Salford’s vision of becoming a trauma-responsive city began in 2017. We are on a whole system journey to improving the outcomes for people in our city who have experienced, trauma, adversity and adverse childhood experiences (ACES). In Salford, 1 in 10 children have experienced neglect, 1 in 8 have experienced cyberbullying, and 1 in 5 have been exposed to domestic Abuse (Partners In Salford).

We are committed to preventing and mitigating the impact of trauma in Salford for all ages, across services, including our workforce. In Salford, we seek to do this by adopting the four R’s of a trauma-informed approach (SAMHSA, 2014). We aspire to Realise the widespread impact of trauma for the people of Salford and understand potential paths for recovery; Recognise the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved within the wider Salford community; Respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures and practices; and seek to actively Resist re-traumatisation of those who access services in Salford.

The four R’s of a trauma-informed approach (SAMHSA, 2014).

Realise

The widespread impact of trauma and it is necessary to understand potential pathways for recovery.

Respond

Fully integrating knowledge about trauma into polices, procedures and practice.

Recognise

The  signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff and others involved in the system.

Resist

Actively seeking to resist re-traumatising people.

Our Current Training Opportunities

Enhancing our Workforce 

Salford City Council are committed to making all aspects of our council trauma-responsive. Part of this includes a commitment to embedding trauma-responsive principles into our organisational structures. Work is commencing to evolve our organisational policy, culture and processes to ensure they support our ambition to be a trauma-responsive city.

Our clinical practitioners are actively spreading knowledge about trauma-responsive practice through webinars, bespoke training packages, and attending team meetings at all levels. They are offering consultation, formulation and reflective spaces to support the embedding of our vision for Salford. The aim is to ‘walk alongside’ teams and support with understanding culture, practice and relationships to support positive change and enhance relational practice. 

Training the Workforce 

We have trained over 1800 people in trauma-informed practice across the city and this number is ever increasing! We have plans to develop innovative training in relational and resilience-based trauma-responsive practice. This will be available for the entire Salford workforce, ranging from Trauma-Informed for those professionals who may benefit from introductory knowledge to Trauma Enhanced for professionals from services who work with individuals who have experienced trauma. In Salford, we also have Trauma Specialist services who are dedicated to helping those who have experienced trauma, such as our STARLAC CAMHS service and Talking Therapies services.

The Fostering Service

Our fostering service is in the process of developing and rolling out a trauma-informed training programme to support understanding of the impact of childhood trauma on behaviour, relationships and attachments and how to provide a safe and secure base for these young people. This will firstly be made available to our existing foster carers with the aim of this becoming part of our initial training programme for our new carers.

Education – A Relational Approach to Inclusion

The Educational Psychology service jointly with our Virtual School Team, our Youth Council and some of our settings have developed a guidance document to support our schools in developing their trauma-responsive policies and practices; this provides access to research, practical strategies, case studies and a range of resources. 

As part of our schools’ development work, we are offering to trial the use of the ‘A Relational Approach to Inclusion’ guidance document and provide a trauma-responsive package to our schools combining training with organisational problem-solving and follow-up consultations. We also have centralised training for our schools to develop their understanding of trauma and regularly support our schools in using relational approaches such as emotional coaching.

Our Emotionally Friendly Schools programme promotes relational practice and the importance of supporting staff wellbeing alongside student wellbeing. Within the Educational Psychology service, we now have a specialist Educational Psychologist focussing on promoting relational practice within the service.  If you are interested in knowing more, please contact your school's educational psychologist.

Salford Family Partnership Early Help and Family Hubs

Salford Family Partnership have developed an innovative early help policy which embodies the principles of a trauma-responsive approach. Early help is the term we use in Salford to describe the way we work together with children, young people and their families to prevent problems from occurring and provide support as soon as problems emerge or re-emerge. 

Early Help is a partnership working with Living Well, the Community Mental Health Team and the Wellbeing Matters offer to adults in Salford, to support families in a holistic, trauma-informed and trauma-responsive way. We have Living Well based at Little Hulton Family Hub and are building positive strength-based relationships, through conversations, and discussing families’ needs in a person-centred way. Each team is starting to learn more about what their partner does, support building skills and knowledge and developing the skills to have positive conversations with families to promote strength-based intervention. Early help will be part of the weekly huddle with Living Well and key partners, to gain advice and guidance around adult mental health and wellbeing. A key focus of this is to support the well-being of parents & and carers and children/young people, in a trauma-responsive conversation with families.

We are also revisiting the Think Child Guide in partnership with Salford SSCP and training around parental mental health and the impact on children and young people with GMMH and 42nd Street. This will further support embedding a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive approach practically, with families, within early help and youth service.

Children’s Services: Salford Family Relationships Service

Salford’s Family Relationships Service aims to improve relationships for families, mums, dads and co-parents across Salford. We want children in Salford to experience high-quality, healthy, positive relationships. Families can access relationship support when they need it, how they need it and be supported by confident and skilled practitioners. Our ambition is to develop a culture that is trauma-informed and responsive to ensure that support to families is clear, and processes are timely and effective.

Our approach



• Co-production and collaboration with families, mums, dads and co-parents.
• Trauma-informed and responsive, strengths-based and relational approach.
• Supporting healthy and positive relationships.
• Empower and encourage parents as the experts.
• Consistent use of language across the workforce.
• Connections, partnerships and networks.
• Mums and dads are supported from pregnancy or at the earliest point of need.
• Child centred.
• Timely and clear referral routes and straightforward systems to use resources efficiently.

Salford’s Family Relationships Service is made up of the following services; Strengthening Families, parenting, parental conflict and family group conference. 

Early Break

Early Break is a Person-Centred organisation that works with children, young people and families who are experiencing difficulties with emotional & and mental health and/or substance use. In Salford Early Break is one of the commissioned services that form the Achieve partnership (all-age drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services). Early Break also delivers services to young people and families as part of the Violence Reduction work in Salford.  

Over the last 29 years, Early Break has worked to become a trauma-informed organisation and has been designing and delivering its projects and services to ensure they are trauma-informed, this includes our policies, processes and protocols, including HR and performance management. Staff wellbeing is a priority with the organisation where staff receive external reflective supervision by a qualified therapist. Staff have access to a range of support outside of annual leave. Throughout the lifetime of the organisation, Early Break has developed its services with the people it supports.

Salford Primary Care Together Inclusion Service

Salford Primary Care is a community interest company with all GP practices in Salford as its members. We aim to work with our members and other partners to ensure general practice is at the heart of joined-up care in Salford.

Salford Primary Care Together’s Inclusion service was developed to support those individuals in Salford who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to access medical care. The inclusion service also works collaboratively with other areas of Salford to ensure a person-centred approach. These services include the dual diagnosis team, the housing team, the drug and alcohol team and mental health teams.

The inclusion service started their trauma responsive journey in 2020/2021 by conducting an audit and developing its plan. Following this they took several actions. They ensured staff had appropriate training in trauma-informed care and continued to provide their staff with protected time to maintain their professional development with trauma-informed care running thematically throughout this. 

A Trauma-informed communication plan was developed to inform their service communication plan and policy to ensure that the way they work with people is consistent. The communication plan promoted the use of language which was hopeful and supportive unquestioning was always open-ended to allow opportunities for patients to disclose trauma.

Partners in Salford, for a fairer, greener and healthier city 

In Salford, we are passionate about working together as partners to build a better, fairer, greener, safer, and healthier city. On this site, you will find out how we organise across services and organisations to achieve these aims and improve outcomes for those who live and work in Salford.