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UK Trauma Council; supporting children after an event 

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UK Trauma Council; supporting children after an event 

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Resource about autism & helpful GM services   

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Resource about autism & helpful GM services   

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GMAC - Everything you need about autism and more.

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Skip to content

The following pages are about general resources on subjects that the GMAC team often get asked about.

About Autism

Getting Support

Health & Wellbeing

Policies & Initiatives

The Greater Manchester Autism consortium (GMAC) is a project which is part of the National Autistic Society. The project is a point of contact for autistic people, family members and professionals and also oversees the Greater Manchester Autism Strategy. GM Autism is a team within Manchester Foundation Trust which supports strategic development across Greater Manchester.

The Greater Manchester region is generally referred to as GM in this website so please note that where it says GM this is what it is referring to.

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The following pages are about general resources on subjects that the GMAC team often get asked about.

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Everything you need to know about Autism

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A charity who support woman in Manchester involved in sex work

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Welcome to MASH. We're so glad to see you here.
Our support is free, confidential, non-judgemental and easy for you to access.
That could be over the phone, from our centre on Fairfield Street, in local saunas, from our van which we take out onto the streets on weeknights or by coming to you.

Whether you need condoms, a sexual health check, to report a crime, someone to listen to you or a nice hot meal. MASH is here for you.

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MASH | Manchester Action on Street Health

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We stand with women who sex work and help you to experience good health, safety and emotional wellbeing.

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Voluntary organisation providing resources, advocacy, training and therapeutic support for survivors of childhood abuse and those who support them

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NAPAC - Supporting Recovery From Childhood Abuse

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The National Association For People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) © is a Registered Charity in England and Wales. Registered Charity No. 1069802 | Company No. 3565696 | Registered Office: NAPAC, Canopi, 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR. | © 2023 |

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Support for parents whose children are being exploited   

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Support for parents whose children are being exploited   

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Ivison Trust (formerly PACE) are national charity that offer support to parents who are concerned their children are being exploited.

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Our parent support workers provide independent, non-judgmental and confidential support, which fully recognises your rights as a parent and your decisions on how to reduce the risk of harm to your…

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Supporting parents and carers in GM who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.

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The Parent and Carer (PACS) project, established in October 2023, is dedicated to supporting parents and carers in Greater Manchester who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.
As parents and caregivers, we all worry about our children from time to time, but when a concern is troubling you it can be difficult to know where to turn. We have listened to parents and our research shows that caregivers are looking for one-to-one support, peer support, advice and guidance when their child's behaviour is becoming a concern.

Request a call back or make a referral and a member of the team will arrange a face-to-face appointment to get you started.

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Oasis PACS is a support service for Parents and Carers that are concerned about their child or worried that they may be a risk.

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2025 report based on the work of SHiFT UK

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Forensic Psychologists interview convicted criminals to better understand their behaviour

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BBC Radio 4 - Behind the Crime - Available now

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County Lines Support and Rescue | Catch22

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Resources, papers, websites about neurodiversity and exploitation and the criminal justice system

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Grooming and Coercive Control — Resources Library — Neurodiverse Connection

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This page is under constant development. Please let us know if there’s anything you think we need to add or remove from this page.

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A great library of resources

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Resources Library — Neurodiverse Connection

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In this library, we’ve collated some of our most referenced resources, prioritising the inclusion of neurodiversity affirming works by neurodivergent authors.

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The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity - an integrated health and education service.

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US company, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

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This service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18.

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Designed and Developed by Will Earp, South West Grid for Learning Trust Ltd

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SWGfL is a charity dedicated to empowering the safe and secure use of technology globally. Find out more about online safety and security on our website

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Training, resources & consultation about Neurodiversity

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Training, resources & consultation about Neurodiversity

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Understanding Minds of All Kinds - Creased Puddle

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We provide practical solutions to organisations and individuals who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of Neurodiversity.

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Extra-familial harm: understanding trauma responses in young people - Community Care

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Advice from a Community Care inform guide on using a trauma-informed approach when supporting young people affected by exploitation and other harms in the community

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Written by Dr Nick Marsh, a practitioner from Greater Manchester, now living and working in America.

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2023 Trauma in gangs

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Over recent years, high profile cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and institutional abuse, and the growing use of technology in sexual abuse has led to increased public and professional awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the forms it can take. It is now described with increasingly sophisticated terminology.

Terms such as CSE, harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), online grooming, peer-on-peer abuse, gang-related sexual violence (including punishments and initiations) and institutional abuse can be useful as a professional shorthand and were developed in order to differentiate between types of abuse with distinct characteristics.

Understanding models and the context of abuse is undoubtedly vital in helping us identify abuse and provide effective interventions. But there's a risk that as terminology becomes more specific, the effect in practice can actually be to narrow our developing professional understanding of CSA and alienate children and young people who don't immediately appear to 'fit' in a category we recognise.

To ensure we are doing all we can to protect all children from CSA and support all victims and survivors, it's important to remember that these terms are essentially indicators or descriptors of the context in which abuse takes place, and do not necessarily indicate level of risks posed or harm caused.

Barriers to disclosure

Maintaining a broad understanding of CSA that encompasses the many contexts in which it can occur, the signs and indicators that a child is being abused and the impact of abuse and trauma is especially important when thinking about safeguarding boys.

Otherwise, we risk prioritising addressing presenting behaviours, rather than the potential underlying cause, meaning the barriers to abuse being disclosed can be made even higher.

Interpreting externalising behaviours

For young males in particular, distress may manifest as externalising behaviours such as displaying aggressive, harmful or challenging behaviour in school or at home, truanting, running away, displaying HSB or substance misuse. These are frequently interpreted solely as a sign that the young person poses a risk of harm. But the behaviour could be a potential indicator that they have themselves been harmed: it could be a personalised coping mechanism or the way in which they are communicating to the outside world that something is wrong.

If indicators of CSA and trauma are misinterpreted, it can have devastating outcomes for the young person across the life course ( Fisher et al, 2017. This of course applies to all victims, regardless of gender).

Listen to our podcast on working with the whole family when there has been intrafamilial child sexual abuse

The expert guests are Peter Bishop, a family therapist, and Anna Glinski, deputy director for knowledge and practice development at the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse.

The Truth Project (2018), which offered victims and survivors the opportunity to share their experience as part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, includes numerous accounts where 'problematic' behaviour was noticed by professionals, yet the underlying causes were missed. One adult survivor, 'Clive' reflected on his experience after being sexually assaulted by a stranger in a public lavatory. Following this traumatic event, Clive's behaviour deteriorated until he was eventually expelled from school. He describes how professionals labelled him as disruptive and made significant decisions about his future with no one ever asking if he needed help.

This is all too often the case. Externalising behaviours - traditionally associated with males ( Fisher et al, 2017) - result in school exclusions, alternative education provision (in pupil referral units) or even being taken in to local authority care. In the worst cases, where criminality becomes a feature, young males may end up in young offender institutions ( Nelson, 2009). These experiences only compound the trauma of abuse, and may well set them on a completely different life trajectory - one which we know may have a long-lasting (in some cases lifelong) impact on their emotional well-being, their sense of identity and opportunities afforded to them.

How many boys are at risk?

It is important to acknowledge that the majority of studies strongly indicate that girls are more likely than boys to experience CSA, and that most abuse is carried out by males ( Nelson, 2009; McNeish and Scott, 2018b; Kelly and Karsna, 2018). There are some areas, however, where boys are thought to be more at risk, these include online dating and gaming platforms ( Palmer, 2015) and institutional settings ( McNeish and Scott, 2018a). In particular, research indicates that boys are more likely to be abused in Christian institutions and in secure residential settings ( Heath and Thompson, 2006; Parkinson et al, 2009; Sayer et al, 2018). This, perhaps, is related to there being more males in these settings. There is currently a lack of published research on institutional CSA within other religions ( McNeish and Scott, 2018a).

