Working together to create a Trauma-Informed Wales for babies, infants, children and youth.
Trauma-Informed Wales provides an all-society framework to support a coherent, consistent approach to developing and implementing trauma-informed practice across Wales, providing the best possible support to those who need it most. There is a need to engage with children, young people and supportive adults around them on what the Framework means for them in their communities and for the services they interact with, and to co-produce the next steps in terms of making it a reality.
The children and young people group will be working together collaboratively with children and young people, and leaders/supporters of key organisations, to really bring the Framework to life, understand what it means in different contexts and to embed trauma-informed practice across all our interventions and interactions with children and young people and their families and wider community.
A key focus of the group will be co-production with children and young people, to consider how they can play a role in the implementation of the framework and to also consider how professionals and supportive adults can work together to shift from understanding the framework to a space of creation and implementation.
Babies, infants, children, young people and their families will be at the heart of this work, ensuring that this working group links in with the other workstreams to hold the younger generation in mind through all aspects of the ambitions for the Framework’s implementation.
Hi my name is Tom and I’m a clinical psychologist. I work with an NHS project looking to improve the wellbeing of people affected by trauma and adversity (Traumatic Stress Wales, or TSW), and am excited to be co-chairing the children and young person’s workstream for the implementation of the Trauma-informed Framework throughout Wales with Siobhan. At TSW I lead on children and young people’s work and on the refugee and sanctuary seeker workstream.
I’m from and live in Swansea with my partner and two young children. I trained as a psychologist in London and Cardiff. I’ve worked with young people and supportive adults in the NHS with non-governmental organisations and the local authority. I spent a number of years working in Africa and the Middle East with a charity called Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders, understanding mental health and wellbeing needs and establishing community support in areas of humanitarian crises.
Outside of work I like surfing and swimming in the sea, and watching rugby and football. I’m learning French and play the piano (badly!).
Hello my name is Siobhan and I am joining Tom as the Co-chair for the Children and Young People Workstream. I have worked with children, young people and families for 22 years, starting as a play and youth worker when I was still a young person myself! It’s always been a passion of mine to remain curious and to see the world through the eyes of children and young people – ensuring we take great care of our future generations! I work for Platfform a mental health and social change charity passionate about system change and social justice. My role is Deputy Director of Children, Young People, Families and Community. In this role I am responsible for the strategic direction of Platfform’s work with children, young people, families and communities and ensuring all our services align with our values and ambitions – providing the best possible support.
I have a degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Swansea University. I am a qualified Independent Domestic Violence Advisor and spent nine years working for Women’s Aid in various roles. I joined Platfform six years ago to continue to my interest in promoting wellbeing for young people and creating new services. My interest has always been around the impact of trauma, how we respond to this as a society and the hope of healing. I am looking forward to working with Tom and everyone who joins the Children and Young People workstream and making sure children and young people are at the centre of this work.
Core membership is made up of people representing a range of statutory and third sector children and young people’s services, youth voice organisations, psychology, youth justice, social care, child health, young people and parents/carers. Associate membership will be developed and form a larger group who have shown an interest in following the work of the group.
Spotlight session in the National Implementation Steering Group in March 2025; presenting on the progress of the group so far. The next spotlight session will be in December.
The co-chairs have met with NHS Executive Clinical Lead for Child Health to discuss how they can highlight trauma-informed practice and the Framework to their network.
Co-chairs met with the NEST/NYTH Leads to establish cross over between work and ways to collaborate.
Ongoing discussions are being held around ensuring and putting mechanisms in place for young people to be involved in any projects.