Trauma Training – for newly recruited officers and staff
Date of request: 28 October 2022
Reference: 1211-22
Request
I would like to know the following information, please.
1) What, if any, training on trauma and its impacts is provided to newly recruited police officers and police staff?
2) At which stage during training is training on trauma and its impacts provided to newly recruited police officers and police staff?
3) What, if any, training, guidance, or counselling is offered to newly recruited police officers and police staff on a) understanding, and b) mitigating the impacts of any trauma that they may have received before joining the Police.
Response
1) Police Officers – Wellbeing and Resilience is covered in unit 1 of PIP1 of the national policing curriculum and delivered during the university modules.
Unit 1 Employ professional strategies to develop resilience and maintain personal well-being within policing
- Physical and psychological well-being
Content should include the following:
- Recognition of stress in self and others
- Oscar Kilo website (available at https://oscarkilo.org.uk)
- Blue light Infoline
- Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP)
Content is also supported by Authorised Professional Practice (APP) Mental Health, Sources of help for those in need of mental and emotional support
- Coping strategies that can be applied to foster resilience and minimise stress
Content should include:
- Building up support networks
- Knowing when and where to get support, inside and outside the police service
- Recognising unhealthy coping strategies
- Effective post-incident de-briefing
- Dealing with PTSD
- Mindfulness interventions
- Emotional awareness
- Reflective practice
- Welfare briefing and de-briefing
1.3 The National Police Wellbeing Service (Oscar Kilo)
Content should include:
- Four pillars
– Promote
– Prevent
– Detect and support
– Treat and recover
- Three strategic programmes on which it is based
- Ten key areas of focus
- Operational risks to not getting wellbeing ‘right’
- What better looks like
- Eight areas where support will be provided
In addition to this, inputs are received during the Induction week at HQ, on post incident Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) referral and the Support Networks in Force that can assist officers experiencing trauma or stress.
Police Staff – As necessary (dependant on role) they are provided with a session about TRIM (Trauma Risk Management) and the services offered. This input is provided in person by the TRIM Lead Co-ordinator.
2) Police Officers – The first and second week of police officer training
Police Staff – This is provided to PCSO’s within the first two weeks of their 8 week initial training programme. For other Police Staff this is covered on the first day and revisited throughout the course as necessary.
3) Police Officers – The discussions during training invariably help student officers reflect upon their own experiences prior to joining the Force. This has enabled support to be provided for disclosure from student officers who have been victims of crime and for referral to Occupational Health for officers who have conditions such as PTSD and Complex PTSD for counselling and support.
Police Staff – PCSOs are provided with 1:1 sessions with the course trainers in week one and throughout the programme. During which, if anything is raised or disclosed then guidance and support is provided on a case by case basis. PCSO’s are signposted to our Employee Assistance Programme/Health Assured and Occupational Health Services if relevant to them.