Training & resources for working with refugees and asylum seekers in the UK
Healing Spaces is the IRC's trauma-informed training for staff and volunteers who support refugees and asylum seekers. It draws on decades of research and evidence from IRC programmes in over 40 countries, and is adapted from the SAMHSA trauma-informed care framework and contextualised to the UK. Sessions are practical and interactive, tailored to your organisation and led by a facilitator with lived experience of displacement. Participants leave with techniques they can use straight after the session. This is training in trauma-informed practice, not trauma treatment.
Who is the training for?
Healing Spaces is for practitioners and anyone working with refugees and asylum seekers, including community groups, charities, accommodation providers and local authorities. There are two versions:
- Healing Spaces for those who support children and young people (CYP)
- Healing Spaces for those who support adults
What does the Healing Spaces training cover?
The training is built on the four Rs of trauma-informed care:
- Realise how trauma affects displaced people
- Recognise the signs
- Respond with trauma-informed approaches
- Resist re-traumatisation, for yourself and others
How do I book?
We offer bespoke sessions tailored to your organisation's work, for both courses. They can be delivered in person or online, as one full day (5 hours including breaks) or, online, as two 2-hour sessions on separate dates. We ask for one month's notice. Pricing is based on the context of the session and the size of the group. Get in touch to book a bespoke session.