There are significant challenges in understanding the scale and nature of CSA generally, including that abuse may not be disclosed at the time it is happening and the reliance of most studies on retrospective reporting by adults ( Kelly and Karsna, 2018). When considering CSA of males, likelihood of underreporting is higher for a number of reasons including:

Dominant discourses of masculinity - for example, that men are strong so should be able to 'fight off' a perpetrator, or if the perpetrator is female that abuse of boys/males is 'not as bad'

The internalisation of homophobia - while there is hope for this changing as societal attitudes change, this may especially affect young males who are forming their ideas about their sexual identity, whether they identify as heterosexual or as part of the LGBTQI community

Societal myths around the cycle of abuse - particularly the idea that 'if I say I have been abused, others will think I will [go on to] abuse' (Nelson, 2009).

Therefore, the true scale and nature of male CSA is as unclear as it is for females, perhaps even more so.

Unconscious biases

Identifying and acting on potential concerns about CSA can be challenging for professionals - we may not want to believe that a child is being sexually abused, we may not feel we have the evidence, or fear 'getting it wrong'. Characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity and disability can heighten this - we may be less likely to consider whether a very young or physically disabled child is being sexually abused. And the same can apply when thinking about boys, compared to girls. These unconscious biases, held by us or multi-agency colleagues may influence our judgment, recording of case notes and decision-making.

For example, when thinking about male teenagers caught up in gang-related activity, do we routinely think about their potential victim experience or just deal with their presenting behaviours? Do we reflect on the impact that gender and ethnicity may have on the likelihood of young males discussing their traumatic experiences?

'Change is in our grasp'

There is some way to go in tackling the historic and ongoing barriers to identifying sexual abuse of boys and ensuring they are protected and supported though the process of disclosure and dealing with the impact of sexual abuse. But inbuilt to the social work psyche is the concept of critical reflection; this provides strong foundations to be progressively inclusive in our CSA practices and processes.

To make this progress, we have a responsibility to consider not only our individual unconscious biases, but also those inherent in the systems, institutions, tools, assessment frameworks and theories within which we work - a majority of which are based on gendered, heteronormative, social-normative and Eurocentric assumptions ( Brown et al, 2017; Brown and Strega, 2015). For example, in many of the risk assessment tools used for CSE, consideration of risk indicators of abuse associated with boys, members of the LGBTQI community, disabled children or cultural elements are entirely absent ( Brown et al., 2017).

But change is in our grasp: as practitioners, managers and supervisors, we can examine tools like this and develop our processes and practices to serve and safeguard our diverse male population well. With just small changes in our approach, thinking and language we can make significant inroads to redressing the gaps in our response to male CSA. The following recommendations - which have been adapted from Nelson ( 2009); Sneddon et al ( 2016) and the Quality standards for services supporting male victims/survivors of sexual violence ( 2018) - are just some of the ways we can make positive changes:

1. Recognise that inappropriate sexualised behaviour and harmful sexual behaviour expressed by young people are potential indicators of trauma or CSA.

2. Ensure all team members have attended appropriate training which recognises diverse responses to trauma and abuse.

3. Commit to a culture of inclusivity, which includes an inclusive workforce, inclusive promotional material and, importantly, an accountable strategy for inclusivity.

4. When working with males who display challenging behaviour, always look to understand the cause of the behaviour and not just address the behaviour itself.

5. Always critically reflect on processes, systems and tools which may exclude young people who are atypical of our current understanding of and thinking about CSA.

6. Design a process to gain feedback from young males and include them in innovations and service design.

7. Use supervision to discuss assumptions about male diversity and CSA, asking exploratory questions such as, 'if this was a female would our response differ?', 'if this person was from a different area would we think differently?'; 'If this person was white British would I have different expectations?'

8. Use supervision to practise receiving disclosures and asking gender-sensitive questions about CSA.

9. Tackle homophobia and dominant discourses of masculinity in all settings, including by promoting inclusive CSA awareness campaigns.

10. Engage with the CSA research and practice community such as the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse and the Male Survivors Partnership.

Nick Marsh (@nmarsh78) is practice improvement advisor at the Centre for expertise on child sexual abuse. He is also currently undertaking a PhD at the University of East London researching adolescent development from a systems perspective and the impact of, and subsequent response to, child sexual abuse.
References

Brown, L. and Strega, S. (eds.) (2015) Research as Resistance: Revisiting Critical, Indigenous, and Anti-Oppressive Approaches (2nd edition). Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press

Brown, S., Brady, G., Franklin, A. and Crookes, R. (2017) The Use of Tools and Checklists to Assess Risk of Child Sexual Exploitation: An Exploratory Study. Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

Fisher, C., Goldsmith, A., Hurcombe, R. and Soares, C. (2017) The Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse: A Rapid Evidence Assessment. Summary Report. London: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Heath, J. and Thompson, A. (2006) 'Extrafamilial child abuse: An analysis of briefs of evidence to investigate relationships between perpetrator and victim characteristics'. In Katsikitis, M. (ed.) Proceedings of the 2006 Joint Conference of the Australian Psychological Society and the New Zealand Psychological Society. Psychology Bridging the Tasman: Science, Culture and Practice. Melbourne: APS Press

Kelly, L. and Karsna, K. (2018) Measuring the Scale and Changing Nature of Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation: Scoping Report (updated). Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

McNeish, D. and Scott, S. (2018a) Key Messages from Research on Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

McNeish, D. and Scott, S. (2018b) Key Messages from Research on Intra-familial Child Sexual Abuse. Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

Nelson, S. (2009) Care and Support Needs of Men Who Survived Childhood Sexual Abuse: Report of a Qualitative Research Project. Edinburgh: Centre for Research on Families and Relationships.

Palmer, T. (2015) Digital Dangers: The Impact of Technology on the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Young People. Barkingside: Barnardo's

Parkinson, P., Oates, K. and Jayakody, A. (2009) Study of Reported Child Sexual Abuse in the Anglican Church. Sydney: General Synod, Anglican Church of Australia.

Sayer, E., Rodger, H., Soares, C. and Hurcombe, R. (2018) Child Sexual Abuse in Custodial Institutions: A Rapid Evidence Assessment. London: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Sneddon, H., Wager, N. and Allnock, D. (2016) Responding Sensitively to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: An Evidence Review. London: Victim Support

The Truth Project (2018) Truth Project Experiences Shared: Victims and Survivors

. London: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Lime Culture and the Male Survivors Partnership (2018) Quality standards for services supporting male victims/survivors of sexual violence

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Sexual abuse of boys continues to be missed: what social workers can do

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Over recent years, high profile cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and institutional abuse, and the growing use of technology in sexual abuse has led to increased public and professional awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the forms it can take. It is now described with increasingly sophisticated terminology.

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2023 Trauma in gangs

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This provides information, advice and evidence-informed strategies to support those who work with trauma or support those who work with trauma

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An important book, full of police experiences and research-based practice.

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The Policing Mind - Developing Trauma Resilience for a New Era - Police Care UK

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How does it feel to be a police officer? We’re very pleased to announce the publication of The Policing Mind, written by our Police Care UK Director of Research, Dr Jessica Miller. In her new book, Dr Miller uses the most recent neuroscience and real-life examples to explore risks to individual resilience. A compulsory read for […]

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The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain! (15 mins watch)

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The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain! (15 mins watch)

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Even though this is now 12 years old, it's a great intro to adolescent brain development.

