What is the National Trauma Training Programme (NTTP)?

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and to supporting the resilience and recovery of all children and adults affected by psychological trauma. This commitment is anchored in the long-standing national approach of Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and aligns closely with the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law. It also supports the ambition set out in our National Performance Framework of increasing the wellbeing of people living in Scotland and reducing inequalities.

Over the past few years, the Scottish Government and partner organisations across the country have progressed a wide range of actions across the following priority areas in relation to ACES:

1. Providing inter-generational support for parents, families and children to prevent ACEs
2. Reducing the negative impact of ACEs for children and young people
3. Developing adversity and trauma-informed workforce and services
4. Increasing societal awareness of trauma and adversity and supporting action across communities

On the third area for action, the Scottish Government has committed over £2 million investment to date in a National Trauma Training Programme, led by NES, to support our shared ambition of a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive workforce across Scotland. The programme is based on the NES Knowledge and Skills Framework for Psychological Trauma, (2017) which has been integrated into numerous workforce development plans across Scotland, and replicated in countries around the world. The Programme has produced a wide range of universally accessible core resources, including a leadership development component, to support all sectors of the workforce to upskill staff to the appropriate level of trauma informed practice and critically to embed and sustain this model of working.

The National Trauma Training Programme is currently funded until March 2023 and forms a core part of the Scottish Government’s Coronavirus (Covid-19): Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan (available here). Strategic oversight for the programme is provided by a National Steering Group, chaired by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and attended by the Minister for Mental Health. The National Steering Group includes representation from senior leaders from across the workforce including justice services, social work, health, education, housing, local government, the care sector, third sector and experts by experience. The group meets biannually and last met on 17 March 2021. Advice and support for the delivery of the Programme is also provided through a Reference and Implementation Group which similarly includes representation from across the workforce and experts by experience.

In 2019, the NTTP provided a total of £120,000 funding to establish three local delivery trials in Argyll and Bute, Glasgow and Midlothian which aimed to learn lessons from rolling out trauma training across the workforce at scale. An interim process evaluation of the trials is available here.

Our overarching vision for the National Trauma Training Programme is to develop a trauma informed and responsive nation and workforce, that:

• is informed by people with lived experience
• recognises the importance of wellbeing in the workforce
• recognises where people are affected by trauma and adversity
• responds in ways that prevent further harm
• supports recovery
• and can address inequalities and improve life chances

The information on this website provides links to key trauma training resources from the National Trauma Training Programme that are openly available to support all members of the Scottish workforce to work towards this vision.