Medway Council and Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit
A write-up of our collaboration with Medway Council, Kent and Medway VRU, Oct 2024
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The Challenge
Medway Council, in collaboration with the Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit, launched the Trauma Informed Schools (TIS) programme to foster an inclusive culture in education. Local education leaders aimed to bring Medway in line with the 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 vision was to create an integrated Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision system, focusing on early intervention and developing school expertise. Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) often hinder educational outcomes, so the TIS programme was introduced to build trauma awareness and supportive practices.
Our Approach
The TIS programme, launched in April 2023, was delivered in partnership with Knowledge Change Action (KCA) to build staff capacity by focusing on:
- understanding trauma and ACEs.
- applying relational approaches to manage challenging behaviour.
- strengthening pupil-teacher relationships.
- boosting staff resilience.
Key initiatives included:
- Collaborative Enquiry: A survey showed 57% of staff lacked trauma training, highlighting the need for a whole-school approach.
- Workshops for the Senior Leadership Team and Pastoral Leads: Workshops supported Senior Leadership Teams in implementing evidence-based Trauma Informed Practice, adjusting systems and policies, and supporting staff resilience during change.
- Whole School Training: Schools committed to half-day sessions to build trauma awareness.
- Self and Peer Evaluation Tool: A strengths-based framework was developed to track and assess the embedment of trauma-informed practice.
The Impact
The programme engaged 69 schools, with 100% recommending the training. Schools reported increased staff confidence in creating trauma-informed environments, a shift in understanding the pupil experience, and commitment to fostering inclusive communities—supporting children to remain in mainstream education wherever possible.
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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 studyMedway Council and Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit
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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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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