Towards a Trauma-Informed Welfare System

Charity Link came together with Quetzal and Shama Women’s Centre, organisations also working in Leicester, to form a partnership to understand what helps and what harms when survivors of trauma interact with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

With funding from Lloyds Bank Foundation as part of its Local Collaborations Programme, the partnership was able to undertake online surveys, focus groups and one-to-one interviews, conducted in Leicester, where survivors described what good practice feels like and what they would like to see change.

The partnership invited representatives from a wide range of support organisations and Leicester City Council to a launch event for the report prepared from the project findings. Along with hearing details of the project, attendees heard from Shockat Adam, Independent MP for Leicester South, and from those with lived experience.

We are proud to be part of this important partnership, which is calling for practical changes to the welfare system, to better support people who have experienced trauma. Those attending the launch discussed further ideas to move towards a trauma-informed welfare system and were encouraged to support the trauma-informed welfare pledge.

Details about the project can be found here.