Working in partnership to support trauma informed care for children, young people and their families in North Yorkshire

The Psychologically Informed Partnership Approach (PIPA) is a partnership between North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV). PIPA aims to provide a flexible, psychological and trauma-informed service to meet a wide range of needs of vulnerable children across Children and Families Services (C&FS) within North Yorkshire. PIPA consists of Clinical and Forensic Psychologists, and Advanced Practitioners working across NYC. The service considers the individual needs, complexities and experiences of children, young people, family members and practitioners, whilst also holding in mind broader systemic and organisational perspectives. This paper outlines how PIPA applies a range of models and frameworks to support innovative, non-blaming approaches with children, young people and their families, and the outcome of this approach thus far. A variety of measures are used to evaluate how PIPA involvement has influenced a range of outcomes for children, young people and families, as seen in the Outcomes and Feedback section . Two case studies are also included to demonstrate how this approach works in practise. The paper concludes with reflections on our learning and recommendations for similar practices to be embedded across other children and families’ services in the country.