Building from the ground up: how trauma-informed training equipped a new team to navigate crisis
How a newly established children's home recorded zero restrictive physical interventions in its first quarter.
In brief: How a newly established children's home recorded zero restrictive physical interventions in its first quarter.
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The Challenge
Lighthouse Collaborative Care opened as a new children's home with a freshly recruited team. The majority of staff had very little previous experience of trauma-informed practice, meaning they were building their understanding from the ground up.
The first young person moved into the home in October 2025, followed by a second in January 2026. Both brought complex needs.
The period under review included a number of significant challenges: a serious safeguarding incident, a change in home management, a period of team instability, and the inherent difficulties of establishing consistent routines and boundaries with young people who have experienced significant trauma.
This case study demonstrates how trauma-informed training provided the essential foundation for a new team to navigate an unusually challenging opening period while keeping restrictive interventions to an absolute minimum.
The Approach
ProActive Approaches delivered training to the Lighthouse team in two phases: the initial course took place in July 2025, prior to the first young person's arrival, with a further course in October 2025 as the team expanded. This ensured every member of staff had received training before working directly with the young people.
The training covered trauma-informed care and restrictive physical intervention, equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to understand the function of behaviour, recognise triggers, apply positive support plans, and use physical intervention only as a last resort.
Alongside the training, the use of ProActive Approaches templates for risk assessments and Positive Support Plans gave the team structured tools to translate their learning into day-to-day practice.
The Results
The impact of the training was tracked from the point of the first young person's admission using both quantitative data and qualitative feedback.
In the opening quarter, the team achieved zero restrictive physical interventions despite supporting a young person through an intense crisis. Staff responded therapeutically, and no restrictive intervention was necessary.
The second quarter presented greater challenges, including a serious incident where a young person experienced acute distress. Restrictive physical intervention was required on two occasions, both appropriate, proportionate, and used as a last resort. No further restrictive interventions were required for the remainder of the quarter.
Quarter-by-Quarter Progress
Zero restrictive physical interventions and 3 incidents managed therapeutically, including a self-harm disclosure.
Only 2 interventions during a serious incident, followed by robust debriefs and zero further holds.
The Cultural Shift
What makes the Lighthouse story particularly significant is the depth of trauma-informed thinking the team demonstrated under genuinely difficult circumstances.
When the first young person disclosed feelings of wanting to self-harm in Q1, the team's response was exemplary. Rather than reacting with panic, staff provided a calm, therapeutic response and helped her regulate her feelings.
When restrictive intervention was required in Q2, the team followed on-call advice and intervened as a last resort. Critically, debriefs identified learning points, which the team immediately took on board.
Perhaps the most telling evidence came from how the training principles were applied to support the team itself. From mid-November 2025, the home operated without a permanent manager, affecting team morale. The Responsible Individual stepped in and drew directly on the ProActive Approaches framework, recognising that an unsettled team contributes to an unsettled environment for young people.
The principles of predictability, consistency, and emotional safety were applied to the staff team. Within a short period, the team regained their sense of purpose and commitment, coming back together around their shared vision.
“The use of the templates to complete clear and robust risk assessments and Positive Support Plans has been pivotal in providing us as a team with the confidence.”
Summary of Key Outcomes
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