Question
Can the Chief Constable confirm if trauma training and how to best respond to traumatised victims is (i) part of current PSNI training for new recruits and (ii) if this training is offered to longer serving Police Officers, or staff, who may not have received this on appointment?
Answer
Trauma training and the response to traumatised victims is a core theme throughout the Student Officer Development Programme. A number of specific inputs are described below:
1. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) Training (jointly developed with Safeguarding Board NI) - Students receive a three hour lesson at the beginning of their training on ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ which introduces the concept of trauma informed practice. The aim is to raise awareness of the potential impact of ACEs on individuals, communities, and the importance of trauma informed practice.
2. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Student Officers are trained in ASIST suicide intervention skills immediately prior to operational deployment. ASIST is an intensive two-day workshop which offers officers tools to help them deal with extremely vulnerable and suicidal persons. It is an interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help recognize and review risk and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world.
3. Sexual Offences Lesson. Students receive a three hour sexual offences lesson which covers the impact of trauma as a key part of the overall learning outcomes, specifically students should be able to describe how trauma may impact on how a victim of sexual assault presents. This lesson also includes an awareness of the recommendations from Lord Chief Justice Gillen’s report on serious sexual offences, including recommendations 12 and 13 which highlight the importance of criminal justice professionals being trauma informed.
4. New Psychological Resilience lessons expected to go live by end of April. These consist of three modules designed to help officers recognise trauma in themselves, their colleagues and the public. They will help to improve psychological resilience in policing and continue to ensure that we are trauma informed as an organisation.
A range of inputs are available to assist existing serving officers in dealing with trauma and responding to traumatised victims.
Support for officers is coordinated by our Occupational Health and Wellbeing dedicated Mental Health Service and include the following:
1. Police Service of Northern Ireland has recently launched a Wellbeing and Trauma Resilience Plan. The plan has been written designed by both police officers and staff and contains important self-reflective questions, health coping strategies, signposting to resources and an introduction to some of the traps that some within the police can fall into given the nature of their work. Chapter 10 of the Strategy details the extensive resources currently available to staff. Police Service of Northern Ireland have also identified a Psychological Resilience Pathway to inform and educate our staff on Wellbeing in the Police.
2. Trauma Impact Prevention Techniques (TIPT) Training. The Police College in collaboration with Police Care UK has just participated in a train the trainer TIPT course. TIPT is designed to train police officers to help make sense of difficult incidents in everyday life on the job. TIPT is designed in such a way to use the techniques to assist in long-term wellbeing and resilience.
3. OHW currently deliver a specific input into our First Line Managers Development Programme designed to signpost to Therapeutic Resources and support welfare conversations with colleagues.
Training to support traumatised victims is an integral element of a range of courses currently delivered throughout the organisation. A range of inputs are delivered across various Branches some of which are highlighted below:
1. The Police College Investigative Training Faculty deliver a range of courses designed to assist Detectives to engage effectively with traumatised victims including Child and Adult Joint Protocol Training and Specialist Child Abuse Development Programme.
2. A range of e-learning courses are available which better equip officers to engage with and understand traumatised victims including Adverse Childhood Experiences, Domestic Abuse – An Effective Response, Stalking and Abusive Behaviour.
3. A new Rape Myths Training Programme assisted by Nexus is about to be launched by Public Protection Branch. This training aims to inform officer as to why a traumatised victim would disclose in a particular way and is focussed on cultural change and investigative processes.
4. The Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Justice Health Care Mental Health Team work in partnership with Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care Trust, Public Health Agency and the Department of Health to promote mental health awareness to our officers and assist them to gain the right knowledge and awareness to help those most vulnerable.
John Blair - Alliance