Study suggests trauma-informed planning makes child-parent separations more empathetic
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A new study published in the British Journal of Social Work explored how a trauma-informed approach to child-parent separations can help social work and other safeguarding practitioners.
Transitional objects, like toys, can offer continuity. Photo: Alicia Christin Gerald on Unsplash
The study is timely, as since 2008 there has been a surge in the number of children looked after by local authorities, with a record high of 83,760 in 2023.
The research was part-funded by the South East London Teaching Partnership between Goldsmiths and three local authorities (Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark). It analysed how having a structured planning meeting can make child-parent separations, and the transition into the care system, more compassionate. This addressed a gap in research and practice guidance on how best to support children and young people at this hugely significant moment in their lives.
Lead author of the paper, Dan Timariu from the School of Mind, Body and Society, said “Our shared responsibility is always to help children grow up safely in their families. In those difficult situations when separation is necessary to protect a child from harm, how we manage that transition is crucial.”
Our findings show that, by working together in a trauma‑responsive way, professionals can take meaningful steps to bring compassion, clarity, and a sense of stability to children during one of the hardest moments in their lives.
Dan Timariu, Lecturer in Social Work
A working group provided principles for a new approach, the Child Coming Into Our Care (CCIOC) process, which was put in place. Then interviews were conducted with a range of practitioners, from social workers, foster carers and children's guardians to teachers and health professionals, to explore their experiences of using the approach in practice.
The research found that four strategies helped practitioners to plan more compassionate separations, and make the period of transition overall less traumatic:
- Holistic information sharing to build a full picture of the child and their background, and to consider their emotional response
- A shared, age-appropriate explanation that is used by all adults to reduce uncertainty and self-blame, and help the child understand the situation
- Transitional participants and objects, such as trusted adults and familiar routines and items (like toys, photographs or favourite foods), to offer continuity
- Involving the child (such as offering choices where safe to do so) to increase agency and predictability
Overall, CCIOC meetings strengthened continuity and practitioners reflected that the meetings gave them space to slow down and reflect.
The authors suggest that other organisations may want to test the approach or consider how to create spaces for reflection for practitioners to consider children’s lived experiences of separation, while acknowledging that implementing the framework will be highly context specific.
The article was co-authored by a team of academics and practitioners, led by lecturer Dan Timariu, along with co-authors Tom Hatton, Keisha McCook, Anna Rohmann, and Cynthia Tobierre. Anna is a Goldsmiths PhD student in Anthropology and an Associate Lecturer in the School of Creative Management. The team included Goldsmiths graduates amongst the practitioners; Keisha McCook studied a BA in Social Work and Tom Hatton studied MA Understanding Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse. Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Social Policy Stephanie Davies also contributed to the project.
This project highlights how Goldsmiths works with key partners in the local area, delivering projects which have real-life, positive impact in the community and improve outcomes for local people.