Shared Practice
Strategic Needs Analysis
The West Midlands Vanguard, along with 11 other Vanguard areas across the UK, were encouraged to explore a strategic Needs Analysis as a method for reviewing the current landscape relating to trauma and the issues being experienced by children, young people and their families. This Needs Analysis, commissioned directly by NHSE/I, has been carried out to support the West Midlands Vanguard area and therefore focuses specifically on children, young people and families who live across the Coventry and Warwickshire footprint, and the services and professionals who support them.
Additional funds were made available to commission and undertake a strategic analysis which aims to lead to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will direct and strengthen the implementation of the Positive Directions framework.
Undertaking this strategic Needs Analysis also provided an opportunity to engage with specific populations, in this case children, young people and their families, which enables them to contribute to targeted service planning and resource allocation.
Furthermore, the Needs Analysis process provides an opportunity for crosssectoral partnership working and the development of integrated, innovative, and effective intervention.
Needs Analysis key findings:
- Practitioners were not aware of how interactions with services can be retraumatising and potentially unhelpful for children and young people.
- There is fragmented understanding of all forms of trauma, particularly intersectional (race, poverty, bullying, gender etc) and intergenerational.
- Some practitioners felt that a lack of capacity and time, prevented trauma informed practice.
- Parents with children with SEND questioned an approach that avoids diagnosis, as a formal diagnosis is the only way they feel they have been able to access support for their children.
- There was a medicalised recognition and response to children’s presenting behaviour
To read the whole Needs Analysis report, please click here.