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Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain

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Exploration & Risk taking in adolescence

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Exploration & Risk taking in adolescence

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Exploration & Risk Taking | Center for the Developing Adolescent

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The Neuroscience of the teenage brain (55 mins)

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The Neuroscience of the teenage brain (55 mins)

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If you have time this is a good watch, taking you through adolescent brain development, social influence, risk taking etc

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The Neuroscience of the Teenage Brain - with Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

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Written by clinicians at the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub, this is a guide for young people to help support them in their recovery following a traumatic event

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A very good website supporting adults who are feeling suicidal or are worried about others

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Shining a Light on Suicide - Together we can help prevent suicide

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Get 24/7 support whenever you need it

Are you...
Suicidal thoughts are far more common than people realise and can happen for lots of different reasons. With the right help and support, your feelings will change and you can overcome your suicidal thoughts.

It's important to talk

You may have experienced a life changing event or you might not know why you feel this way.
Sometimes people feel so low that life seems unbearable. Others feel they can't cope with what they are going through and just want the pain to end.

If you feel like this, help is available and you can get through this. You deserve help and with time you'll find that life is worth living. Telling someone how you're feeling is the first step to getting help, staying safe and getting through this.

Talking about your feelings may feel scary or embarrassing but please don't suffer in silence. You do not have to struggle with difficult feelings alone. Tell a friend, family member, work colleague, GP or anyone else you can trust.

Some people find speaking to a stranger easier. Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you 24/7, just call 116 123.

Things you can do to help right now

Here are a few things you can do when suicidal thoughts feel overwhelming.

Call the Samaritans on 116 123

Whatever you are going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They are there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Talk to someone

Tell a friend, family member or someone you trust how you are feeling.

Speak to your GP

Your GP can refer you to NHS mental health services or a local crisis team. If it's out of hours, call NHS 111.

Keep yourself safe

If you have a safety plan, follow it. Remove anything that you could use to harm yourself and go to a safe space in your home or go see someone who can help keep you safe.

If you can't keep yourself safe, call someone or 999 in an emergency.

Focus on your breathing

Take deep breaths and breathe slowly. Concentrate on the sensation of breathing in through your nose, and out through your mouth.

Get through the next minute

Remind yourself that you've coped this far. You can get through the next minute, five minutes, an hour, a day. Break time down into small chunks of time and focus on getting through those next few moments.

Avoid alcohol or drugs

You might feel that it will help right now, but it will make things harder.

Do something you usually enjoy

Try and distract yourself. You could watch TV, go for a walk, cook a nice meal, draw a picture, exercise, do some gardening, listen to music, call a friend, or anything else you usually enjoy.

If you're worried that you can't keep yourself safe

Go to your nearest A&E or call 999 if you can't get to a hospital.

Helping yourself long term

Talk to your GP

If you've not already spoken to your GP, book an appointment. Your GP can refer you to get support and may discuss medication that can help.

It can be useful to plan what you're going to say or you may prefer to write down how you are feeling. You could also take someone with you for extra support.

It's really important that you are honest and tell them that you've been experiencing thoughts of suicide.

Connect with others

Reach out to friends and family to keep connected with the people you care about. You could also join a peer support group, either online or in person, to meet others who really understand.

Look after yourself

Try to eat and drink healthily, get enough sleep and exercise if you can. Try to avoid drugs and alcohol.

Plan your day

Sometimes, life can feel more manageable when you have a routine. Try to get up and go to bed at the same time each day and plan in activities that you enjoy doing, or used to enjoy doing.

Make a safety plan

A safety plan will remind you of what you can do to keep safe.

Read more about safety plans

Support

Information and services for people who are struggling to cope.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this.
Dismiss

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Feeling suicidal? - Shining a Light on Suicide

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Get 24/7 support whenever you need it Are you... Suicidal thoughts are far more common than people realise and can happen for lots of different reasons. With the right help and support, your feelings will change and you can overcome your suicidal thoughts.

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Shining a Light on Suicide has loads of resources for children and young people, including helplines.

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Shining a Light on Suicide - Together we can help prevent suicide

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Young people - Shining a Light on Suicide

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Get 24/7 support whenever you need it

We're bringing suicide out of the dark in Greater Manchester because it affects us all. Whether you're feeling suicidal, worried someone else is, or have lost someone to suicide, you're not alone. Whatever you're going through, we'll help you get the advice and support you need.

Are you...

Feeling
suicidal?

If you're struggling with suicidal thoughts, find out what you can do to keep yourself safe and where to get help.

Read More

Are you...

Concerned
about someone?

Learn about the warning signs and the things you can do to help someone who may be thinking of suicide.

Read More

Are you...

Bereaved
by suicide?

We know how hard losing someone to suicide is. Find out about support to help you through this difficult time.

Read More

Learn to save a life- take the free suicide prevention training

It can be really hard to know how to support someone who you think might be feeling suicidal. Zero Suicide Alliance have created free online training that will give you the skills you need to help someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Need to talk?

Whatever you're going through, Samaritans will face it with you.

Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Learn to save a life- take the free suicide prevention training

It can be really hard to know how to support someone who you think might be feeling suicidal. Zero Suicide Alliance have created free online training that will give you the skills you need to help someone who is struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Need to talk?

Whatever you're going through, Samaritans will face it with you.

Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Make a safety plan

A safety plan will help to remind you of the things you can do to get through difficult times.

If you're worried that someone may be thinking of suicide, you could work through their safety plan with them or help them to make a plan.

You don't have to be a professional to help someone who is thinking of suicide.

If you're worried that someone you know might be thinking of suicide, the best thing to do is ask directly and be ready to listen.

Learn to save a life

Learn how to start an important conversation with this free online training.

Take part now

If you're bereaved by suicide

We know that any bereavement is hard but losing someone to suicide can bring different challenges. There is support available to you and your family to help you deal with your loss. You do not have to deal with your grief alone.

Greater Manchester Bereavement Service

Available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (except bank holidays).

Stories of hope

By sharing these stories, we want to encourage others to talk about suicide, to remain hopeful during difficult times and save lives.

All stories

National support

Information and services for people who are struggling to cope, wanting to find out how to help someone or are looking for bereavement support.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this.
Dismiss

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Shining a Light on Suicide | Together we can help prevent suicide

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We're bringing suicide out of the dark in Greater Manchester because it affects us all. Whether you're feeling suicidal, worried someone else is, or have lost someone to suicide, you're not alone. Whatever you're going through, we'll help you get the advice and support you need.

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Through our 20 minute suicide awareness training you will gain skills and confidence to help someone who may be considering suicide.

The training is recommended for anyone aged 16 and over.

Anyone can learn how to have a potentially life-saving conversation.

This training takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and you will get a certificate when you have completed the training.

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FREE online suicide awareness 20 min training to help you recognise suicide warning signs, speak to someone you're worried about and know where to signpost to.

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This course has been developed for anyone to take the training, but we particularly recommend you take the training if you are part of the autistic community or work with autistic people.

This course is recommended for people aged 16 or over.

What the training covers

Our hope is that through the training you will:

How long the training takes

The training can be taken at your own pace but could take up to an hour to complete.

Acknowledgements

This training has been informed by research, evidence and lived experiences.

We are extremely grateful to our steering group of autistic people, carers and professionals who contributed their time and expertise to help develop this training course.

We are also extremely grateful to the 200 plus people who shared their personal and professional experiences and hopes for the training directly with the ZSA.

Your invaluable insights have helped inform and shape this training.

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This course has been developed for anyone to take the training, but we particularly recommend you take the training if you are part of the autistic community or work with autistic people. This course is recommended for people aged 16 or over.

