Thousands of professionals trained to spot signs of trauma in Hampshire homes

Thousands of professionals across Hampshire have been trained to look out for signs of trauma developing in people’s homes.

Last month, police and crime commissioner Donna Jones held the first trauma-informed conference in Hampshire, which outlined how police officers have been joined by trauma-informed practicioners on emergency calls.

Speaking to officers after incidents have been handled, they have helped Hampshire Constabulary to examine how crises such as domestic abuse are being handled, and some of the body language or triggers that might have been missed.

Now, the police and crime commissioner says these practicioners are out across Hampshire in their thousands, largely as medical professionals.

Speaking at last week’s police and crime panel (Friday, April 8) she said: ‘The trauma-informed conference was hugely successful – the feedback we’ve had from the Home Office and other agencies has been immense.

‘It was the first event of its kind and I am thankful to the Home Office for the £460,000 allocated for us to train more than 2,000 teachers, GPs, midwives and more across Hampshire, to look for signs of trauma.

‘If you are someone who is going into a home and are concerned about what’s going on, whether that is a sign of domestic abuse, depression or anything else, we can tackle the root cause of the problems.

‘It really is so upsetting when you think aboiut the amount of harm that’s going on in homes across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and it’s one of the reasons I am sat here doing this job – to help people who really, really need it.’

Difficult childhoods where an individual has experienced trauma through sexual abuse, drug dependency and so on can affect people’s homes and loved ones as adults.

In many cases, it also leads people towards a life of crime, with the World Health Organisation citing childhood trauma as a major reason why people turn to criminal behaviour.

Mrs Jones, who has been Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner for almost a year now, says it’s a matter that sits very high on her priority list.

She said: ‘It’s not their choice to live like this – often it is down to the trauma they have developed from childhood and beyond.’