We have two members of staff trained in trauma informed schools Louise Dobson and Penny Goodson. Trauma informed schools aims to train our staff to:  

• Learn to relate to children and young people in ways that alleviate their suffering, support their learning and make them feel cared for and appreciated 
• Know how to respond to children who are in distress/ stress states in ways that help them to emotionally regulate, feel psychologically safe and develop the capacity to handle stress well over time 
• Learn how to relate with children in ways that enhance their self-esteem, confidence and feelings of psychological safety. 

• Know how to listen and empathise when children want to talk about painful issues and help them reflect and resolve 
• Develop an in-depth understanding of what it’s like for a child or teenager to suffer from specific mental health problem (e.g. depression/ anxiety and feel confident in offering them accurate empathy, understanding and key psycho-education without inferring meaning 
• Develop an in-depth understanding of the long-term impact of specific adverse childhood experiences and how to enable the child or teenager to work through feelings of anger and traumatic loss. 
• Employ strategies for early intervention (early indicators of mental health difficulties) know limits of competence and refer on to other agencies, when these are available.