Safeguarding & Duty of Care

TISUK provides a vital service to organisations that work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

As a leading organisation in trauma-informed training and consultancy, we strive to ensure the very best in quality training and support for our delegates.

Before embarking on the application process, we ask you to note that our trauma-informed trainings are an emotionally powerful experience and can be experienced at times as emotionally challenging. Please be aware of this before applying. Unless delegates have sufficiently addressed their painful life experiences leading to personal awareness, insight, and robustness, it is not possible to be truly emotionally available to the distress of others. As part of our duty of care to applicants, on the application form for our longer courses, we ask about traumatic life experiences. This is never from a judgemental position but to support you.

• People who have experienced trauma and processed it with an emotionally available adult tend to be superb practitioners.
• We also ask about any medication you are taking to ensure we can support you effectively. If you indicate that you have experienced significant trauma, our Wales Safeguarding Lead will contact you to:
  • Explore whether past trauma has been sufficiently processed.
  • Ensure sufficient support is available to you.
  • Offer additional supports if needed. In some cases, we may recommend seeking support before or during the course. We may also defer your application or parts of the course until adequate emotional support is in place. Your information will be kept confidentially and securely in line with GDPR and our Data Retention Policy for 6 years, after which it will be destroyed. For more information about the application process and trauma history, please see this clip from Dr. Margot Sunderland [here].

Housekeeping for Online Courses

Many of our TISUK courses are delivered online via Zoom. If you are accessing an online course:

• You must have a working microphone and camera (non-negotiable).
• Ensure you are in a secure, safe space where the content cannot be overheard. Important:
  • Do not access sessions via mobile while en route (e.g., driving or walking).
  • If you are unable to attend or running late, please contact your trainers or Lindsay (lindsay@traumainformedschools.co.uk).
  • Protect confidentiality: avoid disturbances and people overhearing the training and group discussions.

Safeguarding

Although TISUK does not work directly with children, we follow government guidance on safeguarding:

• Trainers access regular safeguarding training.
• If a trainer becomes concerned about a child, young person, or vulnerable adult, they will share concerns with the TISUK Safeguarding Lead.
• Concerns about adult practice on courses will also be reported. Our Safeguarding Policy is available upon request.

TISUK Code of Ethics

Professional conduct when working as a Trauma Informed Practitioner is vital. Please read the Code of Ethics to support you in your work with children and young people. You can find the Code of Ethics here.

Ongoing Support

Our training can be emotionally challenging. To support you, we offer:

• Check-ins with trainers before or after training days.
• One-off debriefs with Psychotherapists for challenging content.
• Signposts and further information on external support (see Urgent Help and Support tab on the TISUK website here).
• Access to the TISUK Safeguarding Lead: katie@traumainformedschools.co.uk.
• Supervision sessions with a TISUK-approved supervisor for ongoing reflective space.