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Systematic Narrative Review
What are the barriers for Social
Workers implementing traumainformed
practice with
adolescents?
Abstract
Context
As part of the Safeguarding Board of Northern Ireland's (SBNI) Early
Intervention Transformation Programme (EITP) (SBNI, 2020), trauma-informed
models of practice are currently being implemented across Children's
Safeguarding in all five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland. This
report is a Systematic Literature Review of the most recent and high quality
research examining what the barriers are for Social Workers implementing
trauma-informed practice, specifically with adolescents.
Methods employed in the review
The three most relevant and robust research databases searched were
identified as:
PsycINFO;
SCOPUS; and
Social Care Online.
Returned hits using a PICO Search Strategy (Campbell et al., 2017) were
refined. First titles and abstracts were examined, and the remaining articles
read in full to ensure relevancy to the review question. Data was then extracted
from the nineteen identified studies, and inputted to a table. Two out of the
nineteen studies were appraised using the QAT-S and QAT-Q Appraisal Tools
(Taylor et al., 2017). A narrative synthesis was used to analyse the research
findings under headings of themes and sub themes. Finally the findings are
summarised and recommendations made for Social Work practice.
Findings
The breakdown of foster care placements causes further trauma and prevents
meaningful engagement for adolescents. Placement breakdowns are
perpetuated by carers' lack of understanding of trauma-informed care.
Adolescents cannot meaningfully engage with trauma-informed practice when
they feel they are not listened to, not cared about and not involved in decisionmaking
about their care.
Positive, trusting relationships with caring adults who understand them are
crucial for adolescents to engage with trauma-informed practice.