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Grief can be overwhelming after experiencing trauma, but with the right support children can start to recover. Explore our practitioner resources.

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A UK based charity with lots of resources and guidance about how to support children after they experience a death, including suicide, homicide and accidents.

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I will never forget the phone call from my father. He told me Ollie had had an accident and that I needed to meet them at the hospital A&E.

Alongside the feelings of grief and shock that come with any sudden death, an accidental death may leave you with a sense of wanting to change the course of events. You may feel intense anger at the senselessness of the accident or with someone or something specific, or even with yourself. You may be overwhelmed with thoughts such as 'Why?', 'If only...' or 'Why didn't I?'.

If you were not present, some information about the accident may come from the professionals involved such as emergency services, or from an investigation, which may help answer some of your questions about why the accident happened. If there is little information and nothing makes sense and there may be no answer, this can be very difficult to deal with.

It can help to talk things through any difficult feelings with a bereavement support practitioner.

Supporting a child after someone dies in an accident

Sometimes, other children and young people may witness, be involved or be at the scene of an accident or may be exposed to an event that is distressing or frightening. Even if they are not directly involved in the incident themselves, they may be frightened and disturbed in a number of ways. Read our resource for more on supporting a child after a frightening event .

It can help to reassure a child that feeling scared, anxious or upset for a while is OK and normal, but that they are safe and their routines will continue. Encouraging them to talk about the event or express their feelings through drawings can help them to make sense of it. Young children may re-enact the event through play, for example smashing toy cars together after they have learned about a car accident. Even though this can be distressing and very difficult for you, it is a normal way for children to process information about what has happened. How a child responds will depend on their age and understanding of death and dying.

What happens if a coroner needs to be involved?

If a coroner is involved, or there is a need for a post-mortem examination, this may affect the options of seeing the body of the person who has died , or it can delay arrangements for a funeral. This can make it very hard to believe what has happened or to start to grieve. There may also be media attention,which can be particularly distressing and intrusive to the family.

Things that may help include knowing how to contact the professionals involved who can keep you informed, such as a Coroner's Officer or Family Liaison Officer; having a friend or contact who may be able to help you keep in touch with agencies or liaise on your behalf; and being able to talk to someone - family and friends, or someone neutral such as a bereavement support professional on our Helpline.

For more on what happens in a Coroners' Court, The Ministry of Justice has produced a guide to coroner services for bereaved people.

The Coroners' Court Support Service is an independent voluntary organisation whose trained volunteers offer emotional support and practical help to bereaved families, witnesses and others attending an Inquest at the Coroner's Court.

Visit our page: How we can support you for more on our services.

You can also call our Helpline 0800 02 888 40, email [email protected] , or use Live Chat on our website.

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charity bereavement child death grief loss baby stillbirth miscarriage suicide young people parents

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Sudden death - including accidents, suicide and homicide

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A sudden death brings additional layers of shock, distress, devastation and disbelief to a bereavement. The reality of what has happened may be very difficult to accept and you may be desperately searching for meaning and understanding. When someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly, you may have regrets over lost opportunities and sorrow about unfulfilled plans.

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NSPCC 2024 Report; Understanding sibling sexual harm

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NSPCC 2024 Report; Understanding sibling sexual harm

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Understanding and responding to sibling sexual harm and abuse | NSPCC Learning

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An analysis of the research around sibling sexual harm and abuse and what support children and their families need.

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2018 Young people who engage in CSE behaviours

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Sexual Abuse of boys, why is it missed, what can SWs do (2019)

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Sexual Abuse of boys, why is it missed, what can SWs do (2019)

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Over recent years, high profile cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and institutional abuse, and the growing use of technology in sexual abuse has led to increased public and professional awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the forms it can take. It is now described with increasingly sophisticated terminology.

Terms such as CSE, harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), online grooming, peer-on-peer abuse, gang-related sexual violence (including punishments and initiations) and institutional abuse can be useful as a professional shorthand and were developed in order to differentiate between types of abuse with distinct characteristics.

Understanding models and the context of abuse is undoubtedly vital in helping us identify abuse and provide effective interventions. But there's a risk that as terminology becomes more specific, the effect in practice can actually be to narrow our developing professional understanding of CSA and alienate children and young people who don't immediately appear to 'fit' in a category we recognise.

To ensure we are doing all we can to protect all children from CSA and support all victims and survivors, it's important to remember that these terms are essentially indicators or descriptors of the context in which abuse takes place, and do not necessarily indicate level of risks posed or harm caused.

Barriers to disclosure

Maintaining a broad understanding of CSA that encompasses the many contexts in which it can occur, the signs and indicators that a child is being abused and the impact of abuse and trauma is especially important when thinking about safeguarding boys.

Otherwise, we risk prioritising addressing presenting behaviours, rather than the potential underlying cause, meaning the barriers to abuse being disclosed can be made even higher.

Interpreting externalising behaviours

For young males in particular, distress may manifest as externalising behaviours such as displaying aggressive, harmful or challenging behaviour in school or at home, truanting, running away, displaying HSB or substance misuse. These are frequently interpreted solely as a sign that the young person poses a risk of harm. But the behaviour could be a potential indicator that they have themselves been harmed: it could be a personalised coping mechanism or the way in which they are communicating to the outside world that something is wrong.

If indicators of CSA and trauma are misinterpreted, it can have devastating outcomes for the young person across the life course ( Fisher et al, 2017. This of course applies to all victims, regardless of gender).

Listen to our podcast on working with the whole family when there has been intrafamilial child sexual abuse

The expert guests are Peter Bishop, a family therapist, and Anna Glinski, deputy director for knowledge and practice development at the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse.

The Truth Project (2018), which offered victims and survivors the opportunity to share their experience as part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, includes numerous accounts where 'problematic' behaviour was noticed by professionals, yet the underlying causes were missed. One adult survivor, 'Clive' reflected on his experience after being sexually assaulted by a stranger in a public lavatory. Following this traumatic event, Clive's behaviour deteriorated until he was eventually expelled from school. He describes how professionals labelled him as disruptive and made significant decisions about his future with no one ever asking if he needed help.

This is all too often the case. Externalising behaviours - traditionally associated with males ( Fisher et al, 2017) - result in school exclusions, alternative education provision (in pupil referral units) or even being taken in to local authority care. In the worst cases, where criminality becomes a feature, young males may end up in young offender institutions ( Nelson, 2009). These experiences only compound the trauma of abuse, and may well set them on a completely different life trajectory - one which we know may have a long-lasting (in some cases lifelong) impact on their emotional well-being, their sense of identity and opportunities afforded to them.

How many boys are at risk?

It is important to acknowledge that the majority of studies strongly indicate that girls are more likely than boys to experience CSA, and that most abuse is carried out by males ( Nelson, 2009; McNeish and Scott, 2018b; Kelly and Karsna, 2018). There are some areas, however, where boys are thought to be more at risk, these include online dating and gaming platforms ( Palmer, 2015) and institutional settings ( McNeish and Scott, 2018a). In particular, research indicates that boys are more likely to be abused in Christian institutions and in secure residential settings ( Heath and Thompson, 2006; Parkinson et al, 2009; Sayer et al, 2018). This, perhaps, is related to there being more males in these settings. There is currently a lack of published research on institutional CSA within other religions ( McNeish and Scott, 2018a).

