Move to help people with trauma
Councillors have moved to employ a development officer to help implement trauma-informed practice in South Lanarkshire council services.
Elected members at the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee welcomed the new post which will be added to the Learning and Development services to help the council support staff and service users who face trauma.
This is part of a Scottish Government ambition for all employers, including local councils to ensure that all aspects of service provision are trauma informed and responsive to both employees and customers.
Psychological trauma is common in Scotland and its effects are wide ranging, substantial, long lasting and costly to individuals and communities.
Services underpinned by trauma-informed practice can mitigate these effects and support recovery of the people affected by trauma.
Scottish Government funding has been made available to support the council’s aims to introduce trauma informed practice across services, and a total of £50,000 has been granted for the financial year 2022 to 2023.
The council has signed the Leadership Pledge of Support and is committed to embedding trauma informed principles and practice. A South Lanarkshire Trauma Steering Group has been established to oversee and coordinate development and implementation.
The Steering Group has judged that the most effective use of funding is to create a full-time development officer post which will be added to the Learning Development service within Personnel Services.
The role of the officer will be to support the existing trauma steering group and develop a strategic action plan to support the implementation of trauma informed practice.
The officer will also seek meaningful and ethical ways to ensure the voices of lived experience informs the council’s move towards being trauma informed.
They will also support council services to assess their policies, practices and physical environments against trauma informed principles as well as working with Community Planning partners to ensure there is a streamlined trauma response across South Lanarkshire.