About this action

After difficult incidents, trauma-informed debriefs help staff process emotional stress, prevent trauma accumulation, and support recovery. Working with trauma and severe inequities takes an emotional toll on staff, risking secondary trauma and burnout. Structured debriefs provide essential space for processing difficult experiences while learning together. Approaches to implementation: - Create a protocol for identifying when debriefs may be needed, e.g., after an incident of violence or abuse - Engaged trained facilitators in trauma-informed debrief techniques - Provide immediate and follow-up debrief opportunities - Include all staff involved, recognising everyone's impact - Focus on emotional processing alongside learning - Normalise seeking support after difficult cases Key benefits: Protects staff wellbeing while improving responses to trauma and complexity, creating sustainable workforce capacity for addressing health inequalities.