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.

The Challenge

Since 2013, KCA has been commissioned by Louise Campion, Principal Officer for Health and Wellbeing, to implement the Five to Thrive approach. This model promotes healthy brain development and secure attachment by delivering consistent parenting messages, supported by Emotion Coaching training and resources for professional practice.

Swindon identified a need to improve workforce knowledge of Trauma Informed Practice when working with children, young people, and families. Alongside early brain development, they aimed to integrate trauma learning due to high domestic violence rates, which were linked to trauma. High exclusion rates in schools indicated systemic stress at (school) community level.

A Public Health steering group recognised the importance of partnership and consistent service delivery to reduce adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and increase Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs). They sought a unified workforce approach, with reductions in domestic violence and school exclusions as key performance indicators.

Our Approach

In May 2014, training for Early Years Practitioners, Health Visitors, and Children’s Centre staff commenced, complementing Swindon’s Baby Steps and Solihull Approach programmes.

In 2015, the programme extended to those working with older children, leading to three core courses:

Laying the Foundations: Building brains in the early years
Emotion Coaching: Enabling prosocial behaviour through a focus on the emotions driving challenging behaviour
Working with Vulnerable Adolescents and their families: Five to Thrive in practice

This programme ran until March 2019, delivering 25 events to over 400 staff.

In July 2019, KCA’s role evolved with the Swindon Early Outcomes Project, launched with Gloucestershire County Council via the DfE Early Outcomes Fund. The project targeted atypical language development in children aged 0-30 months as an indicator of trauma, with a focus on measuring effective trauma-informed practice across this key indicator.

It aimed to train 240 staff, largely from Early Years, with additional funding from the Swindon Innovation Fund aimed at supporting children and young people affected by parental alcohol use. Partners included Turning Point, police, youth services, health services, schools, and the voluntary sector. The project launched in early 2020 but was initially disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown. KCA and the Council adapted by delivering online training from April 2020, including webinars on Covid-19, toxic stress, and community resilience.

Further Developments

In May 2021, KCA began the Swindon Communities Together Project, commissioned by Early Interventions and Prevention Service. This recruited and trained 160 Trauma Informed Practice Champions and Trainers. The project included taster sessions, webinars, and follow-up tutorials. The target of 160 Champions was exceeded, with 199 completing the process. 20 Champions went on to become Trainers, completing their training in July 2023, with ongoing access to KCA resources.

Some other recent case studies

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.

View/download case study

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.

View/download case study