Our approach draws on years of sharing our knowledge base of trauma, prevention, recovery and resilience.

We have co-created learning and development experiences with hundreds of organisations, responding to their unique needs. It's our ability to collaborate that is the magic that sets us apart.

More good days at school

A write-up of our collaboration with Youth Endowment Fund, Oct 2024

An on-going randomised control trial research programme to understand whether trauma informed practice can prevent young people from becoming involved in violence, thereby helping to reduce school exclusions and improve the children’s life chances. There are 26 schools receiving intervention by way of collaborative enquiry, whole school training and training focussed on SLT and pastoral leads. The goal is to create resilient school communities better equipped to support recovery and healing with a view to being able to influence educational policy.

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Medway Council and Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit

A write-up of our collaboration with Medway Council, Kent and Medway VRU, Oct 2024

With the aim of supporting children to remain in mainstream education wherever possible and to bring Medway in line with national average of children with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) being educated in mainstream schools, ensuring specialist placements are reserved for those with the most complex needs, the Trauma Informed Schools (TIS) programme was launched. Collaborative enquiry, whole school training and workshops facilitated by KCA helped to build staff capacity in understanding trauma using relational approaches to strengthen relationships and boost resilience. All of the 69 schools involved in the programme say that they would recommend this training.

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Swindon Early Years Project

A write-up of our collaboration with Swindon Borough Council, Sep 2024

KCA has a long-standing partnership with Swindon Borough Council, working on several projects for the children’s services workforce. Starting in 2013 to implement the Five to Thrive approach. Further training in 2014 for Early Years Practitioners, Health Visitors, and Children’s Centre. In 2015, the programme extended to those working with older children. In July 2019, KCA’s role evolved with the Swindon Early Outcomes Project, which result in online training as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.

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Bolton Trauma Informed Schools programme

A write-up of our collaboration with Bolton Public Health, Sep 2024

In response to higher than national average suspension and exclusion rates in the area, Bolton Public Health commissioned KCA to develop a Trauma Informed Schools framework to disrupt the pipeline from adversity to classroom disruption to exclusion. The impact on staff's knowledge and understanding of trauma and it's impact on behaviour, their role as co-regulators, and the need for emotionally available adults to form connected relationships to promote trauma recovery, has been significant and the programme is now in its second phase. 

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Cornwall Five To Thrive

A write-up of our collaboration with Cornwall local authority, Aug 2024

Working with staff in Cornwall to co-create a programme of training to contribute to the implementation of introducing and embedding Five to Thrive into Early Years practice across Cornwall. Practitioners and leaders in settings and services that had embedded Five to Thrive say that they still use it daily in their practice, that it helps greatly with staff resilience, and that the Reflect programme they developed using Five to Thrive had enabled many very vulnerable children to be maintained in their Early Years setting and to flourish. 

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Barnardo's Scotland

A write-up of our collaboration with Barnardo’s Scotland, Jul 2024

In order to use the Five To Thrive model to provide the key to linking many disparate pieces of work within their service provision, Barnardo's commissioned KCA to deliver the same core material differently in different locations, in partnership with both Barnardo’s and the local authorities commissioning their provision. Training, supervision and planning was provided across three years resulting in universally positive evaluations with one senior manager commenting that “We believe Five to Thrive is the basis for all trauma-informed work”. 

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