Trauma Informed Project

Trauma informed support that changes lives

Year 2

Our trauma informed programme has continued to grow in both reach and impact, supporting unpaid carers and older people across our operating boroughs to feel safer, stronger and more able to thrive. 

Our approach is rooted in a healing-centred framework that recognises the impact of trauma while focusing on individuals’ strengths, growth, and connections.

Within our trauma programme, we move beyond simply managing behaviour to creating safe, supportive environments where individuals feel seen, valued and empowered.

Through relationship based practice, emotional literacy development, and culturally responsive support, we have supported our beneficiaries in building self-awareness, regulating their emotions, and restoring a sense of belonging.

This healing-centred approach ensures that care is not only about addressing past harm but also about nurturing resilience and long-term wellbeing.

Our service not only met its objectives this year but exceeded them. This reflects the strength of our partnerships and, most importantly, the trust placed in us by the beneficiaries we serve.

In July 2025, we were awarded the Bronze Quality Mark in Trauma Care from One Small Thing, recognising our commitment to safe, effective, and compassionate trauma-informed practice. This award confirms that our approach meets recognised standards and delivers meaningful benefits to individuals and communities.

Expanding access to therapeutic support

Demand for trauma-informed therapy continues to grow, and we have responded.

• We delivered 236 therapeutic interventions, more than double our Year 1 activity
• We received 52 trauma-related referrals, with 20% coming from low-income and ethnically diverse communities, particularly in North Bexley and the Greenwich Peninsula
• We secured five community-based venues, ensuring support is accessible, local, and delivered in spaces where people feel safe

By working closely with voluntary and community sector partners and recruiting community champion volunteers, we are reaching people who have historically faced barriers to mental health support.

Listening to unpaid carers’ voices

Our evaluation shows clear, measurable improvements in wellbeing:

• Unpaid carers report improved mental health, confidence, and resilience
• Many feel better able to balance caring responsibilities alongside work and family life
• Others have re-engaged with their communities, reducing isolation and building peer support

Carers consistently tell us that our trauma-informed approach helps them feel heard, respected, and safe,often for the first time.

“Accessing therapy was the best decision I made. I finally understood my reactions and could move forward from lifelong trauma.”

“The therapy helped me realise that I matter too.”

These experiences reflect not one-off successes but the consistent outcomes of a service designed around dignity, understanding, and empowerment.

Caring for the people who care

A defining feature of our work is that we care not only for unpaid carers but also for the staff and volunteers who support them.

Community based caring can be emotionally demanding. That’s why we embed access to counselling and trauma-informed supervision for our workforce. This preventative approach reduces burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma, creating a more resilient, supported, and sustainable team.

Staff and volunteers tell us they feel more valued, less isolated, and better able to set healthy boundaries, allowing them to deliver consistent, high quality care.

Building long term change 

Trauma-informed principles are now embedded across our organisation from recruitment and policies to partnerships and service delivery. This strengthens retention, improves collaboration, and positions us as a trusted provider of trauma-informed care.

Looking ahead

We are entering our next phase of growth with clear priorities:

• Expanding our trauma informed counselling capacity to meet rising demand
• Reaching more unpaid carers in underserved communities
• Rolling out trauma training to stakeholders
• Strengthening partnerships across statutory and voluntary sectors
• Securing diverse funding streams to ensure long-term sustainability

Guided by a healing-centred approach, our aim is simple but ambitious: to ensure unpaid carers and older people receive compassionate, trauma-informed support that recognises their strengths, promotes resilience, and meets their needs now and into the future.