across the sectors.

  • NI ACE Conference 2019 - Full Report

    NI ACE Conference 2019 - Full Report.pdf

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Watch the 2019 ACE Conference

A short leadership video has been developed that summarises the NI ACE Conference and highlights the momentous opportunities that have been bravely taken by organisations to embed trauma informed practice through the EITP Trauma Informed Practice Project with the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland over recent months. The video embraces the achievements that have been made to date across the whole system and the commitments of our workforce moving forward in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland ACE Conference 2019 from esc films on Vimeo

2020 - Leading a Trauma Informed System into a New Decade

The third annual ACE Conference was held on in March 2020 and brought together 136 delegates in the Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick, to share learning from the journey so far, hear examples of best practice happening elsewhere, and explore the next steps to lead a Trauma Informed System into the New Decade. 

The aims of the conference were to

  • Provide an understanding of the concept of collective leadership and a collaborative approach in response to trauma informed transformation of organisations 
  • Provide attendees with an understanding of the cost of late intervention responses within our services to address trauma 
  • Provide attendees with an understanding of the opportunity of working systemically to address trauma resulting from childhood adversity
  • Provide attendees with an understanding of what trauma informed practice at an organisational level means, beyond training and awareness raising 
  • Explore with attendees the next steps to lead a trauma informed system into the New Decade

The conference was joined by several keynote speakers including; Education Minister for Northern Ireland, Peter Weir, Chair of the Northern Ireland ACE Reference Group, Paul Morgan (SHSCT), Professor Mark Bellis from Public Health Wales, Professor Mandy Davis from Trauma Informed Oregon and Author and inspirational speaker James Kerr. A representative sample of senior leaders from across health, social care, justice, education, housing, the faith sector and the community and voluntary sector also joined the conference to share their personal and organisational leadership journeys contributing to a trauma informed Northern Ireland. 

The conference video below provides a summary of the conference achievements and the trauma informed systemic journey that many organisations have collectively made in Northern Ireland.

The presentations from the NI ACE Conference 2020 can be accessed through the links below

  • NI ACE Conference 2020 - 5 March 2020 - HSCLC presentation

    NI ACE Conference 2020 - 5 March 2020 - HSCLC presentation.pdf

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  • Counting the Cost of ACEs - Prof Mark Bellis

    Counting the Cost of ACEs - Prof Mark Bellis.pdf

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  • Trauma Informed Oregon Presentation - NI ACE Conference 2020 - Mandy Davis

    Trauma Informed Oregon Presentation - NI ACE Conference 2020 - Mandy Davis.pdf

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  • Be the change presentation 1 Jacqui Montgomery Devlin - Churches

    Be the change presentation 1 Jacqui Montgomery Devlin - Churches.pdf

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  • David Brown- Church of Ireland Presentation

    David Brown- Church of Ireland Presentation.pdf

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  • be the Change presentation - BHSCT

    be the Change presentation - BHSCT.pdf

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  • Be the change leadership programme Barnardo's Journey

    Be the change leadership programme Barnardo's Journey.pdf

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  • be the Change presentation - NIPS

    be the Change presentation - NIPS.pdf

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  • be the change leadership programme - NIHE presentation

    be the change leadership programme - NIHE presentation.pdf

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  • Be the change leadership programme - EA presentation

    Be the change leadership programme - EA presentation.pdf

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  • PSNI Trauma Informed Practice Presentation FINAL

    PSNI Trauma Informed Practice Presentation FINAL.pdf

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Northern Ireland ACE Conference 2020

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Opening title image of video linked below stating 'Northern Ireland ACE Conference'.

WATCH THE 2020 ACE CONFERENCE

Download the Conference report

The full conference report is also available for download.

  • NI ACE Conference 2020 Report

    NI ACE Conference 2020 Report.pdf

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Regional Insight Report

  • EITP Trauma Informed Practice Systems Change Regional Insight Report Final

    EITP Trauma Informed Practice Systems Change Regional Insight Report Final.pdf

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