There are significant challenges in understanding the scale and nature of CSA generally, including that abuse may not be disclosed at the time it is happening and the reliance of most studies on retrospective reporting by adults ( Kelly and Karsna, 2018). When considering CSA of males, likelihood of underreporting is higher for a number of reasons including:

Dominant discourses of masculinity - for example, that men are strong so should be able to 'fight off' a perpetrator, or if the perpetrator is female that abuse of boys/males is 'not as bad'

The internalisation of homophobia - while there is hope for this changing as societal attitudes change, this may especially affect young males who are forming their ideas about their sexual identity, whether they identify as heterosexual or as part of the LGBTQI community

Societal myths around the cycle of abuse - particularly the idea that 'if I say I have been abused, others will think I will [go on to] abuse' (Nelson, 2009).

Therefore, the true scale and nature of male CSA is as unclear as it is for females, perhaps even more so.

Unconscious biases

Identifying and acting on potential concerns about CSA can be challenging for professionals - we may not want to believe that a child is being sexually abused, we may not feel we have the evidence, or fear 'getting it wrong'. Characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity and disability can heighten this - we may be less likely to consider whether a very young or physically disabled child is being sexually abused. And the same can apply when thinking about boys, compared to girls. These unconscious biases, held by us or multi-agency colleagues may influence our judgment, recording of case notes and decision-making.

For example, when thinking about male teenagers caught up in gang-related activity, do we routinely think about their potential victim experience or just deal with their presenting behaviours? Do we reflect on the impact that gender and ethnicity may have on the likelihood of young males discussing their traumatic experiences?

'Change is in our grasp'

There is some way to go in tackling the historic and ongoing barriers to identifying sexual abuse of boys and ensuring they are protected and supported though the process of disclosure and dealing with the impact of sexual abuse. But inbuilt to the social work psyche is the concept of critical reflection; this provides strong foundations to be progressively inclusive in our CSA practices and processes.

To make this progress, we have a responsibility to consider not only our individual unconscious biases, but also those inherent in the systems, institutions, tools, assessment frameworks and theories within which we work - a majority of which are based on gendered, heteronormative, social-normative and Eurocentric assumptions ( Brown et al, 2017; Brown and Strega, 2015). For example, in many of the risk assessment tools used for CSE, consideration of risk indicators of abuse associated with boys, members of the LGBTQI community, disabled children or cultural elements are entirely absent ( Brown et al., 2017).

But change is in our grasp: as practitioners, managers and supervisors, we can examine tools like this and develop our processes and practices to serve and safeguard our diverse male population well. With just small changes in our approach, thinking and language we can make significant inroads to redressing the gaps in our response to male CSA. The following recommendations - which have been adapted from Nelson ( 2009); Sneddon et al ( 2016) and the Quality standards for services supporting male victims/survivors of sexual violence ( 2018) - are just some of the ways we can make positive changes:

1. Recognise that inappropriate sexualised behaviour and harmful sexual behaviour expressed by young people are potential indicators of trauma or CSA.

2. Ensure all team members have attended appropriate training which recognises diverse responses to trauma and abuse.

3. Commit to a culture of inclusivity, which includes an inclusive workforce, inclusive promotional material and, importantly, an accountable strategy for inclusivity.

4. When working with males who display challenging behaviour, always look to understand the cause of the behaviour and not just address the behaviour itself.

5. Always critically reflect on processes, systems and tools which may exclude young people who are atypical of our current understanding of and thinking about CSA.

6. Design a process to gain feedback from young males and include them in innovations and service design.

7. Use supervision to discuss assumptions about male diversity and CSA, asking exploratory questions such as, 'if this was a female would our response differ?', 'if this person was from a different area would we think differently?'; 'If this person was white British would I have different expectations?'

8. Use supervision to practise receiving disclosures and asking gender-sensitive questions about CSA.

9. Tackle homophobia and dominant discourses of masculinity in all settings, including by promoting inclusive CSA awareness campaigns.

10. Engage with the CSA research and practice community such as the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse and the Male Survivors Partnership.

Nick Marsh (@nmarsh78) is practice improvement advisor at the Centre for expertise on child sexual abuse. He is also currently undertaking a PhD at the University of East London researching adolescent development from a systems perspective and the impact of, and subsequent response to, child sexual abuse.
References

Brown, L. and Strega, S. (eds.) (2015) Research as Resistance: Revisiting Critical, Indigenous, and Anti-Oppressive Approaches (2nd edition). Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press

Brown, S., Brady, G., Franklin, A. and Crookes, R. (2017) The Use of Tools and Checklists to Assess Risk of Child Sexual Exploitation: An Exploratory Study. Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

Fisher, C., Goldsmith, A., Hurcombe, R. and Soares, C. (2017) The Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse: A Rapid Evidence Assessment. Summary Report. London: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Heath, J. and Thompson, A. (2006) 'Extrafamilial child abuse: An analysis of briefs of evidence to investigate relationships between perpetrator and victim characteristics'. In Katsikitis, M. (ed.) Proceedings of the 2006 Joint Conference of the Australian Psychological Society and the New Zealand Psychological Society. Psychology Bridging the Tasman: Science, Culture and Practice. Melbourne: APS Press

Kelly, L. and Karsna, K. (2018) Measuring the Scale and Changing Nature of Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual Exploitation: Scoping Report (updated). Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

McNeish, D. and Scott, S. (2018a) Key Messages from Research on Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

McNeish, D. and Scott, S. (2018b) Key Messages from Research on Intra-familial Child Sexual Abuse. Barkingside: Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

Nelson, S. (2009) Care and Support Needs of Men Who Survived Childhood Sexual Abuse: Report of a Qualitative Research Project. Edinburgh: Centre for Research on Families and Relationships.

Palmer, T. (2015) Digital Dangers: The Impact of Technology on the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Young People. Barkingside: Barnardo's

Parkinson, P., Oates, K. and Jayakody, A. (2009) Study of Reported Child Sexual Abuse in the Anglican Church. Sydney: General Synod, Anglican Church of Australia.

Sayer, E., Rodger, H., Soares, C. and Hurcombe, R. (2018) Child Sexual Abuse in Custodial Institutions: A Rapid Evidence Assessment. London: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Sneddon, H., Wager, N. and Allnock, D. (2016) Responding Sensitively to Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: An Evidence Review. London: Victim Support

The Truth Project (2018) Truth Project Experiences Shared: Victims and Survivors

. London: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Lime Culture and the Male Survivors Partnership (2018) Quality standards for services supporting male victims/survivors of sexual violence

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Sexual abuse of boys continues to be missed: what social workers can do

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Over recent years, high profile cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and institutional abuse, and the growing use of technology in sexual abuse has led to increased public and professional awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the forms it can take. It is now described with increasingly sophisticated terminology.

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Supporting LGBTQ+ individuals at risk of becoming homelessness

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Supporting LGBTQ+ individuals at risk of becoming homelessness

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National charity supporting LGBTQ+ individuals living in hostels and at risk of becoming homeless, find safety.

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akt – providing safe homes & better futures for young lgbtq+ people

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24% of 16-25 year olds experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ+. We provide vital services to support LGBTQ+ young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment.

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A national charity with offices in Manchester, offering training, support, advice to support the LGBT community

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Manchester based charity supporting adults and young people explore their identity, get help, feel safe.

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The Proud Trust- Resources for LGBT+ Young People

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Coming Out, Exploring Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Faith and Religion, Staying Safe and much more.

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A Treasure Box for Creating T-I Organisations

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A Treasure Box for Creating T-I Organisations

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Two volumes, very accessible, excellent resources.

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This expert knowledge is presented in a bright and easy to understand way. Every chapter contains a huge array of colour photocopiable worksheets, downloadable materials, practical ideas, reflective questions, and exercises ready to use both individually and organizationally.

