Relationship Building Together: Trauma-informed practice training and support intervention targeted at practitioners working across local authority services that support children and young people aged 10-21

Relationship Building Together (RBT) aimed to develop trauma-informed practice across the local authority services that support children and young people aged 10–21 in Bridgend (Wales). Trauma happens when someone experiences something deeply distressing or harmful that has lasting effects on their wellbeing. Trauma-informed practice means shaping services and support in ways that recognise this impact and aim to avoid causing further harm. The programme, developed by the Trauma Recovery Academy and Bridgend County Borough Council, provides three to five days of training and support to practitioners across multiple services. Services involved include early support (Early Help Hubs and Youth Development), targeted prevention and family support (Edge of Care and Children’s Services) and statutory youth justice services. Children and young people are assessed on their needs, and those with lower levels of trauma are supported by trained practitioners. For those with moderate and severe trauma experiences, a multi-agency meeting is held to map trauma histories. For severe trauma cases, a lead practitioner and a clinical psychologist lead on developing a support plan, which is monitored and adapted over time. The programme aims to better meet children and young people’s needs, improve their wellbeing and reduce behavioural difficulties and offending.
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and the Home Office funded a randomised controlled trial of RBT, with practitioners and children and young people randomised to either receive the programme or business as usual. 401 children and young people entered the trial (200 intervention, 201 control), linked to 110 practitioners (56 intervention, 54 control). The evaluation aimed to establish whether RBT reduced children and young people’s offending behaviours over a six-month period, as measured by the Self-Report Delinquency Scale. It also measured the impact on other outcomes related to children and young people (emotional and behavioural difficulties, wellbeing, psychological health, family cohesion, police involvement, school attendance and exclusions) and on practitioners (attitudes to trauma-informed practice). An addendum report that looks at the impact of RBT over a 12-month period will be published in 2027. The study included an implementation and process evaluation to examine barriers to and facilitators of implementation and how both children and practitioners experienced the programme. This drew on interviews with 16 children and young people, 15 intervention delivery staff, 10 parents/carers and eight practitioners from the services involved. The study took place between November 2023 and September 2025. 97% of the children and young people in the trial were from a White ethnic background.
Key conclusions
RBT demonstrated a moderate positive impact on children and young people’s offending behaviours. Children and young people linked with practitioners who received RBT self-reported lower levels of offending behaviour than children linked to practitioners who did not receive the programme. This result has a moderate security rating.
RBT showed mixed results on secondary outcomes after six months of entering the trial: it had a small positive impact overall on children’s and young people’s behaviour, peer relationships, psychological health, family conflict and school attendance; it had a moderate positive impact on children’s and young people’s emotional regulation, conduct problems, internalising behaviours and wellbeing. RBT showed a moderate negative impact on hyperactivity, prosocial behaviour, externalising behaviours, family cohesion and expressiveness and no impact on school suspensions. These are secondary outcomes and should be treated with caution.
Practitioners viewed the training positively and felt confident applying it. They highlighted the value of multi-agency meetings and the emphasis on and time devoted to relationship building.
Perceptions amongst practitioners and children and young people were mixed. Some staff felt that the trauma-informed approach did not differ substantially from their existing practice, involved additional workload and faced challenges with coordination across services. Inputs from clinical psychologists were considered limited.
The trial involved a mixed group of children and young people with different levels of trauma and offending behaviours, and it is difficult to disentangle the impact of RBT within the group.