Free practice resources
download, use in supervision or with the people you work with, and see if the Hub is a fit for you.
The Human Response Tree
A trauma informed resource designed to explore what may sit underneath the behaviour and responses we see, and how experiences, relationships and environments can shape the ways people adapt, cope and protect themselves. The Human Response Tree encourages us to look beyond what is immediately visible and remain curious about what may be influencing a person’s response. Using the image of a tree, the resource explores different layers of experience: the roots represent experiences and environments, the trunk represents the nervous system adapting, the branches represent survival and protective responses, and the leaves represent what we may notice first. It also recognises the importance of relationships, community, culture, identity and wider systemic factors in shaping people’s experiences and responses. The resource includes: • The Human Response Tree visual framework• Exploration of the different layers of the tree• Prompts to consider what may sit underneath a response• Reflection on relationships, identity, culture and wider context• Guidance for using the framework in practice Using the resource The Human Response Tree can support learning, reflection, supervision and conversations across work with children, young people, adults and families. It can be used to encourage curiosity about context, adaptation and the story that may sit underneath what we see, rather than labelling behaviour or assuming that a particular response has one explanation. Professional guidance The Human Response Tree is a reflective framework rather than a diagnostic or assessment tool. Behaviour and responses can have many meanings and should not automatically be attributed to trauma. Professional judgement, the person’s own perspective and their individual circumstances should remain central to understanding what may be happening. Trauma informed practice does not mean overlooking harm or removing accountability. It means considering what may have contributed to a response alongside what needs to happen next. Behaviour can make more sense when we understand the story, the nervous system and the environment around the person.
80 Social Work Skills & Interventions
A professional reflection resource designed to explore the knowledge, skills and purposeful thinking that underpin social work practice. Drawing on Trevithick’s work on social work skills and knowledge, this resource brings together different aspects of practice that can sometimes become less visible amongst the pressures and demands of everyday work. It highlights the thinking, communication, professional judgement, relationship based skills, ethical considerations and purposeful interventions that contribute to skilled social work practice. Rather than providing a checklist of what a social worker should be able to do, the resource creates a starting point for recognising strengths, identifying areas for development and reflecting on the knowledge and skills being used in practice. The resource includes: • Exploration of knowledge and skills within social work practice• Reflective prompts to consider how these are used in everyday practice• Opportunities to recognise existing strengths• Prompts to identify areas for learning and development• A framework to support professional reflection and discussion Using the resource The resource can be used for individual reflection, supervision and reflective discussion, professional development and CPD, practice education and student learning, and exploring strengths and areas for further development. It may be useful for social work students, newly qualified and experienced social workers, practice educators, supervisors and managers. Professional guidance This is a reflective learning resource rather than an assessment of professional competence. It is intended to complement, rather than replace, relevant professional standards, regulatory requirements, organisational expectations and professional judgement. Good social work involves much more than what is immediately visible. This resource helps make some of that professional knowledge and skill visible again.
Window of Tolerance
A trauma informed resource designed to explore how stress, trauma, fear, overwhelm and adversity can affect a person’s capacity to regulate emotions, think clearly, engage with support and experience safety in relationships. The Window of Tolerance offers a framework for thinking about how people may respond when stress or perceived threat takes them outside a state in which they feel able to cope and respond effectively. This may include experiences associated with hyperarousal, such as heightened alertness or fight and flight responses, or hypoarousal, such as shutting down, freezing or feeling disconnected. The framework can encourage curiosity about what may be happening underneath behaviours such as anger, avoidance, withdrawal or disengagement, rather than assuming we know what those behaviours mean. The resource includes: • An accessible overview of the Window of Tolerance• Exploration of hyperarousal and hypoarousal• Prompts to consider what may sit underneath behaviour• Reflective prompts for practice• Practical ideas for supporting regulation Using the resource The resource can support conversations and reflection when working alongside children, young people and adults. It can also be used for professional reflection, supervision and team learning, including thinking about how pressure, emotional demands and exposure to others’ distress can affect our own capacity to regulate, think and respond. Professional guidance The Window of Tolerance is a framework for supporting understanding and reflection rather than a diagnostic or assessment tool. Behaviour can have many meanings and should be understood within the individual person’s circumstances, experiences and context. Trauma informed practice does not mean overlooking harm or removing accountability. It means bringing curiosity to behaviour while considering the experiences, needs and circumstances that may be influencing what we see. Understanding what may sit underneath a response can help us think differently about what support might be needed.
What Holds Me Up
A reflective resource designed to explore the people, relationships, strengths, environments and experiences that can support, strengthen and sustain us. What Holds Me Up? moves away from asking “How resilient am I?” and instead explores what can help us cope, adapt and move through difficult times. Using the image of a bridge, the resource encourages exploration of people, practical support, skills and experiences, identity and belonging, community, and hope and purpose. Importantly, it doesn’t stop at identifying strengths. It also creates space to consider what may be placing pressure on the bridge and where additional support or change may be needed. The resource includes: • A visual bridge based reflective activity• Exploration of different sources of strength and support• Prompts to identify pressures affecting the bridge• Questions to consider what may need strengthening• Guidance for using the resource Using the resource What Holds Me Up? can be used alongside children, young people and adults to support conversations about what helps, what matters and the wider sources of support around them. It can also be used for individual professional reflection, supervision or reflective discussion. The resource can be revisited over time as circumstances, relationships, pressures and sources of support change. Professional guidance The resource is designed to support exploration and reflection rather than measure or assess a person’s resilience. Difficulties should not automatically be understood as an individual’s inability to cope. Sometimes a relationship, resource, opportunity, environment or condition around the person needs to change. Strength isn’t about coping alone. It’s about having the right support to hold you up.
Lighthouse
A child centred reflective resource designed to help children and young people explore the people, places, strengths and experiences that can support them through difficult moments. My Lighthouse uses the idea of a journey at sea to create opportunities for children and young people to think about what is happening around them, what already helps and where additional support might be needed. Rather than focusing only on what is difficult, the resource creates space to recognise existing strengths, relationships and sources of support while keeping the child or young person’s perspective at the centre. The resource includes: • Guiding lights and the people who help• Calm waters and the places or experiences that feel safe and settled• Tools for stormy days and what can help when things feel difficult• Waves and the challenges they may be facing• What keeps them going during difficult times• Anchors and the sources of stability and support they can return to Using the resource Children and young people can draw, write or talk about the different parts of their lighthouse journey, allowing the resource to be adapted to their age, communication style and what feels important to them. My Lighthouse can support direct work, relationship building, reflection and meaningful conversations across social care, education, family support, counselling, foster care and other settings. Professional guidance My Lighthouse is designed to support exploration and conversation rather than function as a diagnostic or standalone assessment tool. Children and young people should be able to decide what they want to explore and how they want to express it, with professional judgement guiding how the resource is introduced and used. Sometimes navigating the storm begins with recognising the lights, anchors and strengths that are already there.