Covering guidance on policies, recruitment, supervision, language, cultural humility, co-production, team meeting ideas, staff wellbeing and more, this is the ultimate treasure trove for getting your organization truly and meaningfully trauma-informed.

There are also contributors from all over the world within different contexts, from prisons to social care to schools to residential homes and much more, which illustrate how to take the ideas and apply them into real world practice.

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A Treasure Box for Creating Trauma-Informed Organizations: A Ready-to-Use Resource for Trauma, Adversity, and Culturally Informed, Infused and Responsive Systems (Therapeutic Treasures Collection)

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A Treasure Box for Creating Trauma-Informed Organizations: A Ready-to-Use Resource for Trauma, Adversity, and Culturally Informed, Infused and Responsive Systems (Therapeutic Treasures Collection) eBook : Treisman, Karen: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

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National Trauma Transformation Programme (Scotland) 

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National Trauma Transformation Programme (Scotland) 

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A road map of trauma-informed change

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Skip to content

Trauma is Everybody's Business

Traumatic experiences affect most people at some stage in life, yet we often won't know about people's experiences, and the impact of trauma is unique to each of us. By taking a trauma-informed approach we can use universal principles to help us to recognise the impact trauma may be having on the people we aim to work with and respond in a way that supports recovery and does not cause further harm.

Adversity is not destiny

Although many of us will experience some form of traumatic event in the course of our lives, the majority of people will recover well, through supportive, positive relationships with family, friends, colleagues, people in their community, service professionals, and in some cases also receiving clinical psychological interventions or therapy.

91% of women

91% of women in Scottish prisons report both childhood and adulthood trauma, 51% reported they had been sexually abused. (Karatzias et al, 2017).

1 in 7 adults

1 in 7 Scottish adults report experiencing four or more adverse events (including traumatic experiences such as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) before age 18 (Scottish Health Survey, 2019)

Our Vision is for a trauma informed workforce and services across Scotland, capable of recognising where people are affected by trauma and adversity, that is able to respond in ways that prevent further harm and support recovery, and can address inequalities and improve life chances

National Trauma Transformation Programme

What level of Knowledge and Skills do I need?

Click here to find out what Skills level you may require.

How can my service or organisation become more trauma- informed and responsive?

Our Roadmap for Creating Trauma-Informed and Responsive Change is designed to help services and organisations identify and reflect on progress, strengths and opportunities for embedding a trauma-informed and responsive approach across policy and practice. Find out more here.

Leadership Pledge of Support

Over 70 organisations from across Scotland have pledged their ongoing commitment to embedding trauma informed principles and practice in Scotland to support anyone affected by psychological trauma.

Are you looking for help for recovery from the impact of trauma?

If you are currently struggling with the impact of a traumatic event or events, we have listed some national support organisations who may be able to help.

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Homepage - National Trauma Transformation Programme

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This website provides access to evidence-based training, tools and guidance to support trauma-informed and responsive systems, organisations and workforces in Scotland.

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UK Trauma Council Traumatic Bereavement Guide for Practitioners

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UK Trauma Council Traumatic Bereavement Guide for Practitioners

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In this guide, we share some of the latest research looking at how brain changes following trauma can affect a child's social world. We consider how adults and systems can help build a better social world.

Guidebook

Why is the social world key to everyone's mental health?

How trauma can impact a child's social world

Two pathways to mental health problems

The role of the brain in building our social world

What can we do to help children build a more supportive social world?

Deep dive: The importance of trust

FURTHER READING

GLOSSARY

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Childhood trauma, the brain and the social world - UKTC

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In this guide, we share some of the latest research looking at how brain changes following trauma can affect a child's social world. We consider how adults and systems can help build a better social world. Why is the social world key to everyone's mental health?

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Contextual Safeguarding: Re-writing the rules of child protection | Carlene Firmin | TEDxTottenham

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Tools resources and research from the contextual safeguarding research programme

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Contextual Safeguarding in Youth Justice (2023)

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Contextual Safeguarding in Youth Justice (2023)

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UK Trauma Council - Trauma & the Brian (5mins)

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UK Trauma Council - Trauma & the Brian (5mins)

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Childhood Trauma and the Brain | UK Trauma Council

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Great resources on trauma and recovery

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Beacon House is passionate about developing freely available resources so that knowledge about the repair of trauma and adversity is in the hands of those who need it. Please feel free to use our resources in your home or work setting.
All we ask is that you credit our team for the information and design using this credit: Image or information courtesy of Beacon House Therapeutic Services & Trauma Team | 2022 | www.beaconhouse.org.uk
As a specialist trauma service, our resources are written using a 'trauma lens' and offer information, ideas and strategies from this perspective. We know that there are other perspectives and overlapping experiences, meaning that 'one size doesn't fit all'. We are working to be as inclusive as possible and alongside this acknowledge that not everything we produce will be relevant for everyone.

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Beacon House is passionate about developing freely available resources so that knowledge about the repair of trauma and adversity is in the hands of those who need it. Please feel free to use our resources in your home or work setting.

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Watch this video by the UK Trauma Council to learn more about traumatic bereavement

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Free, evidence-based resources to support schools, colleges and practitioners working with traumatically bereaved children and young people.

Traumatically bereaved children and young people experience significant distress and difficulties, over and above a more typical grief. Traumatic bereavement can be easily missed or misunderstood by parents, teachers and even bereavement practitioners, meaning that children's difficulties are not recognised.

These resources will give school staff and practitioners the knowledge and tools they need to identify, help and support children and young people experiencing a traumatic bereavement.

Traumatic bereavement animation

Traumatic bereavement overview

Resources

These resources will give school staff and practitioners the knowledge and tools they need to identify, help and support children and young people experiencing a traumatic bereavement.

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Free resources for school staff and practitioners to identify, help and support children and young people experiencing a traumatic bereavement.

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Looking after your child following trauma

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Looking after your child following trauma

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Written by clinicians at the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub, this is a guide for parents and carers to help them support their children after trauma, but also helpful for practitioners.

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Two-page pdf by Dr David Trickey

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Animation made with young people who have experienced trauma, talking about their recovery.

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This animation has been developed for professionals within education as an introduction to trauma and recovery, and to facilitate the work they do in supporting students who have been affected by trauma.

About the Animation

This animation was commissioned by the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund (WLMEF); the charity set up after the Manchester Arena attack on 22 May 2017. Trustees of the WLMEF recognised that there were many young people caught up in the Arena attack and heard reports of the challenges they faced returning to school, college or university. The Trustees wanted to help professionals across educational settings better understand how trauma might impact their students and it was decided that a short animation would be an accessible way of beginning to do this. It is hoped that this animation will be a lasting legacy of the WLMEF.

We would like to acknowledge the bravery of the young people who came forward and thank them for sharing their stories.

We would like to thank the Manchester Resilience Hub for their clinical expertise and advice throughout the development of this project.

The narrative in this animation is provided by a group of young people who had been present at the Arena on the night of the attack. They came together in August 2018 to describe their on-going journey of recovery. Their hope was that their experiences would help educational professionals better understand trauma and be able to offer support to other young people who might have experienced trauma. They also wanted other young people to know that they are not alone in their recovery from trauma.

The animation is an introduction to trauma and recovery and has been developed to support educational professionals in understanding and supporting students who have been affected by trauma. It does not attempt to address the impact of surviving a terrorist attack.

The written materials have been developed with mental health clinicians and teachers to facilitate staff training and discussion.
Download resource pack

Using the Animation with Students

Professionals within education may feel that the animation would be useful for students to watch as part of a broader discussion on mental health. Recent statutory guidance means that health education will be compulsory in all schools from September 2020 and this includes a focus on mental health and wellbeing.

The written materials can be used as part of a lesson plan; they were written with this possibility in mind. However, there are some important considerations if the animation is to be used with students.

Trauma and adversity impact us all in different ways and at different times in our lives. None of us can know the trauma that individuals may have gone through or could be going through at any given time. It is therefore very important to give prior warning to students about the nature of the animation and to give some choice as to whether participation in the session is appropriate and what to do if anyone does become distressed.

Students need to know that hearing about other people's reactions to trauma may mean they connect with their own experiences, which, although normal, can be distressing. Conversations about how students can look after themselves both during and after the animation can be facilitated using the final two pages of the downloadable resource pack; looking after yourself.

Having conversations with more vulnerable students prior to showing the animation can help students make informed choices about whether they feel able to watch the animation.

Below is a short script that can be downloaded and adapted to use with students in preparation for watching the animation.
Download script

About We Love Manchester Emergency Fund

On 22 May 2017 a terror attack at the Manchester Arena killed 22 people and injured many more. Following the attack people from all around the world started to donate money to show their love, support and solidarity. The We Love Manchester Emergency Fund (WLMEF) was established within days to coordinate, administer and distribute the money donated in response to the attack and was formerly registered as a charity on 30 May 2017. WLMEF received over £21.8M in total and has distributed the funds in various tranches as gifts to the bereaved families next of kin, to those physically and psychologically injured.

Further information can be found on the website manchesteremergencyfund.com and within the Annual report for 2017-2018.

Have you been affected by the Manchester Arena attack?

Trauma can have a long lasting impact on people and those around them. We know that everyone recovers in different ways and sometimes it can be years later that people recognise they are struggling and need some help. Anniversaries, memorials and legal proceeding can be difficult to navigate and can trigger distress and sometimes symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Help is out there and it can take many forms; if you or someone you know would like further information or help you can contact a number of services.

Manchester Attack Support website
manchesterattacksupport.org.uk
This website was set up with a number or organisations to provide information to and support to those affected by the Manchester Arena attack.

Manchester Resilience Hub
www.penninecare.nhs.uk/mcrhub
The MRH is an enhanced NHS mental health service set up to specifically help people who have been affected by the Manchester Arena attack.

You can contact MRH if you

have been directly affected by the incident

have a family member who was affected

were working at the Arena that night, either as staff, at the station, or an emergency responder

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. To enable cookies, click Accept. Read More Accept

The Journey Of Recovery - Supporting Young People Overcoming Trauma

Trauma and adversity impact on everyone in different ways and at different times in life. Listening to other people's experiences of trauma and recovery can create strong personal reactions, particularly if you or someone you care about has been affected by a traumatic event or bereavement.

If you think this animation could cause you distress, we advise that you watch it when you have support available to you during or after watching the animation.

Legal disclaimer

© Doodledo Motion Ltd. All rights reserved and no reproduction or copying of any part of this animation can be made without permission.

To continue, please confirm you have read and understood this information by clicking the button below.

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This animation has been developed for professionals within education as an introduction to trauma and recovery, and to facilitate the work they do in supporting students who have been affected by trauma. About the Animation This animation was commissioned by the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund (WLMEF); the charity set up after the Manchester Arena attack on 22 May 2017.

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The new AFRUCA Psychotherapy service provides online, short-term, one to one, confidential and culturally appropriate therapy service for children (10-18 years) who have been involved in the local authority child protection system because of child/domestic abuse and who are being reunified with their birth parents after a period in foster care. The aim is to support children to help them readjust following time away in foster care, build emotional well-being, rebuild trust, emotional bond and attachment with their birth parents. The aim is to strengthen the process of reunification with less likelihood of child protection issues recurring and less likelihood of children returning into care.

We are holding a launch event on 26 October 2023 to promote our new service and its outcomes and share further information, including our clinical approaches and referral pathways

This is an online event. Please click below to register to attend

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The new AFRUCA Psychotherapy service provides online, short-term, one to one, confidential and culturally appropriate therapy service for children (10-18 years) who have been involved in the local authority child protection system because of child/domestic abuse and who are being reunified with their birth parents after a period in foster care.

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About Us

On this site, you can find out about support in your area and nationally, as well as advice for practical issues that losing a loved one may bring.

Our normal opening hours

Call us on 0161 983 0902 for help in finding the right support for you.

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (except bank holidays)

Email: gmicb-sal.gm.bs@nhs.net

Read More

Our interactive map search

Find out what bereavement services are available where you are.

Using this map, you can find out what care and services are available in your area, and how you can access them.

You'll also learn more about the organisations we're working with both in Greater Manchester and across the country.

See Map

Useful information

Information for anyone who has been bereaved or affected by a death in Greater Manchester.

See Useful information

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Home - Greater Manchester Bereavement Service

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Support for anyone bereaved living in Greater Manchester. Call us 0161 983 0902.

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Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit

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The Greater Manchester Navigator Project is a youth-focused, violence reduction project based in four Greater Manchester hospitals.

The four hospitals involved; Royal Bolton Hospital, Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, treat a high volume of violence related trauma in young people.

The team are based in the hospitals, working with young people age 10-25, helping them to cope and recover from their experience, and assisting with access to local support networks to prevent the potential of further violence.

It is vital to Navigators build trust with young people, who may not otherwise engage with other services. The Navigator project is completely independent and confidential, young people are entitled to receive support regardless of whether they report an incident to the police or not.

Although the Navigators are based in four hospitals, they will support any young person who is referred to them if live in Greater Manchester and are vulnerable to violence. If any young person attends the hospitals and lives outside Greater Manchester, the Navigators will ensure they are referred to local support in their hometown.

The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has commissioned Oasis UK to deliver the service. Oasis have a wealth of experience in delivering violence reduction programmes in other hospital settings and across their educational academies.

In the two months since launch, the team of Navigators have received nearly 70 referrals from across Greater Manchester.

Thanks to this early success, the team are now also working closely with Northwest Ambulance Service, accepting referrals from paramedics attending incidents of violence. In the future, the team would like to be able to provide preventative support in schools and colleges.

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Navigator Project - Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit

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The Greater Manchester Navigator Project is a youth-focused, violence reduction project based in four Greater Manchester hospitals. The four hospitals involved; Royal Bolton Hospital, Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, treat a high volume of violence related trauma in young people.

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We are a youth led organisation with young people deciding on the direction of the project. The national isue of Youth Violence is high on our agenda although we will challenge this by encouraging ownership of projects and alternative routes to adulthood outside of the perceived stereotypes.

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Good wellbeing is when we are able to be at our best, both at work and home.

The Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit is an interactive toolkit to help support you to be at your best. We have refreshed this toolkit to reflect the things that you have told us matter to your wellbeing.

It provides advice on keeping well physically, practically and psychologically, as well top tips on how you can support those around you, and find help for yourself or someone you know when it's needed.

You can also join one of the wellbeing workshops programmed to support the Toolkit - all dates and details are found here

Hear from colleagues across Greater Manchester

You can hear from different people about why wellbeing is important to focus on - so whether looking after yourself, supporting others, or looking for a little more help, together we can support the wellbeing of all of our people.

Listen to the podcast

We have developed the Greater Manchester Health and Wellbeing podcast series in partnership with Primary Care Excellence, which focuses on the different aspects of wellbeing. As part of the series we have created a mini-series of discussions exploring the topics that you have told us matter to you. It is hosted by Toolkit creator Sheni Ravji-Smith, whose guests share insights into different aspects of wellbeing.

This first episode kick-starts the mini-series with a focus of the importance of Wellbeing Champions to help shift the cultures we need for good wellbeing across our work places.

