Trauma and child brain development training

Understanding the science behind child brain development

Do you deliver services that support children and families?

We want to help you give every child the best start in life so that they can thrive, achieve their full potential and grow up in a supportive, nurturing environment.

Take part in our training programme with your colleagues to improve your understanding of child brain development, healthy brain growth and the impact of trauma.

What will I learn?

By the end of this programme, you’ll be able to:

understand six tested metaphors that help explain the science of child brain development and the impact of trauma
use these metaphors in your work with children and families and share with colleagues
take a strengths-based approach to help families think about what they can do to encourage healthy development in their children
recognise toxic stress and help children and young people to develop healthy stress management skills
use the science of child brain development to inform the services you offer to children and young people, parents and carers.

Choose how you want to learn

Our Trauma and child brain development training is available face-to-face or as a live virtual training session, to support a range of learning styles.

Both options are taught by experts and feature the latest legislation, guidance and best practice. So you can choose to learn on location in a dedicated learning space or from the comfort of your own home or office.

Benefits of the course

No previous safeguarding training required.
Learn metaphors created by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, in collaboration with the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative and the FrameWorks Institute.
Train alongside your team in a workshop setting and ask our experts questions as you go along.
Includes practical exercises, case studies and examples to help improve your knowledge of brain development and trauma and apply it to your role.
Foster a shared language and understanding of child brain development with colleagues across different organisations.
Income generated from the sale of our training courses is reinvested back into the NSPCC to help protect children.

98%

of our customers would recommend NSPCC training

* We received 35,644 evaluation forms from people who had taken our elearning courses between 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2024. 35,074 (98.4%) said they would recommend the course they had taken.

Your learning options

All NSPCC Learning courses are up-to-date with the latest information about legislation, guidance and best practice and provide a certificate of achievement.

And it doesn’t stop there. As experts in safeguarding and child protection, we have a range of further information, training and downloadable resources to help you protect the children you work with.

Live virtual training benefits

Remote sessions delivered live by expert trainers.
Share your ideas, experience and learning virtually with participants from a wide range of sectors and organisations.
Receive real-time feedback.
Learn from the comfort of your own home or office.
No travel costs.
Participate in interactive exercises and get direct support and guidance as you learn.

Book virtual training now

Face-to-face training benefits

Delivered by expert trainers.
Share your ideas, experience and learning with participants from a wide range of sectors and organisations.
Learn in a dedicated learning space, without distractions.
Participate in interactive exercises and get direct support and guidance as you learn.

Book face-to-face training now

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for anyone who works with children and families, who is looking to inform their practice by learning about child brain development and a trauma-sensitive approach to working with families.

It will be particularly useful for anyone involved in supporting families facing adversity and/or children who have experienced abuse, neglect or other adverse childhood experiences.

Organisations who have taken this training session include:

children’s social care and early help
schools
child and adolescent mental health services
police
health - health visitors, school nurses, midwives and GPs
sports organisations
voluntary sector organisations including housing and domestic abuse advocacy support services.

Why take your training with the NSPCC?

At the NSPCC, we work to keep children and young people safe from abuse and neglect every day.

As experts in safeguarding and child protection, we understand the issues organisations and people working with children can face. That’s why professionals trust us to provide the support, training and resources they need to help protect the children and young people they work with.

Our highly-rated training courses are developed by experts. We work with a number of organisations, experienced consultants and subject matter experts in a range of sectors to develop courses that are clear, easy-to-use, up-to-date and in line with the latest statutory guidance, and tailored to your needs.

And as a charity, income generated from the sale of our training courses is reinvested back into the NSPCC to help protect children.