Trauma-Informed Awareness

People who come to a council office, a library, a housing team or a community centre may be carrying more than the reason they came. You will often not know. This course is a short, plain-English guide to trauma-informed awareness for anyone who works with the public: what trauma is, how it can affect the people you meet, and how to work in a way that helps and does not add to their distress.

Who this course is for

• Council and housing staff, and people working on front desks, reception and phone lines
• Charity workers and volunteers
• Care workers, education support staff and people in other frontline services
• Employers and managers who want a short awareness course for public-facing teams

What you’ll learn

• What trauma is, what “trauma-informed” means, and the different words used across the UK
• How trauma can affect people, why services can be hard to use, and why you should not assume
• The six principles of trauma-informed practice and how they look in everyday work
• Explaining what you are doing, offering real choices and asking only for what you need
• Responding with empathy, knowing where your role ends, and when to follow your safeguarding procedure or call 999
• Looking after yourself and your colleagues, and what to expect from your organisation

How it works

Six lessons, each split into short topics with a “Remember” box at the end. Every lesson finishes with its own assessment of 10 questions drawn at random from its question bank, so no two attempts are the same. The course ends with a final exam of 20 questions drawn from a bank of more than 40 covering everything. The pass mark is 80% and you get three attempts at each assessment. Finish the course and your certificate, with your name and a reference anyone can check, is issued to My Account → Certificates.

12 months’ access · any device · certificate the moment you pass

Worth being clear about: this course is awareness, not treatment. It is not a qualification, it does not train you to diagnose anyone or to ask people what happened to them, it is not safeguarding training, and it does not replace your organisation’s own training and procedures. It is written for the whole of the UK, and says which nation a number or service is for.

Course content

• Before you startLesson
• What trauma is, and what “trauma-informed” meansLesson
• What this course is, and what it is notTopic
• What trauma isTopic
• Trauma is widespread, and it can affect anyoneTopic
• Realise, recognise, prevent re-traumatisationTopic
• Different places, different namesTopic
• Scenario: “She’s just difficult”Topic
• 🎮 Practice: Your roleTopic
• Lesson Assessment: What trauma is, and what “trauma-informed” meansQuiz
• How trauma can affect peopleLesson
• Different people, different effectsTopic
• When something feels like danger againTopic
• What you may notice, and what you can’t tellTopic
• Why services can be hard to useTopic
• Do not assumeTopic
• Scenario: The seat by the doorTopic
• 🎮 Practice: Do not assumeTopic
• Lesson Assessment: How trauma can affect peopleQuiz
• The principles of trauma-informed practiceLesson
• The six principles at a glanceTopic
• SafetyTopic
• Trustworthiness and choiceTopic
• Collaboration and empowermentTopic
• Cultural considerationTopic
• Other lists, shared ideasTopic
• Scenario: “Wait over there”Topic
• 🎮 Practice: The six principlesTopic
• Lesson Assessment: The principles of trauma-informed practiceQuiz
• Avoiding re-traumatisation: how you workLesson
• What can make things harderTopic
• Say what will happen, and do itTopic
• Offering choices you can really giveTopic
• Space, privacy and not asking twiceTopic
• Words that helpTopic
• Scenario: Three people, one storyTopic
• 🎮 Practice: A first meetingTopic
• Lesson Assessment: Avoiding re-traumatisation: how you workQuiz
• Responding well, and knowing where your part endsLesson
• Start with “What does this person need?”Topic
• Listening and respondingTopic
• When someone is upset or angryTopic
• Your role has limitsTopic
• When someone may be at riskTopic
• Scenario: “I can’t cope any more”Topic
• 🎮 Practice: When someone tells you something difficultTopic
• Lesson Assessment: Responding well, and knowing where your part endsQuiz
• Looking after yourself and your colleaguesLesson
• Why this matters for youTopic
• Noticing the effect on youTopic
• Looking after yourselfTopic
• Looking after colleaguesTopic
• What your organisation should offerTopic
• Your action listTopic
• Scenario: A quiet colleagueTopic
• 🎮 Practice: Looking after yourself and othersTopic
• Lesson Assessment: Looking after yourself and your colleaguesQuiz
• Course summaryLesson
• Final examQuiz