VRU Trauma Informed Special Interest Group meets

The VRU’s Trauma Informed Practice Special Interest Group (SIG) met yesterday (Thursday 26 January) bringing together professionals who are engaged in or working toward improving trauma informed practice.

Having been meeting for almost a year now, the group has a dynamic membership comprising practitioners and academics from a range of organisations and meets regularly to share presentations and discussions across themes relevant to trauma informed practice.

The group aims to examine the theory of trauma informed practice while focusing on how it can be promoted and embedded in practice. The diverse group includes police officers, academics, researchers, mental health professionals, neuro-diversity experts, educational practitioners and those who are experts in trauma informed practice itself.

Trauma informed practice applies to all professions and in all settings where we protect, support or employ people affected in some way by trauma, which likely includes all of us in some way. As such the trauma informed special interest group would love to have more professionals join to help us become more diverse in our, thoughts, knowledge and experience.

The VRU set up Special Interest Groups in specific subject matters to allow us to convene a wide range of partners, practitioners and academics to discuss share interests and practice. They are a professional network which allow for the sharing of good practice, help to create connections and opportunities for collaborative working. They fit within the VRU’s own structure of Solutions Networks and are led by VRU core programme team members who have particular areas of expertise and interest.

The VRU first established the Violence Involving those who identify as Women & Girls (VIWAG) Special Interest Group which continues to meet but is now led by Thames Valley Police and complements the delivery of their VAWG Strategy. The Neuro-Diversity & Disability Special Interest Group is led by Tom Goodenough, VRU lead for Education & Inclusion and this continues to meet regularly.

If you are interested in joining these professional networks, contact the following:

Violence Involving those who Identify as Women as Women and Girls (VIWAG): Inspector Gayle Tandy, Thames Valley Police: gayle.tandy@thamesvalley.police.uk
Neuro-Diversity & Disability: Tom Goodenough, Violence Reduction Unit: thomas.goodenough@thamesvalley.police.uk
Trauma Informed Practice: Inspector Brendan Murray, Violence Reduction Unit: Brendan.Murray@thamesvalley.police.uk