POSITIVE DIRECTIONS - WEST MIDLANDS TRAUMA INFORMED VANGUARD FOR COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE

The Coventry and Warwickshire Trauma Informed Vanguard project addresses all three of the areas of focus within our priority to prioritise prevention & improve future health outcomes through tackling health inequalities, which are:

• reducing health inequalities
• prioritising prevention and wider determinants to protect the health and wellbeing of people and communities
• enabling the best start in life for children and young people

Why Change was Needed

The project aimed to address health inequalities and the complex needs of vulnerable children and young people who have experienced trauma. These young people faced significant physical, mental, and social challenges that required a holistic and innovative approach to improve their outcomes.

What We Did

The Coventry and Warwickshire Trauma Informed Vanguard project was launched to support these children and young people through a collaborative effort involving the ICB, local authorities, community health providers, police, and the VCFSE sector. Key aspects included:

• Tailored Programmes: Each young person received a customised programme, connecting them with local support services.
• Positive Direction Youth Work Practitioners: Assigned practitioners ensured the young people accessed necessary support.
• Community Reconnection: Utilised social prescribing to link young people with local, non-clinical services, creating a directory of organisations that offer opportunities in creative, physical, community, and work-related activities.

The project's goals included reducing the number of children entering care, increasing school attendance, ensuring GP registration and immunisations, improving mental health, reducing gang involvement, decreasing neurodevelopmental crises, and offending rates.

Results

Since January 2023, the project has supported 211 young people, with 48 being successfully discharged from the project due to the fantastic progress they have made. Key outcomes included:

• Healthcare Access: 100% GP registration and up-to-date immunisations.
• Education Engagement: 83% in education, training, or employment, with a 59% increase in school return rates.
• Reduced Reoffending: Only 21% reoffended compared to 67% prior, and breaches of youth justice conditions dropped to 10%.
• Mental Health Improvements: 69% reported better mental health, and high-risk behaviours decreased by 59%.

Impact Example

One case study highlighted a young person, Daniel, who was at high risk of entering the care system and criminal justice. The intervention cost £2,360 compared to a projected cost of £2.9 million without intervention. Daniel is now attending school full-time and is no longer at risk, demonstrating significant system savings and profound individual impact.