Trauma Informed Response – Refugees, Asylum Seekers and other Migrant Communities

Cheshire West and Chester has welcomed people from places all over the world, including refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant communities. Many, especially children, have experienced trauma related to conflict or persecution that may impact on their emotional, mental, and physical health, long after the events have occurred.

The Council has worked hard to support refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant communities through our communities, schools, sponsors, and host families, providing invaluable care and support at a traumatic and critical time.

It recognises that practical support is much needed and essential to resettlement but equally important, is how we can support people who have experienced conflict and displacement and understand how this can impact emotionally and psychologically and develop ways to help people feel safe.

Training offer

In March, we launched the first course that forms part of the Trauma Informed Response; Psychological First Aid and the principles of Look, Listen, Link. We have built on this foundation and developed a second course; Working with Trauma-Experienced Refugees, Asylum Seekers and other Migrant Communities to develop your knowledge and further your skills in understanding the impact of trauma and how we can respond through a trauma lens to support emotional regulation and recovery.

The two courses to support you are:

• Psychological First Aid
• Working with Trauma-Experienced Refugees, Asylum seekers and other Migrant Communities

Please note you will need to attend Psychological First Aid first before accessing the Working with Trauma-Experienced Refugees, Asylum Seekers and other Migrant Communities

These courses are being delivered in two parts and are a key component of the Council’s multi-agency Our Way of Working programme, which focusses on trauma, puts families first and aims to develop a common and consistent approach to working with families across all partners.

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.  UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• Psychological First Aid

  Who is it suitable for:	Volunteer, Community and Faith group leaders/workers, Host Families and Sponsors Also open to Practice Leads /  Middle Leaders / Managers / Targeted Practitioners / Social Workers / Family Intervention Workers / TAF Leads / Family Support Workers / Learning Mentors / Family Liaison Workers / ELSAs / Parental Support Leads / SENDCos / Pastoral Staff
  Session aims:	This session will introduce the Psychological First Aid (PFA) approach and demonstrate its relevance in a number of situations where individuals may be experiencing distress. It shows how the approach can be most effective and how its techniques and approaches can be used by a wide range of people. In the session you will: Understand how PFA can provide practical and emotional support for individuals. Learn how to recognise when to use PFA for people who may be experiencing distress and can help to make people feel safe, connected and able to take steps to taking care of themselves. Understand the three action principles, ‘Look, Listen and Link’. Consider how it can be applied to support you in your role/organisation.
  Dates and to book a place:	Date Time Location Thursday 9th January 2025 10.00am – 12.00pm The Civic Hall, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0AZ Wednesday 19th March 2025 10.00am – 12.00pm The Civic Hall, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0AZ To book a place email Amy.Kendrick@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

• Working with Trauma-Experienced Refugees, Asylum Seekers and other Migrant Communities

  Who is it suitable for:	Volunteer, Community and Faith group leaders/workers, Host Families and Sponsors Also open to Practice Leads /  Middle Leaders / Managers / Targeted Practitioners / Social Workers / Family Intervention Workers / TAF Leads / Family Support Workers / Learning Mentors / Family Liaison Workers / ELSAs / Parental Support Leads / SENDCos / Pastoral Staff
  Session aims:	To develop your knowledge and further your skills in understanding the impact of trauma and how we can respond through a trauma lens to support emotional regulation and recovery.
  Dates and to book a place:	Date Time Location Thursday 23rd January 2025 10.00am – 12.00pm The Civic Hall, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0AZ Wednesday 26th March 2025 10.00am – 12.00pm The Civic Hall, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0AZ To book a place email Amy.Kendrick@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk