A NEW training course is available to help schools in the Wokingham borough to become trauma-aware.
The course Becoming a Trauma Aware School – Strategies for Supporting all Learners, is the latest resource to be added to Children And Trauma Community Hub (CATCH) – an innovative online library of resources designed to support anyone caring for or working with an adopted or fostered child.
CATCH was developed by adoption charity Parents And Children Together (PACT) in 2017. Members have access to thousands of pages of online resources, webinars, eLearning modules, videos and podcasts covering the unique issues facing children and young people who have been in care.
PACT Chief Executive Natausha van Vliet said: “We are very excited to launch this course which will benefit teachers and the whole school community, and therefore the children, in many ways.
“It deepens our understanding of how trauma impacts children’s learning and development. “By equipping educators with essential skills and strategies, we can create trauma-aware classrooms that promote healing and growth.
“Additionally, taking the course enhances our own wellbeing and resilience, enabling us to better support students.”
The new course is presented by Laura Purser, academic programme director in primary education at the University of Reading.
Its five modules cover a range of topics related to trauma-informed education, within a course designed to be flexible and self-paced to fit around teachers’ busy schedules.
CATCH is available free of charge to all primary and secondary schools in the Wokingham Borough thanks to funding from Wokingham United Charities.
All schools in the Wokingham borough are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to become trauma-aware.
The first module, Introduction to Trauma Informed Pedagogies and Polyvagal Theory, is available to all CATCH members for free.
This module is ideal for all education staff, including teachers, TAs, support staff, SENCOs, inclusion teams, mental health first aiders, ELSAs, and school leaders.
Access to further modules will require an additional fee.
Membership to CATCH will also give education professionals 12 months access to a library of resources including topics such as behaviour, neurodiversity, identify, FASD and sensory processing which are tailored to supporting children with these specific needs.
For a free login people should visit the website or email: ray.vernon@pactcharity.org
Anyone parenting, caring for or supporting a child who has been adopted, fostered or experienced trauma can find out more about CATCH, at: www.catchconnect.org
