Emmerline Irving
DesignationCo-Lead, West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme
Trauma is a silent epidemic affecting millions across England, yet our nation lacks a coordinated strategy to address its far-reaching impact.
With nearly two-thirds of adults in England experiencing adverse childhood or other traumatic experiences, the consequences are evident across health, education, justice, and economic systems.
This article calls for urgent national action: The development of a comprehensive trauma-informed strategy underpinned by legislation.
Drawing on the leadership of West Yorkshire’s Adversity Trauma and Resilience (system change) Programme and the National Trauma Informed Strategy T&FG (a collaboration of colleagues across regions and sectors), it presents a compelling case for change.
By highlighting the alignment of trauma-informed and responsive principles with government priorities, it strengthens both the moral and economic arguments for action.
The article also draws on a national briefing paper co-produced through the T&FG, representing colleagues from diverse fields – setting out a clear vision for a compassionate, coordinated, and trauma-responsive future, one where no individual is further harmed by the systems intended to support them.
From lived experience to systemic change
As co-lead of the West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma, and Resilience Programme, I have witnessed firsthand how trauma silently shapes lives – affecting individuals, families, and entire communities. Trauma is not a new phenomenon, but how we choose to respond must be.
The ripple effects of trauma are profound, manifesting in chronic health conditions, fractured relationships, poor educational outcomes, involvement with the justice system, and entrenched inequalities.
Yet, too often, our systems focus on symptoms – behaviours, performance metrics, or outputs – without asking the most critical question: What lies beneath?
The weight of trauma: A burden carried by many
Across England, both our workforce and our population carry the invisible weight of trauma as they navigate sectors, organisations, and services.
For many, these systems – intended to provide support – become further sources of harm. Despite a growing body of evidence and mounting national momentum, our response remains fragmented, lacking the coordination needed to ensure consistent, compassionate support.
While progress is being made in isolated pockets – within schools, hospitals, police forces, and local authorities – the absence of a national framework has created a postcode lottery of support.
In contrast, Scotland and Wales have taken decisive steps, developing structured, cross-sector trauma-informed approaches that offer consistency, accountability, and sustainability.
Trauma is not just a statistic. It is felt in the lives of those who navigate systems designed to help, but which too often cause further harm. It is the young person struggling with mental health because of online bullying, the family displaced by rising housing costs, or the elderly individual isolated by digital exclusion.
A strategy that recognises complexity
A trauma-informed strategy must reflect this complexity. It cannot be limited to identifying childhood adversity – it must respond to the full range of harms that individuals and communities experience. And it must do so not with judgement and stigma, but with understanding, healing, and justice.
It is time for England to catch up. Our nation cannot afford to leave trauma unaddressed. A coordinated, compassionate, and trauma-responsive strategy is not just a moral imperative – it is an economic necessity.
From West Yorkshire to Westminster: Aspiring to be a system built for healing
Since 2020, the West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma, and Resilience (ATR) Programme (partnership between NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership) has pioneered a bold, system-wide approach to trauma.
Our work has brought together health and care, justice, education, voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sectors, alongside those with lived experience – because true change is impossible without understanding the realities of trauma.
Building trauma-informed places: A local partnership approach
Central to our progress is the strong relationship we have built with places across West Yorkshire, including Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield District. Working closely with these local areas has been, and will continue to be, vital to both the development and maturity of trauma-informed and responsive practices.
By partnering with local authorities, community organisations, and neighbourhoods, we ensure that our approach is not just system-wide but also place-based. This relationship is essential to understanding the bespoke needs of local organisations, businesses, and communities. It allows us to adapt our trauma-informed strategies to reflect the unique challenges and strengths within each place.
Transformative change in action
In just a few years, we have trained over 3,000 professionals, co-produced digital resources accessed by more than 1,100 users and embedded trauma-informed navigators in hospitals – providing immediate support to those in crisis. Our annual Knowledge Exchange events bring together hundreds of people, creating a shared space for learning, collaboration, and growth.
This is what meaningful change looks like in action – a system transforming itself to become more compassionate, responsive, and effective. But even the most advanced regional programmes can only go so far without national support.
Local leadership is powerful, but it cannot replace the need for national alignment, sustained funding, and a legislative framework. For trauma-informed practice to thrive across England, we need a coordinated national strategy that provides consistency, accountability, and investment.
Trauma and the government’s priorities
A trauma-informed approach is not a standalone initiative – it is a strategic enabler of reform across multiple government priorities. Trauma-responsive systems can accelerate progress in areas that lie at the heart of national policy.
Economic growth and productivity: Trauma-informed support can help individuals facing long-term unemployment – often due to mental or physical health conditions – return to work and remain in work, boosting economic productivity.
NHS reform: By preventing re-traumatisation and promoting early intervention, trauma-informed practices can reduce demand on overstretched services and enhance staff resilience.
Welfare to work: Trauma-informed employment support provides the understanding and stability needed for individuals to re-enter and sustain work.
Education and skills: Creating safe, supportive learning environments improves attendance, attainment, and life chances – helping young people reach their full potential.
Violence reduction and justice reform: Trauma-informed policing, youth justice, and rehabilitation can prevent reoffending, reducing costs while delivering better outcomes.
Levelling up and health inequalities: Addressing adversity and structural trauma head-on ensures fairer outcomes across regions and communities, breaking cycles of harm and exclusion.
These are not isolated benefits – they are interconnected. Trauma-informed, responsive approaches and care are the foundation for transformation, not just within government but across all sectors.
Aligning with national priorities
A national trauma-informed strategy directly supports the Government’s highest priorities, as shown below:
- NHS reform: Reduce avoidable demand and support the well-being of the workforce.
- Employment and education: Increase economic growth by helping people re-enter and thrive in work.
- Violence reduction: Prevent harm before it occurs, lowering the burden on the justice system.
- Health inequalities: Tackle adversity at its root, creating fairer opportunities for all.
A trauma-informed strategy is not just morally urgent – it is strategically essential. It offers a path to more effective, efficient, and compassionate public services that deliver better outcomes for individuals, communities, and the nation as a whole.
A national call to action: Four steps to a trauma-informed England, a unified strategy for change
In December 2024, a coalition of professionals from across the UK – including those in health, education, social services, and criminal justice – came together to develop a pivotal document.
The Briefing Paper: Making the Case for Trauma-Informed Strategy and Legislation in England is a collective effort that reflects the power of cross-sector collaboration in tackling the widespread impact of trauma.
Four bold steps to a trauma-informed England
- Establish a national trauma-informed task force
A cross-government body co-produced with those who have lived experience of trauma. This task force would coordinate trauma-informed and responsive strategy and delivery across sectors – ensuring a consistent, unified approach.
- Enact trauma-informed legislation
Make trauma-informed and responsive practice a legal requirement in policymaking, commissioning, and workforce development – just as we do for equality and safeguarding. This would include mandatory training, trauma impact assessments, and legal protections for those affected.
- Sustainable investment: Invest to save
Commit to sustained funding for trauma-informed and responsive training, service design, prevention, and innovation. Research shows that trauma-responsive approaches can reduce demand on health, social care, and criminal justice services – generating long-term savings.
- Cross-sector leadership and integration
Trauma does not fit neatly into a single department, and our response should not either. Integrate data, policy, commissioning, and leadership across health, education, justice, social care, and beyond. This would prevent duplication, improve outcomes and ensure trauma is understood and addressed across all sectors.
These four steps are not just recommendations – they are essential actions for a fairer, healthier, and more resilient society. A trauma-informed England is within our reach, but only if we choose to act with urgency, compassion, and courage.
Featured image via New Africa / Shutterstock.
