1625 Independent People Trauma Recovery Model Pilot Evaluation Report

This report presents the findings of the Trauma Recovery Model (TRM) Pilot with young care leavers which formed an integral component of the wider Future 4 Me project (2016-2019) and the (F4M) toolkit evaluation undertaken by the University of Gloucestershire. The aim was to investigate the efficacy of the TRM model in helping practitioners to support care leavers and improve practice, knowledge, confidence and understanding of a trauma-informed approach. The pilot framework was developed in consultation with Jonny Matthew. The pilot provided for a multi-agency, psychologist led formulation of the cases of 7 care leavers, which informed the subsequent period of support and regular reviews. In each case, a F4M keyworker acted as the case lead, co-ordinating meetings and facilitating communication between professionals. The pilot delivery period was nine months. As well as the F4M team, the pilot involved 20 external professionals representing 11 different organisations across three local authority areas. Methods A mixed methods approach was deployed involving the use of quantitative and qualitative methods in order to elicit data concerning the efficacy of the TRM model in helping practitioners to support care leavers and improve practice, knowledge, confidence and understanding of a trauma- informed approach. This involved an online practitioner survey and individual interviews. The evaluation began in October 2019 and concluded in December 2019. Main findings The tools used were described as useful and accessible that helped practitioners from across a range of Statutory and Charitable organisations to develop empathetic attitudes towards young people and a greater understanding of their lives. Sequencing was identified as a principal benefit in helping professionals to stand back and assess all the relevant information and options available. This confirmed the model’s ability to initiate a developmental approach with young people and indicated the presence of a structured and considered approach. The opportunity to identify, explore and interpret life events through a trauma lens offered an important insight that helped develop client- centred interventions. Engaging and maintaining young people in TRM-informed approaches could be challenging and some staff may take longer to feel comfortable and confident in using the model. This draws attention to the importance of ongoing training and support for practitioners to ensure that they feel sufficiently secure in their knowledge and confidence to apply the model. Participants described the opportunity to engage with theory helped them to focus upon the practitioner-young person relationship and adopt a more mindful approach to practice and to their understanding of their work with the young person. Challenges to the implementation of the TRM included finding time to bring psychologist and professionals together for meetings and managing the complexities of multi-agency working. However, a key outcome was a greater awareness and appreciation of other organisations which fostered greater inter-professional and inter-organisational collaboration.