On Wednesday 25th March 2026, we welcomed colleagues, partners, community organisations, researchers, practitioners and leaders from across Greater Manchester to the Trauma Responsive GM Conference 2026 at the Bolton Wanderers Stadium. With over 700 people in attendance, it was our biggest and most energising conference to date — a powerful reminder of the collective commitment across Greater Manchester to build a more trauma responsive, compassionate and connected city region.

It was a chance to:

• Reflect on the progress made across GM’s whole system approach
  
• Hear from senior leaders, practitioners and lived experience voices
  
• Share research, data and evaluation from universities and partners
  
• Explore examples of trauma responsive practice from every locality
  
• Connect, learn and recommit to this shared movement
  

Highlights from the Day

Our Chair Neil Evans, Executive Director for Safer & Stronger Communities at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) opened the day by reflecting on the growth of TRGM, the strength of cross sector collaboration, and the role of trauma responsive practice in shaping safer, healthier and more equitable communities.

The conference was shaped by a rich and diverse group of speakers who each brought depth, lived experience, evidence, and heartfelt insight to the programme. Our morning began with Professor Helen Lowey, Debbie Blackburn and Dr Paul Wallis, who collectively guided us through Greater Manchester’s seven year journey towards becoming trauma responsive. Their reflections on governance, whole system progress and the cultural shift across services set a powerful foundation for the day. They reminded us of how far GM has travelled — from initial ACE awareness work to today’s multi sector movement involving local authorities, health services, education settings, the VCSE sector and community partners.

We were then privileged to hear a keynote address from Professor Mark Bellis, whose talk From Harm to Hope explored the lifelong impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences and the compelling economic and human case for prevention. His session grounded the conference in evidence and reinforced the importance of resilience, relationships and public health approaches that work across the life course.

Later in the morning, we moved into a deeply powerful “Voices from the Community” segment. Contributors included, Dignfi, Salford Loaves & Fishes, Wigans Manbassador Programme and A Brilliant Thing CIC, who shared honest and heartfelt accounts of trauma, healing, community leadership and system navigation. Their stories — drawn from lived experience, grassroots practice and frontline delivery — reminded us that trauma responsive work must always begin with listening, compassion and connection. These voices were an anchor throughout the day.

The afternoon brought a rich panel discussion on trauma informed education, led by school and college leaders from across Greater Manchester. They spoke about what it truly means to embed trauma informed culture within education settings — from workforce training and safe environments to relational practice, supervision, leadership, belonging and improved outcomes for children and young people. Their experiences showed how profound the impact can be when schools embrace compassion, consistency and curiosity.

We were also joined by research teams from Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Salford, the University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham. Their presentations shared emerging evidence, evaluation findings and system level insights — helping us understand not just what works, but why it works, and where trauma responsive practice is having the greatest impact. This academic contribution is a key driver in maturing GM’s approach and ensuring our decisions remain informed by robust research.

Towards the end of the day, we once again returned to the voices of community partners — including Step Up Manchester, Rehab Fitness CIC, Inspirational Women, and Yaran Northwest and the launch of the GM Disclosure Guide. These speakers brought the conference back to the lived realities of people and communities across Greater Manchester. Their work spans peer support, neighbourhood initiatives, culturally responsive mental health support, community led therapy, women’s groups, recovery programmes and place based partnership approaches. Each contribution illustrated how trauma responsive practice is already transforming lives, and how essential local leadership remains in shaping solutions that feel safe, accessible and rooted in trust.

You can download presenter slides from the day here.

As the conference drew to a close, what resonated most strongly was the sense of collective momentum in the room — a shared understanding that this work does not end with a single event. Instead, the day marked another significant step forward in a long term movement across Greater Manchester. What has emerged over these seven years is not simply a programme or a set of initiatives, but a genuine cultural shift shaped by compassion, curiosity and human connection.

Reflecting on the day, our TRGM Conference and Exec Board Chair, Neil Evans shared:

“As I said in my opening remarks it is my privilege to chair the TRGM Executive, and it was also my privilege to host this brilliant conference and listen to the presentations, which I thought were all excellent and thought provoking. In particular it was heart warming to hear about the work of those grass roots organisations that is being delivered on the ground and clearly making a real difference in our communities. As I said at the end of the day, it is the responsibility of myself and colleagues to build on all that is taking place to ensure that responding to trauma, whether recent or historical is everyone’s business and we need to ensure it is further and fully embedded across our systems. The passion in the room was evident and this conference with such a large and engaged audience serves as springboard for us to go further and faster.”

Throughout the conference, it was clear that colleagues across every sector and neighbourhood are already carrying this work forward in meaningful ways — challenging outdated systems, dismantling stigma, creating safer and more supportive spaces, strengthening relationships and embedding trauma responsive practice into everyday culture. These efforts are not isolated pieces of work; they form a collective tapestry of change woven by practitioners, leaders, community organisations, lived experience voices and system partners working side by side.

What stood out above all was the honesty, kindness and commitment shown by everyone involved. Your willingness to share, reflect and stay open to learning is what makes this movement so powerful. It is also what gives real hope for what comes next.

We look forward to continuing this journey with you throughout 2026 and beyond. Thank you for being part of the TRGM community — for your belief in this agenda and for the compassion you bring to your work every day.