What Trauma-Informed Practice Means at MACS

Trauma can shape every part of a young person’s life, from how they build relationships and respond to challenges to how they engage with support services.

At MACS, becoming a trauma-informed organisation means recognising the impact of those experiences and ensuring every young person is met with compassion, dignity and understanding.

As part of our three-year Trauma-Informed Practice Action Plan, we spoke to Trina Harpur, Head of supported housing at MACS, about what trauma-informed practice really means, why it matters and the difference it is already making for young people experiencing homelessness.

What does being a trauma-informed organisation actually mean in practice?

Being a trauma-informed organisation means recognising that many of the young people we support have experienced significant adversity, trauma and loss, and understanding how those experiences can affect their behaviour, relationships, wellbeing and ability to engage with services.

In practice, it means moving away from asking “What’s wrong with you?” and instead asking “What has happened to you?”. It means creating services that prioritise safety, trust, choice, collaboration and empowerment. It influences everything from how we design our services and environments to how staff communicate with young people, respond to risk, manage boundaries and support individuals to achieve their goals.

Most importantly, it is not simply a training programme. Organisations can sometimes make the mistake of thinking that once staff have attended trauma training, they have become trauma-informed. The reality is that trauma-informed practice is much bigger than training. It is a way of being. It requires us to look at every aspect of our work through a trauma lens and consider the impact trauma may be having before determining our next steps.

Why was it important for MACS to implement a Trauma-Informed Practice Model?

MACS works with young people who are experiencing homelessness, leaving care, family breakdown, poor mental health, exploitation, neglect or significant life instability. For many of these young people, trauma is not an exception. It is a common part of their lived experience.

We recognised that if we wanted to achieve meaningful outcomes, we needed to ensure our services were designed around the needs of the young people we support. A trauma-informed model helps us understand behaviours that might otherwise be viewed as challenging or disengaged and enables us to respond in ways that build trust rather than unintentionally causing further harm.

Ultimately, implementing a trauma-informed approach helps us provide more effective support and improves the experience of young people accessing our services.

Many people hear the word trauma but may not fully understand it. What does trauma look like for some of the young people MACS supports?

Trauma can take many forms and looks different for every young person.

For some, it may be childhood neglect, abuse, domestic violence or growing up in households affected by addiction or mental illness. For others, it may be the trauma of entering care, experiencing homelessness, losing important relationships, being exploited, experiencing discrimination or living with chronic instability and uncertainty.

Trauma does not always present in obvious ways. It can look like anxiety, anger, mistrust, avoidance, substance use, difficulty regulating emotions, low self-esteem, self-harm, poor engagement with services or challenges maintaining relationships.

Often, the behaviours people see are actually survival responses that developed to help young people cope with difficult circumstances.

How does a trauma-informed approach change the way staff work with young people?

A trauma-informed approach encourages staff to look beyond behaviour and understand the reasons behind it.

Instead of seeing a missed appointment as a lack of motivation, staff may consider whether anxiety, fear, previous experiences of rejection or practical barriers are affecting engagement. Instead of responding punitively, staff focus on building relationships, understanding needs and creating opportunities for young people to re-engage.

It also means staff are more mindful of the impact their own interactions can have. We focus on consistency, reliability, transparency and collaborative decision-making, helping young people feel respected and valued.

Trauma-informed practice does not mean lowering expectations or removing boundaries. It means understanding behaviour within the context of a young person’s experiences and responding in a way that supports positive outcomes.

How does this approach help young people feel safer, more empowered and more in control of their own journey?

Trauma often involves experiences where people have little control, choice or voice. Trauma-informed practice seeks to restore those things.

At MACS, we work alongside young people rather than making decisions for them wherever possible. We provide clear information, involve them in planning their support and recognise their strengths and resilience.

When young people feel listened to, respected and included in decisions affecting their lives, they are more likely to develop confidence, independence and ownership of their future.

What changes have already been implemented as part of the three-year action plan?

We are currently in Year 2 of our three-year Trauma-Informed Practice Action Plan, so while we have made significant progress, we are also realistic that there is still work to do.

Over the last two years, we have reviewed policies, procedures and service delivery approaches and started embedding trauma-informed principles into discussions around safeguarding, risk management, housing management and support planning.

We have also invested in sustainability. Two members of staff have completed the SBNI Train-the-Trainer programme, which means we can respond quickly to changes within our workforce and ensure new staff receive trauma-informed training at the earliest opportunity.

Importantly, we are also looking at how trauma-informed principles apply to our staff. If we want young people to experience safety, trust, empowerment and compassion, we need to think about how those same principles influence our culture, leadership and support for employees.

Have you seen any positive impacts or examples that demonstrate the value of this approach?

Absolutely. One of the biggest changes we have seen is in how staff understand and respond to situations. By using a trauma lens and taking time to understand what may be driving a young person’s behaviour, we have often been able to prevent situations from escalating and avoid negative consequences for young people.

Sometimes this is something relatively small, such as diffusing conflict between young people living together or repairing a breakdown in relationships between staff and a young person. At other times, the impact can be much more significant.

There have been occasions where a trauma-informed approach has helped us avoid tenancy breakdown, prevent evictions and ultimately prevent a young person from experiencing further homelessness. Rather than focusing solely on a behaviour or incident, staff are encouraged to understand the wider context and work with the young person to find solutions.

That does not mean there are never consequences or boundaries. Rather, it means our response is informed by understanding, curiosity and a focus on long-term outcomes. In our experience, this often leads to better engagement, stronger relationships and better results for young people.

Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of trauma-informed practice at MACS?

My hope is that trauma-informed practice becomes so embedded within MACS that it is simply the way we do things.

I want every young person who accesses a MACS service to feel safe, respected and understood, regardless of which team or service they engage with. I also want staff to feel confident and supported in responding to complex situations in a way that promotes recovery, resilience and hope.

I would also like to see us continue to apply trauma-informed principles not only to the young people we support but to our staff and organisational culture. If we expect staff to create psychologically safe environments for young people, we need to ensure they experience the same support within the organisation.

We are only halfway through our action plan, but we have already seen the difference this approach can make. My hope is that we continue building on that progress so that trauma-informed practice becomes fully embedded in every aspect of MACS and every decision we make.