2. Understanding Behaviour

2f.  What is trauma-informed practice?

The ACEs framework above highlights the kinds of adversities that can affect children’s lives and the potential long-term impact they may have. However, adversity alone does not explain everything. What matters just as much is how those experiences are felt and processed by each individual child. This is where the concept of trauma becomes especially important.

‘Trauma refers to the way that some distressing events are so extreme or intense that they overwhelm a person’s ability to cope, resulting in lasting negative impact’¹¹ (UK Trauma Council).

Trauma can stem from a single incident, such as an accident or bereavement, or from ongoing experiences like neglect, abuse or discrimination. Children may react in different ways: some responses are immediate, while others appear much later; some are visible in behaviour, while others remain hidden.

For school staff, this means not assuming there is a ‘right’ or predictable way that trauma presents for children and young people. Instead, trauma-informed practice encourages staff to look beyond behaviours and ask, ‘What does this child need?’ rather than ‘What is wrong with this child?’¹² (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities). It is not a quick fix but a cultural change that takes time, leadership commitment and staff development. Over time, this approach reshapes how behaviour is understood, how relationships grow, and the sense of safety and belonging that children experience.

It is also vital to remember that trauma does not occur in isolation. Family life, community experiences and wider inequalities such as poverty, racism or abuse can compound its effects. Even within schools, certain routines or policies may unintentionally elicit painful memories - sometimes described as ‘systemic trauma’.¹³

For this reason, trauma-informed practice is not about asking children to ‘fix' themselves. It is about school staff working with families and communities to create cultures that feel safe and supportive, where everyone is not only protected from harm but also feels understood and valued.

The ‘4 Rs’ overview

The US-based SAMSHA (Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) describes a trauma-informed approach through the ‘4 Rs’¹⁴.For schools, these can be adapted as practical starting points for thinking about what trauma-informed practice looks like day to day:

The six principles of trauma-informed practice

SAMHSA also set out six principles that build on the ‘4 Rs’. These can act as a practical framework for schools to reflect on culture, policies and everyday practice, while also rethinking how behaviour is understood and responded to.

Getting started in schools

Trauma-informed practice is best seen as an ongoing process and set of values, rather than a checklist of tasks. Becoming trauma-informed involves a whole-school approach where leadership, staff, families and pupils all play a role. It takes time and commitment and will look different in every setting.

For schools at the beginning of this journey, it may help to focus on a few starting points. These do not in themselves make a school trauma-informed, but they can act as practical first steps towards a broader cultural change:

Useful links:

• UK Trauma Council Evidence-based resources and training to help professionals and carers understand and respond to the impact of trauma on children and young people.
• Trauma Informed Schools UK Training and resources to help schools embed trauma-informed and mentally healthy practices.
• NHS Education for Scotland: Trauma-informed Change Roadmap Practical guidance to help organisations and workforces embed trauma-informed and responsive approaches across policy and practice.
• Sowing seeds: trauma informed practice for anyone working with children and young people Short animation explaining trauma-informed practice and how staff can make a positive difference for children and young people affected by trauma.
• Beacon House: Developmental Trauma Summary Sheet Brief overview of developmental trauma and its impact on children and young people.
• UK Trauma Council: Childhood trauma, migration and asylum
• Information for professionals on the impact of trauma linked to migration and asylum, with strategies to support children and young people
• UK Trauma Council: Childhood trauma and the brain A resource to help professionals and carers understand the latest neuroscience on childhood abuse and neglect, with practical insights and advice from clinicians, teachers and social workers.
• UK Trauma Council: Critical incidents in educational communities
• Resources to help schools and colleges respond compassionately to traumatic events that affect many children, young people and staff.

 ^{_{11. UK Trauma Council. What is trauma? Available at: https://uktraumacouncil.org/trauma/trauma
 12. Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Working definition of trauma-informed practice. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-definition-of-trauma-informed-practice/working-definition-of-trauma-informed-practice
 13.  Goldsmith, R. E., Martin, C. G., & Smith, C. P. (2014). Systemic trauma. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 15(2), 117–132. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2014.871666
 14. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. Available at: https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma14-4884.pdf}}