Individuals who are homeless are likely to have experienced some form of previous trauma in their lives; indeed the experience of being homelessness can be seen as a traumatic experience in its own right. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) offer a framework for providing services to traumatised individuals who have or are experiencing homelessness. Both Trauma Informed Care and Psychologically Informed Environments do not rely on either diagnosis or formal therapy. What they do create is a framework that emphasises the impact that trauma has had on an individual and encourages the development of strategies to better respond to the needs of trauma survivors. A number of homeless services in Europe have begun to implement trauma-informed services or use psychologically informed environments there is great variability in how these services are implemented. Many Homeless and mentla health support providers have an emerging awareness of the potential importance of TIC and PIE in homeless services, the meaning of TIC and PIE remains unclear to some. How to incorporate them into an organisation can often be unclear. This project aims to give front line staff and organisations who work with people who are homeless and have a mental health support needs a better understanding in TIC and PIE and how to incorporate them into their therapeutic approaches to supporting these people. The Europe 2020 strategy puts Work Based Learning, along with the quality and relevance of education and training at the core to its efforts to improve inclusion. In ‘Agenda for new skills and jobs - A European contribution towards full employment’, (European Commission 2010) participation in Work-based Learning is encouraged across the union and in the 2017 report “Teachers and trainers in work-based learning/apprenticeships” found that Work-based learning in Vocational education and training provides important benefits This project recognises that to achieve this with reference to Trauma Informed Care (TIC) and Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) it is necessary to increase the competencies of organisations and staff and to meet the needs of service users, involves collaborating with best practice providers across Europe, to learn and develop Work Based Learning. Over two years, 3 seminars will take place cover; 1. Introduction to Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care (theory, methodology, and practice) 2. Application of Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care in the practical Context 3. Challenges and Problems with applying Psychologically Informed Environments and Trauma Informed Care Each seminar will take place over 4 days and will be broken down into 4 days 1. TIC and PIE project/services visits 2. Talks on TIC and PIE 3. Workshops on TIC and PIE 4. Evaluation/reflection day. During these four-day seminars leaders in best practice will give insight into how they use Trauma Informed Care and Psychologically Informed Care can be used to support those who use their services. Inspiring change in services across Europe and imparting greater understanding on the practicalities of what TIC and PIE are in practice and not just in theory. Central to each seminar will be the voice and experience of those who use and are supported by homeless services in Europe. Visits to projects to see PIE and TIC being used in a practical setting and to allow experts to show how TIC and PIE can be used to improve a service will also be central to each seminar. The larger objectives of the project are; To develop core competencies of staff working in homeless organisations across Europe on Trauma Informed Care and Psychologically Informed Environments through talks, workshops and service visits. To begin a social dialogue on how best to implement Trauma Informed Care and Psychotically Informed Environments in services To improve the health and well being of Service Users in participating organisations and wider Homeless and mental health services in Europe To recognise the importance of informal learning via sharing best practices Provide participants with the skills to recognize the impact of trauma and encourages the development of strategies for better responding to the needs of trauma survivors. Embedding of TIC and PIE methods into the strategy of partner organisations Staff training will have a strong emphasis on these models and methods Improved quality of service -providing effective, medically-evidenced care models for those most at risk. Enhanced capacity and expertise across the services
We wanted to achieve the following by implementing the project: To hold three seminars on Trauma informed Care and Psychologically Informed Environments To develop core competences of staff working in homeless organisations across Europe on Trauma Informed Care and Psychologically Informed Environments through talks, workshops and service visits. To begin a social dialogue on how best to implement Trauma Informed Care in services To improve the health and well being of Service Users in participating organisations and wider Homeless and mental health services in Europe by creating opportunities for people with mental health support needs to interact with Trauma informed Care and Psychologically Informed services. To recognise the importance of informal learning via sharing best practices Provide participants with the skills to recognize the impact of trauma and encourages the development of strategies for better responding to the needs of trauma survivors.
We applied for this project as the partners had previously been involved in an Erasmus+ project together; DIGNITY & WELL-BEING: Exchange for changing (2016-1-PT01-KA202-022970 ERASMUS+) This project looked at best practices in homeless services across Europe and produced a manual based on those best practices. As we were working together on this project Trauma and it's impact on homeless people came up time and again, and we saw a need to learn more on this together, look at best practices and examine how we should begin to train our staff in Trauma Informed Care and Psychologically Informed Environments.