The Victims and Survivors Service (VSS) is delighted to announce that it has become the first organisation in Northern Ireland to be accredited with a Silver ‘Trauma-Informed: Working With Trauma Quality Mark’, offering formal recognition of the VSS trauma-informed approach to identifying and responding to the needs of victims and survivors.
This initiative, supported by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland’s (SBNI) workforce development project (Trauma Informed Practice), involved working with ‘One Small Thing’, a specialist charity which provides assessment and accreditation to organisations who can evidence that they meet a robust, accessible, and supportive set of standards for working with trauma.
Responding to the announcement, the SBNI Trauma Informed Practice Team described the process as:
“A pleasure, which is a well-deserved recognition of their efforts. We are confident that VSS will serve as a model for other organisations to emulate, follow and collaborate with”.
VSS CEO Andrew Walker further commented:
“I am delighted that VSS has achieved this important accreditation, in recognition of our commitment to a trauma-informed approach in supporting victims and survivors. This provides crucial assurance on how we work in our provision of support and services. I am grateful to the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland for their support, and to VSS staff and our partners for their dedication to trauma-informed practice”.