Disability Guidelines

Plain English Guide: Supporting people with disability who have experienced complex trauma

This document is to support people with disability with experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. This is called complex trauma. People with disability experience and witness repeated trauma more often than people without disability.

The Guide is for disability support workers who may not know much about trauma or about the experiences of people with trauma. It is written in Plain English to make it as accessible as it can be. For more information, see the Guidelines for Trauma-Informed Practice: Supporting People with Disability who have Experienced Complex Trauma. 

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Digital Download of Plain English Guide: Supporting people with disability who have experienced complex trauma

Guidelines for Trauma Informed Practice: Supporting people with disability who have experienced complex trauma

These guidelines are for people and organisations which provide support to people with disability, across the life span, who have experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. This is called complex trauma. People with disability experience and witness repeated trauma more often than people without disability.

As people with disability with complex trauma experiences face many barriers to participation and often have complex needs, it is important for the people and services which support them to be well informed, skilled and supported. These guidelines seek to meet this need.

The intended audience for these guidelines is very broad. They aim to provide enough knowledge and practical skills to help people provide general support for people with disability who have experienced trauma. These guidelines also aim to provide organisations with an understanding of what is needed to genuinely deliver trauma-informed services for people with disability.

These guidelines are comprehensive but are not the sole solution to creating trauma-informed services. Rather they are an important first step to increasing awareness and capacity within the sector. Implementation of these guidelines will require ongoing training, appropriate funding and resourcing, and service and sector-wide support.

If you would like to download a copy, please click the button below to visit the shop on the main Blue Knot community site.

Digital Download of Guidelines for Trauma Informed Practice: Supporting people with disability who have experienced complex trauma

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