Trauma training for frontline staff

12 July 2019, 08:45 | Updated: 12 July 2019, 08:46

More than 5,000 frontline workers are to be trained in dealing with people affected by psychological trauma as part of a new nationwide programme.

Police, social workers and nurses are among staff who will learn support skills through the Trauma Training Plan developed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES).

The aim is to improve the response to the needs of people who have experienced abuse, neglect and other types of trauma.

Programme co-ordinator Dr Sandra Ferguson said: "Scotland was the first country to develop a Knowledge and Skills Framework for Psychological Trauma, and a lot of remarkable work is under way to improve how we all respond to the needs of people affected by traumatic experiences.

"The Trauma Training Plan will support services locally and nationally to develop and sustain a workforce that is able to respond to anyone affected by psychological trauma.

"It also offers key principles that will help all organisations, no matter how big or small, to support their workforce to put trauma training into practice."

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said experiencing trauma can result in inequalities in physical and mental health, employment prospects and access to services.

She said: "We want to see all frontline services across Scotland become more informed and responsive to trauma, and our training plan looks to equip workers with the necessary training to support people affected by trauma to recover.

"I want to encourage employers to read our plan and think about how they can use it to support the development of staff knowledge and skills within their organisations."