Implementing Trauma Informed Approaches in Northern Ireland. Executive Summary

This Executive Summary synthesises the findings of an organisational review of the implementation of Trauma Informed Approaches (TIAs) in Northern Ireland (NI) commissioned by the Safeguarding Board for NI (SBNI) through funding by the cross-Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC).

A full Report has also been produced and is available to download from the SBNI website. This introductory section clarifies adopted terminology and provides a summary of the study methodology. The following sections outline key study findings, organised via the core themes identified through the research process (i.e., TIA conceptualisation; TIA implementation; outcomes and perceived benefits; and implementation enablers, barriers and challenges). The Executive Summary concludes with the recommendations for the advancement of TIA implementation in NI.

A brief note on terminology and conceptualisation

The overarching term of Trauma Informed Approaches (TIAs) has been adopted in this review to encompass Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) and Trauma Informed Care (TIC) as a means to reflect the relevance of TIAs for organisations which do not provide frontline services as well as those which do.