TRB Newsletter 07/01/26

January 07, 2026•4 min read

Legislation, are legal professionals Trauma aware

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Here at the Trauma Regulation Board we wish you all a bright and joyful New Year! May 2026 bring fresh energy, new opportunities, and plenty of moments that make you smile. Here’s to an even better year ahead.

This weeks Newsletter we will be talking about: The Legal system and the importance of being Trauma aware.

Every week, thousands of people supported by Social Care, Mental Health, Addiction, Youth Justice and Domestic Abuse Services are also drawn into legal processes, care proceedings, family courts, inquests, criminal justice, coronial investigations. And yet, most frontline practitioners have never been trained in how trauma directly shapes behaviour inside these legal environments.

This gap leads to misinterpretation, escalation, conflict, and system-generated harm.

The Trauma Regulation Board (TRB) is working to change that.

Why It Matters: Trauma and the Law are Intertwined

Most of the people you support have trauma histories.

Legal environments intensify trauma responses.

This affects:

How they speak and respond to professionals
Their ability to recall information
Their capacity to make decisions
Their presentation in court or meetings
Their engagement with deadlines, instructions, and assessments

Misunderstood trauma responses are often mistaken for:

❌ Non-engagement

❌ Hostility

❌ Avoidance

❌ Inconsistency

❌ “Lack of insight”

❌ Risk escalation

Trauma-awareness is not optional - it is a professional and ethical obligation across therapeutic work, social care, safeguarding, mental health, and family work.

Are You Legally Trauma-Aware?

Ask yourself:

Do you understand how trauma shapes a client’s ability to give testimony or consistent accounts?
Can you recognise dissociation, freeze, shutdown or hyperarousal in legal meetings?
Does your documentation use trauma mechanisms rather than behavioural labels?
Can you identify where the system itself is generating distress, confusion, or escalation?
Is your practice aligned with trauma-relevant legislation (Children Act, DA Act, HRA, MCA, PACE)?

If you hesitated, The TRB's CPD and accreditation will support you.

The Legal Context Is Changing. Trauma expectations are now embedded across law and policy:

Domestic Abuse Act 2021 - trauma must be considered in behaviour, memory, and presentation.

Family justice reforms - increasingly trauma-sensitive interviewing and assessment standards.

Youth Justice Board guidance - recognises trauma’s impact on behaviour and decision-making.

Victim and Witness standards internationally - require trauma-informed procedures.

Professionals who understand trauma mechanisms (not just trauma language) will be future leaders in this field.

How TRB Training Supports You

The TRB is offering the UK’s first trauma-governed workforce standard.

Our CPD and accredited programs help you: Understand trauma’s impact in court, safeguarding, and police contexts, avoid escalation, misclassification, and system-generated harm, builds safe and predictable pathways for families involved in legal processes and Protects your own wellbeing and reduces moral injury

This is essential for practitioners in:

Children’s social care
Adult safeguarding
Domestic abuse and IDVA services
Mental health & addiction services
Education & inclusion roles
Youth offending teams
Family support services
Supported accommodation
Charities working alongside courts

Why This Newsletter Matters Now

A significant percentage of people supported by social care and community services eventually intersect with legal systems, often while dysregulated, frightened, grieving, traumatised, and/or overwhelmed.

This includes:

Parents in care proceedings
Families navigating inquests after sudden deaths or suicide
Victims and survivors in domestic abuse cases
Children involved in criminal justice pathways
Adults affected by mental health or addiction-related legal issues

A trauma-informed legal approach protects them - AND protects you.

Take Action Today

Strengthen your practice and prepare for the future direction of Law, Social Care, and Safeguarding:

Reflect: How legally trauma-aware is your practice?

Engage: Join TRB’s CPD and training sessions.

Prepare: Build the trauma competencies the system will soon expect of all practitioners.

Lead: Become part of the national movement for trauma-regulated social care and justice.

Legal practitioners are increasingly expected to understand how trauma shapes behaviour, communication, and decision‑making within legal processes, the TRB’s CPD and accreditation pathway is the most robust way to build that expertise. Becoming TRB‑accredited, you gain not only advanced, legally‑relevant trauma competencies but also access to the TRB Community Space: a national network of practitioners, shared resources, case‑based learning, and ongoing professional support. If you want to strengthen your practice, reduce system‑generated harm and stay ahead of emerging legal standards, now is the time to join.

How to Register Your Interest

Reply to this email or contact:

📨[email protected]

Organisations wishing to participate in pilot conversations or early collaborations are welcome to get in touch

Together, we are building the first statutory pathway for trauma therapy and transforming how the UK defines, delivers, and regulates trauma care.

Advisory role - Expressions of Interest

Linkedin - Follow The Trauma Regulation Board

Contact email - Accreditation enquires