Sheni is joined by Michelle Maloney from Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, and Wellbeing Champion Ann Carey, who is a clinical lead at Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

Here is a teaser of what to expect:

https://www.gmhsc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HW-Wellbeing-champs-audiogram.mp3

The Wellbeing Action Plan

To support you and your manager's conversations we have created the Wellbeing Action Plan. It looks at things that you can do or change to help you feel well, and helps your manager understand if there are things they can support you with to improve your wellbeing. If you're a manager, please also refer to the Good Conversation Guide which will help with talking through this plan.

Who is this Toolkit for?

This Toolkit has been developed for the benefit of the health and care workforce, including colleagues in the NHS and social care, as well as those in the voluntary sector, those delivering health and care services in the private sector and our unwaged workforce too. It is designed with this workforce in mind; however, it is hoped that the toolkit can support anyone who is looking to improve their wellbeing, or for those around them. It's now two years since the beginning of the pandemic, and whilst our operational challenges have evolved, we have a workforce that is continuing to work at the pace of a sprint, but at the distance of a marathon.

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Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit and programme - GMHSC

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Good wellbeing is when we are able to be at our best, both at work and home. The Greater Manchester Wellbeing Toolkit is an interactive toolkit to help support you to be at your best. We have refreshed this toolkit to reflect the things that you have told us matter to your wellbeing.

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Greater Manchester Resilience Hub - health and care staff wellbeing service :: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

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This information can support black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) essential health and care workers:

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Young person's mental health charity - 42nd Street

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Young person's mental health charity - 42nd Street

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42nd Street’s vision is for inclusive, accessible mental health and wellbeing support and opportunities for all young people.

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A UK-based charity offering information and guidance about many different anxiety problems

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National charity helping people with Anxiety - Anxiety UK

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Become a Member of Anxiety UK. We pride ourselves on being user led, with many on our staff and volunteer team having personal experience of anxiety.

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St Mary's sexual assault referral centre

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St Mary's sexual assault referral centre

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An NHS service available to support anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted

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Welcome to Saint Mary's
Sexual Assault Referral Centre
Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated forensic, counselling and aftercare service to men, women and children living in the Greater Manchester area who have experienced rape or sexual assault, whether this has happened recently or in the past. We also offer immediate crisis support and a forensic service to Cheshire.
You can use our services without making a report to the police or we can support you if and when you want to speak to the police

If you want to make a referral just follow our step-by-step guide in the 'our services' section or call 0161 276 6515

COVID-19 Update

Saint Mary's SARC remains available to provide healthcare and support services to victims of rape and sexual assault.

You can report to the Police or contact our 24 hour helpline directly on 0161 276 6515.

If you wish to be seen, please call us first.

We are not able to see people if they don't have an appointment.

If you would like to be seen for an examination, without Police involvement, we can discuss this with you.

The safety of our staff and patients is very important to us and we take this very seriously.

Saint Mary's SARC can assure you that we are following current legislation and guidance.

If you've been sexually assaulted during this time of enforced lockdown, there's no need to suffer in silence.

We offer non-judgemental care & support regardless of the circumstances.

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Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated forensic, counselling and aftercare service to men, women and children living in the Greater Manchester area who have experienced rape or sexual assault, whether this has happened recently or in the past. We also offer immediate crisis support and a forensic service to Cheshire.

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A service for woman who have been sexually harmed

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We understand and appreciate the courage it can take to access support.

We want you to know you are not to blame and you are not alone. Sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, is traumatic and everyone responds differently. Whatever you feel is a completely valid response.

This site contains information about us, the different services we offer and how to access them. You can also find information about sexual violence and the impact it can have. There are suggestions to help you to develop strategies to manage overwhelming feelings, and links to other organisations for further information and support. There are also sections for those professionals, family and friends who are supporting someone who has experienced sexual violence.

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Listen, Believe, Support | Manchester Rape Crisis

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We want you to know you are not to blame and you are not alone. Sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, is traumatic and everyone responds differently. Whatever you feel is a completely valid response. This site contains information about us, the different services we offer and how to access them.

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A charity supporting men who have experienced sexual violence

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Supporting Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Rape. A very warm and safe welcome to We Are Survivors. Whatever you may be thinking and although you may feel it, we can guarantee 100% that you are not alone.

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Self-help guide for survivors of sexual harm

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Self-help guide for survivors of sexual harm

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StreetGames harnesses the power of sport to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people right across the UK.

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A UK-based charity with lots of resources and advice about how to support children with their anxiety

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Anxiety can affect anyone of any age, background or social group and many anxiety disorders begin in childhood and adolescence. Research suggests that as many as one in six young people will experience anxiety at some point or up to five children in a school class.
Did you know?

13.3% of 16 - 19 year olds and 15.8% of 20 - 24 year olds have experienced anxiety .

1.7% of 16 - 19 year olds and 2.2% of 20 -24 year olds have experienced a depressive episode.

0.9% of 16 - 19 year olds and 1.9% of 20 - 24 year olds have experienced Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

What is the best ways to help children overcome anxiety?

Acknowledge their feelings, even if they seem 'over the top' to an adult.

Regulate their physiological responses - using calming techniques.

Relate to them by connecting emotionally.

Reason with them - help them think through their experience and offer guidance.

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Free anxiety resources Supporting others Courses & groups Children and anxiety Anxiety can affect anyone of any age, background or social group and many anxiety disorders begin in childhood and adolescence. Research suggests that as many as one in six young people will experience anxiety at some point or up to five children in a [...]

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West Midlands T-I learning & development workforce

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West Midlands T-I learning & development workforce

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Excellent resource for helping individuals, teams and organisations develop more trauma informed practices

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The West Midlands Trauma Informed Coalition

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The West Midlands Trauma Informed Coalition, formed in 2022, unites public and third-sector leaders to create a trauma-informed, emotionally safe region. Focused on early intervention, it promotes collaboration for better outcomes across the West Midlands.

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Trauma-informed Practice | The Innovate Project

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We propose that services should use a ‘trauma-informed’ approach to improve outcomes across practice systems.

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Trauma-informed Practice

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Evidence based strategies for working with distressing content

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Developed under the direction of the National Police Chief's Council, this is an evidence based collection of interventions to support the wellbeing of investigators.

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Very accessible, good real world case examples

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Compassionate Leadership: Sustaining Wisdom, Humanity and Presence in Health and Social Care

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Swirling Leaf Press (publisher) price on Amazon are fixed as follows: UK £15, Europe: €20+country tax, Amazon.com $22US, Canada $26, Australia $31.80+sales tax, Amazon Japan Yen2400+tax Those who work in health and social care give inspiring support for the health, happiness and well-being of all...

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A brief introduction to Trauma Informed Practice-KRISTI_10.11.2020

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Charity supporting bereaved children & familes

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At Once Upon a Smile we have lots of creative programmes where children and young people can come along to remember their loved ones and to express their thoughts and feelings in fun and safe environment.

We believe that no child should grieve alone and the support offered will be based on their individual needs.

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Children's Bereavement Support - Once Upon a Smile

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At Once Upon a Smile we have lots of creative programmes where children and young people can come along to remember their loved ones and to express their thoughts and feelings in fun and safe environment. We believe that no child should grieve alone and the support offered will be based on their individual needs.

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Grief can be overwhelming after experiencing trauma, but with the right support children can start to recover. Explore our practitioner resources.

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Looking after your child following trauma

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Looking after your child following trauma

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Written by clinicians at the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub, this is a guide for parents and carers to help them support their children after trauma, but also helpful for practitioners.

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We are the UKs leading charity for autistic people and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.

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Written by clinicians at the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub, this is a guide for young people to help support them in their recovery following a traumatic event