Mansfield-based charity aims to improve the experience of survivors of abuse when accessing services

The S.H.E UK team, including staff and a team of peer trainers, delivered a three-part training programme. The first two sessions covered the impacts of ill-informed practice and how it negatively affects survivors - the peer team shared their first-hand experiences, which was very hard hitting.

The challenge back to the workshop participants, who came from Social Prescribing teams, Children’s services, Adult Social Services, commissioned services to name a few, was to consider what changes they could implement in their work using their newly acquired understanding, knowledge and awareness.

The third session, which concluded last week, was held with each workshop participant individually to review what they plan to do differently and make a commitment to this. The response has been very positive, with all eager to improve practice - commitments have included sharing knowledge across teams and clinicians, being more open minded, creating an environment where survivors feel safe to engage, changing wording on websites and forms to be more supportive and inclusive and create ways to stop survivors having to tell and re-tell their stories over and over again.

Lisa Lenton, S.H.E UK CEO said "The whole purpose of this training was to amplify the voices of the people who use our services, who are survivors of the most horrific abuse and for other support services to see that a small change can make such a difference. We have heard appalling stories from our clients regarding interactions they have had with primary care services, social services and statutory bodies in the past and we wanted to create a learning opportunity so the services themselves understand why there needs to be greater empathy and understanding of the needs of survivors at all levels - and to take action". Lenton goes on "This was the first run through of this training programme and has been so well received, we are so encouraged to see the impact it has made already - every attendee has started to look at things differently and has shown enormous compassion".

S.H.E UK is running the programme again in January, which is already full. The Project Manager, Tina Sharpe, said: "It's great to see so many services, organisations and holistic services are committed to learning more about this and we are looking forward to the sessions in the new year."

For more information about S.H.E UK services please visit the website: www.she-uk.org.uk or, for information on future trauma-informed practice training sessions email: info:she-uk.org.uk