October at CoECT Trauma Informed Training, Meet Ups and Family Support
When a child’s behaviour is shaped by fear, loss or repeated stress, the adults around them often need more than quick tips. They need language, support, space to think, and reminders that they are not facing it alone.
October at CoECT brings together all of those things. This month’s programme includes short reflective sessions, practical live training, on-demand learning, peer meet-ups, free school resources, an in-person Cardiff workshop, and private training options with Sarah Naish.
The focus is clear throughout: steady support for the adults who care for, teach and work alongside children impacted by trauma. Whether the setting is a family home, classroom, residential home or wider professional service, these sessions are designed to help adults look beneath behaviour and respond with more confidence.
October training and events offer practical tools and space to reflect
CoECT’s October training calendar covers a wide range of themes, from self-worth and self-care to communication, anxiety, burnout and professional resilience.
Some sessions are short and reflective. Others offer two hours of guided learning. A few are available on demand, which can make them easier to fit around caring responsibilities, shift patterns or school timetables.
Session | Date and time | Format |
01 Oct, 20:00 to 20:20 BST | Live Online | |
02 Oct, 10:00 to 11:00 BST | On Demand | |
02 Oct, 12:00 to 13:00 BST | Live Online | |
05 Oct, 10:00 to 12:00 BST | Live Online | |
06 Oct, 10:00 to 12:00 BST | Live Online | |
09 Oct | On Demand | |
12 Oct, 12:00 to 14:00 BST | Live Online | |
16 Oct, 10:00 to 11:00 BST | Live Online |
These sessions sit under a shared aim: to give Parents and Supporting Professionals practical tools, emotional insight and supportive spaces when caring for or working with children affected by trauma.
Free resources help schools build calmer learning environments
Alongside the October training programme, CoECT is sharing two new free trauma-informed resources for schools. These resources are designed to support staff in primary and secondary education settings.
The primary resource focuses on safe, inclusive “getting to know you” activities. These activities are designed to avoid common triggers and build trust. That is especially useful because well-meant classroom tasks can sometimes place pressure on children who have difficult family histories, care experience, loss, separation or uncertainty around identity.
The secondary resource offers practical strategies for supporting young people whose behaviour may reflect past trauma. In secondary schools, behaviour can be viewed quickly through the lens of defiance, disengagement or poor attitude. Trauma-informed practice invites a more careful question: what might this young person’s behaviour be communicating?
Together, these guides support calmer, more compassionate learning environments. They also help staff consider what safety can look like in daily practice.
T.I.Ps Meet-Ups create connection for parents and carers
Trauma-informed support is not only about training. Families also need connection.
CoECT members can join T.I.Ps Meet-Ups, which are relaxed spaces for parents and carers to meet others who understand the realities of parenting children affected by trauma. These gatherings offer room to share experiences, swap ideas and feel less isolated.
That sense of being understood can be powerful. Many parents and carers describe the strain of explaining their child’s needs to people who only see the surface behaviour. Others may feel judged by standard parenting advice that does not fit children with developmental trauma, attachment needs or complex histories.
A peer space cannot remove every challenge, but it can reduce the feeling of carrying those challenges alone.
In-person Meet-Up
Meet-Up | Date and time | Location |
29 Oct, 10:30 to 11:30 GMT | In person |
Virtual Meet-Ups
Meet-Up | Date and time | Format |
05 Oct, 12:00 to 13:00 BST | Virtual | |
06 Oct, 20:00 to 21:00 BST | Virtual | |
16 Oct, 12:00 to 13:00 BST | Virtual | |
29 Oct, 10:30 to 11:30 GMT | Virtual |
The range of groups reflects different family experiences. Birth parents, men, special guardians, kinship carers and Scotland-based members may each have specific questions, pressures and support needs.
The new SGO and Kinship Carers Meet-Up is especially welcome. Special guardians and kinship carers often step into caring roles through complex family circumstances. They may be navigating legal, emotional and relational challenges while also supporting a child with trauma-related needs. A dedicated peer space can help those carers feel seen and better supported.
The Cardiff workshop supports families when familiar strategies stop working
On 05 Oct, CoECT is also offering What to Do When Nothing Works in Cardiff, from 10:00 to 14:30 BST.
Therapeutic parenting can reach moments when well-practised strategies no longer seem to help. A response that once soothed a child may begin to escalate them. A routine that once held may fall apart. A parent or carer may feel they have read the books, tried the scripts and stayed as calm as possible, yet the home still feels stuck.
This workshop offers space to pause and think again.
The focus is on looking beneath behaviour and considering what a child may be communicating. That can include fear, shame, sensory overload, grief, confusion, unmet needs or a lack of felt safety. When adults can become curious about the message behind the behaviour, they often find more room to respond rather than react.
A workshop setting can give parents and carers space to step back from daily pressure. It can help them ask:
What has changed recently?
What might this behaviour be protecting the child from?
Is the current response meeting the need underneath?
What support does the adult need to stay steady?
How can the relationship be strengthened after rupture?
No single workshop can offer a perfect solution for every family. The value lies in support, reflection and renewed understanding. For many families, that reminder alone can bring some breathing space: they are not failing, and they are not alone.
Sarah Naish’s training brings together professional knowledge, lived experience and practical strategies. She is known as a best-selling author, former social worker and adopter of five siblings. Her work focuses on helping adults understand trauma, behaviour and unmet needs in ways that can be used in real settings.
Training with Sarah Naish can be delivered online or in person, depending on the needs of the organisation. Sessions may range from keynotes to focused workshops, giving teams options for different levels of input.
This can be helpful for organisations working with children and young people across education, care, fostering, adoption, residential support, family services and related fields. Trauma-informed practice becomes stronger when teams share a common language. It is easier to respond consistently when staff understand why a child may push away support, seek control, test relationships or struggle with trust.
Private training can also be shaped around the needs of a team. Some organisations may need help understanding behaviour through a trauma lens. Others may want to focus on staff resilience, secondary trauma, therapeutic communication or the needs of care-experienced children.
CoECT Corporate Members receive 10% off private training bookings. For details, email info@coect.co.uk.
A month of support that recognises the adults too
The thread running through October at CoECT is support for the whole network around a child.
The best starting point is the one that feels possible. One session, one resource or one conversation can be enough to begin shifting the next moment with a child towards greater understanding, safety and connection.
