On Wednesday, July 17th, the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) hosted the Trauma Informed Communities conference in Preston, drawing around 100 attendees. This pivotal event celebrated the ongoing trauma-informed community work in Lancashire and laid the groundwork for sustaining these efforts in the future.
The conference began with a warm welcome from Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health for Blackpool, setting a positive and forward-thinking tone for the day. The morning sessions featured powerful and inspiring talks from organisations rooted in lived experience, including The Well, Empowerment, and Red Rose Recovery. These organisations shared their journeys and successes, illustrating the powerful impact of trauma-informed practices and why we must undertake them.
Better Start wowed us with their efforts to support families in Blackpool, aimed at ensuring optimal outcomes for children from pregnancy through to starting school. Additionally, we heard from Charlotte Pickles from Blackburn with Darwen and Wenda Tyrer from Lancashire Children and Family Wellbeing Service, who shared how they have embedded trauma-informed approaches in their organisations with an aim of making them part of daily practice.
In the afternoon, Chris Keene from West End Burnley showcased “Round our Way”, a fantastic community project involving children and young people, with Burnley Youth Theatre, Southwest Together, Cherry Fold Primary School and Coal Clough Academy. Active Lancashire shared how their ‘train the trainers’ approach has influenced partnerships all over the county. We also delved into the important work being done to support families affected by parental incarceration, further highlighting the need for a trauma-informed approach.
Siobhan Collingwood, LVRN Educational Lead, shared some powerful case studies of Lancashire schools adopting trauma-informed practices, showing just how transformative this work can be.
Superintendent Justin Srivastava wrapped up the day with a great summary and some closing thoughts. Reflecting back on the day he said, “The Trauma Informed Communities conference was a testament to the resilience and dedication of those working tirelessly to embed trauma-informed practices across Lancashire. It’s through these collective efforts that we can truly make a lasting impact and I’m extremely thankful to all the speakers and attendees who made the day possible.We can now continue to develop our trauma informed community journey working with and for our local people”.
The conference also featured a marketplace of organisations, offering a chance for everyone to network and learn about the various trauma-informed initiatives happening across Lancashire.
This event highlighted the importance of trauma-informed work and explored how we can make it part of our everyday lives. The collaborative spirit and shared commitment throughout the day was truly inspiring, showing that together, we can build a more resilient future for everyone in Lancashire.
Stay tuned – recordings of each speaker will be available soon! Thank you to all who joined and contributed to making this event a success.
