Funding for Change 

The Greater Manchester Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Trauma Responsive Communities grants (GM TRC grants) were launched in July 2022 to support and develop partnerships, resilience and trauma and ACE-responsive VCSE provision. Funding was earmarked for extra grants to successful projects which bid in round one.

Award Winning, Life Changing

Well done to Back on Track for winning an award for their trauma informed work.

Based in Swan Street, Manchester, the charity enables people to make positive changes that last, whether it’s managing problematic drug/alcohol use, living a crime-free life, improving mental health and wellbeing, or finding a stable home.

Their award-winning project brought together a group of 12 Back on Track members who have experienced trauma. They used their experiences to come up with a set of guidelines for support services. Their insights are now being used to train other organisations in becoming trauma responsive, meaning people who use services should get a better experience in the future.

Back on Track won an award for this course at the annual Manchester Adult Education and Skills Plan Event in June and has now been granted extra funding from the Greater Manchester Trauma Project.

They will use the money to train another 16 VCSE organisations and work with

people with lived experience of trauma to co-produce an information booklet and web page on childhood trauma and its impact in adult life.

Faith Organisations Become Trauma Aware

Eighteen faith and VCSE organisations have changed their practice thank to work with Greater Manchester Together (GTM).

GTM was awarded funding from the Greater Manchester Trauma Project to develop trauma-aware training and create a network of organisations, so they didn’t feel alone in supporting service users with experience of trauma.

As a result, GTM has changed its own practices – making physical spaces trauma informed, including ones not owned by the organisation, reviewing processes and redrafting client facing promotional materials, the code of conduct, rules and next steps information with volunteers who have personal experience of homelessness and 

GTM has already offered training to 45 VCSE organisations and has been awarded extra funding to roll that out to 15 more, as well as continuing to develop its community of practice.

Proposal for additional funding – October 2022-March 2023

Changes made

Early Break Developing & Delivering Training 

Working with Salford CVS, Early Break used their funding to develop and deliver training in raising awareness of trauma. Twenty participants from the VCSE sector, and housing attended.

In Bury, Early Break have worked with existing VCSE networks to embed trauma-responsiveness and awareness in terms of reference for the networks and ensure the lived-experience of service users is included in network meetings. It has led to changes in promotional materials, the development of resources for teachers and education staff and QR codes for young people to easily get mental health support around exam time.

The extra grant will fund more training in both areas and cover staff time to further develop the trauma responsiveness and awareness work.

Mapping Our Assets

Beyond Barriers was awarded funding to develop a network of VCSE organisations in Trafford that create welcoming, trauma-sensitive environments, create a tool for asset mapping which 10 local organisations will use and develop training.

They have involved people with lived experience who shared their experience of barriers to getting help and ideas for improvement and this work is on-going.

Beyond Barriers have also benefited from Plymouth’s experience and consultation with the Plymouth Trauma Network.

They are now using their extra funding to work on healthy high streets, helping high street businesses to make them trauma sensitive and avoid triggering trauma for customers, creating a map of trauma-sensitive providers for residents and growing the network. 

Trauma Friendly Charter

Big Life received funding to develop a trauma-friendly charter for VCSE organisations and carry out service reviews with senior leaders of organisations and volunteers with lived experience.

Work on the charter is progressing and will include input from adults with lived experience and children. The work also suggested small adjustments which could be made such as using gender-neutral terms, allowing clients choice and control over where and when they are seen, ensuring environments are not chaotic and using plain English and avoiding jargon.

The service reviews, which are strengths based, are helping organisations see what they are already doing well and identify outcomes and practical next steps. Big Life will use its extra funding to continue this work.