Implement: Trauma-Informed Work
In partnership with Bolton Council Public Health, Bolton CVS and VCFSE organisations
How can we create trauma-informed communities?
Bolton Public Health commissioned A Brilliant Thing CIC to support the VCSE sector to develop understanding of trauma-informed ways of working and apply to create trauma-informed communities. We quickly learnt from community-based organisations that the challenge was helping people apply trauma-informed principles consistently in busy, pressured environments where time, capacity and funding often stand in the way of lasting change.
Co-designing with Communities
Across two phases of work, we partnered with Bolton Public Health, Bolton CVS and VCSE organisations to develop a healing-centred approach that combined learning, coaching, reflective practice and practical tools. We engaged 59 people from 52 organisations, supporting leaders, practitioners and community organisations to explore real workplace challenges and embed trauma-informed thinking into everyday decisions, leadership and service delivery.
Building Trauma-Informed Practice
Confidence grew when people had protected time to reflect, coaching to test ideas, practical tools to apply learning and trusted peers to learn alongside. Organisations made the greatest progress when trauma-informed practice became part of how they planned, communicated, led meetings, supported staff and designed services, rather than something they “did” alongside their everyday work. The biggest barriers were not motivation but system pressures including limited capacity, urgency culture and lack of protected development time.
Together, we developed more than a learning programme. The project created a practical implementation approach including the Healing-Centred Design Audit Tool, a structured learning programme, reflective practice spaces, coaching, a Trauma-Informed Toolkit, Advocate pathway, podcasts and a growing Community of Practice. These assets gave organisations practical ways to embed learning, while creating a shared language and infrastructure for trauma-informed practice across Bolton.
From Learning to Practice – Trauma-Informed Communities Report
Organisations reported changes in how they lead, plan, communicate, make decisions and support both staff and communities. Participants described increased confidence, healthier boundaries, stronger relationships and more compassionate leadership. Fifteen participants progressed into Trauma-Informed Advocate roles, extending learning across their own organisations and wider networks. The programme has since informed the development of Compassion Bolton, a partnership model that moves beyond learning into community action through place-based micro-missions and shared leadership.
Implementing Systems Change
For us, implementation is where systems change begins.
Training raises awareness, but implementation changes culture. Lasting change happens when organisations have the confidence, capability, relationships and practical infrastructure to apply new ways of working every day. Through audits, coaching, reflective practice, communities of practice, advocates and practical resources, the Bolton programme created the conditions for trauma-informed practice to spread beyond individuals and become part of how organisations work together.
The result is more than a trained workforce. It is the beginning of a compassionate system, where learning is sustained through shared tools, trusted relationships and a growing network of people actively embedding healing-centred practice across Bolton.
Announcement!
We are delighted to announce we have been successful with our Application to The Bolton Fund at Bolton CVS, enabling us to build on this important work to support trauma-informed and healing-centred work in communities.
Compassion Bolton begins in September 2026 and is a collaboration led by A Brilliant Thing CIC alongside 1Point Bolton and the Octagon Theatre, aiming to strengthen trauma-informed, healing-centred practice in and with communities across Bolton.
The project will co-design and deliver local micro-missions that promote safety, support and compassion in communities and share learning from these on cross-sector platforms to influence system change. email tess@brilliantthing.co.uk for more info.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Human Skills?
Human Skills are the everyday behaviours we encourage through our work, that help people work well together through change. Skills like compassion, trust-building, conflict navigation, adaptability and critical thinking help teams communicate, collaborate and thrive under pressure.
What is Healing-Centred Design®?
Healing-Centred Design® is our approach to creating positive change, that blends trauma-informed practice, systems thinking and creative coaching. Rather than just solving problems, it helps people, teams and communities design ways of working that build wellbeing, strengthen relationships and create lasting change.
What is Systems Change work?
Systems change is the collaborative work of identifying the patterns, relationships and structures that shape everyday experiences. It helps uncover the root causes of challenges and redesign how systems, services and communities work together to achieve better outcomes for people.
By bringing together the people who use, deliver and influence services, through meaningful consultation and research, codesign and coproduction, systems change work creates more effective, sustainable solutions that improve wellbeing, reduce inequalities and strengthen communities.