In the evolving landscape of children’s social care, the term trauma-informed is increasingly used, but not always fully understood. For Dr Asha Patel, Clinical Psychologist and CEO of Innovating Minds, trauma-informed commissioning is not a fleeting trend or a box-ticking exercise. It’s a fundamental shift in how we design, deliver, and evaluate services for children and families.
“Trauma-informed commissioning is about creating systems that don’t just respond to trauma, they help children heal.”
This is more than a powerful quote. It’s a call to action for commissioners, service leads, and policymakers to reimagine their role in shaping environments that are not only safe, but also healing.
Dr Patel has worked alongside dozens of local authorities to embed trauma-informed approaches across early help, education, and social care systems. Her experience has shown that while many professionals are passionate about improving outcomes for children, the commissioning process itself often reinforces fragmented, reactive models of care.
“Too often, services are commissioned in silos, with short-term contracts and narrow KPIs that don’t reflect the complexity of trauma,” she explains.
Trauma-informed commissioning, as Dr Patel sees it, is not about adding another layer of training or introducing a new intervention. It’s about embedding a mindset across the commissioning cycle, from needs assessment and service design to procurement and evaluation.
This mindset recognises that trauma is not rare. It’s widespread, systemic, and often intergenerational. And unless services are designed with this reality in mind, they risk retraumatising the very people they aim to support.
One of the clearest examples of trauma-informed commissioning in action is Healing Together, Innovating Minds’ early intervention programme for children aged 5–16 who have experienced domestic abuse and mental ill health.
Commissioned by local authorities and delivered by trained practitioners within schools, family hubs, and early help teams, Healing Together is built on the principles of safety, empowerment, and relational connection. But what makes it truly trauma-informed is how it’s commissioned and implemented.
“We don’t just deliver a programme,” says Dr Patel. “We work with commissioners to build capacity within their systems. That means training local practitioners, embedding access to coaching, and supporting sustainable delivery models that don’t rely on external providers long-term.”
This approach not only improves access and outcomes, it also strengthens the local workforce and reduces dependency on high-cost, crisis-driven services.
Dr Patel is clear that trauma-informed commissioning is not a quick fix. It requires courage, collaboration, and a willingness to challenge traditional ways of working.
“It’s about asking different questions,” she says. “Instead of ‘What service can we buy to meet this need?’, we ask ‘How can we create the conditions for healing in our community?’ That shift changes everything, from how we write service specifications to how we measure success.”
She also emphasises the importance of co-production. Trauma-informed systems are not built for people, they’re built with them. That means involving children, families, and frontline practitioners in shaping services that reflect their lived experiences and aspirations.
For those in commissioning roles, Dr Patel offers a simple but powerful piece of advice: start with the why.
“Why are we commissioning this service? What do we want to change, not just in the short term, but in the lives of children and families over the next five, ten, twenty years? When we start with those questions, trauma-informed commissioning becomes not just possible, but essential.”
Want to explore how trauma-informed commissioning could work in your area? 📞 Book a call with Dr Asha Patel
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