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Written question asked by Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party) on Wednesday, 6 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 13 December 2023 (named day). It was answered by Paul Maynard (Conservative) on Wednesday, 13 December 2023 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.


Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether staff in his Department are provided training on trauma (a) awareness and (b) prevention procedures.

Answer

The DWP is committed to becoming a more Trauma Informed organisation. We have a dedicated programme which will integrate the six key pillars of the approach as defined by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (December, 2022) which are safety, trustworthiness, choice, empowerment, collaboration and cultural consideration. Our programme looks at these six pillars within the contexts of application to our colleagues, our customers, our culture, and the context of our interaction- whether that is a physical, telephony, digital or postal interaction. There is significant emphasis within the design of the programme regarding what more can be done to prevent trauma and re-traumatisation for both our customers and our colleagues. We are learning from best practice demonstrated by organisations such as NHS Education Scotland, Work Services Australia and the Wales ACES Hub to shape the future prioritisation of this work


With response to the query around training, we have begun the roll out of an introductory module into the Trauma Informed Approach for all colleagues which is the first in a suite of products and a long-term commitment to upskilling around the topic of trauma. This learning will be complimented by products and initiatives that will enable the skills learned to be embedded into the business-as-usual operations of the whole department.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
5598
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Department for Work and Pensions Injuries Training
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk