Trauma treatment with young people in secure care

Young people in secure children’s homes have high rates of trauma exposure and adversity. Their trajectories are often associated with numerous later-life problems including adult imprisonment. Children and young people’s services were some of the first to adopt trauma-informed thinking and practice and much has been learned about successful implementation. One aspect of this is effective trauma therapy. This chapter discusses the evidence base for trauma therapy and the modalities available. It considers the rationale for trauma therapy in secure services for young people and reflects on the challenges of delivery in this setting. It explores the heterogeneity of young people and the implications of this for successful trauma treatment. It shares lessons learned from implementing trauma treatment with high-risk young people in secure settings, with focus given to adopting an individualised approach. Importantly it will explore what young people themselves think are important considerations for practitioners aiming to help them.