Trauma-Informed Practice and ACEs

About this course.

Many of the people you work with have lived through things that were frightening, harmful or overwhelming. Some will never tell you. The way services greet, question and respond to them can either help them feel safe or make things worse. This course explains what trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are, what the evidence does and does not tell us, and how to put trauma-informed practice into everyday work.

“Trauma-informed” has become a common phrase in UK policy and practice. It is not a therapy or a special technique. It is a way of working that recognises how common trauma is, and designs services so that people feel safe enough to use them. In 2022 the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) published a working definition of trauma-informed practice for the health and care sector.