The Healing Together programme has emerged as a transformative intervention within East Renfrewshire Council’s Intensive Family Support Team, offering practitioners a structured, evidence‑informed way to support children and young people facing emotional distress, trauma, and the impact of domestic abuse. This article highlights how the programme has been implemented, the real‑world outcomes for the families involved, and its growing importance within a whole‑family domestic abuse service.

A Programme that Filled a Critical Gap

For many years, frontline practitioners in East Renfrewshire worked with children experiencing high levels of adversity including domestic abuse, anxiety, emotional‑based school avoidance, and childhood trauma without a dedicated child‑centred therapeutic resource. Support workers like Gemma McKinlay, who has served families for over eight years, often relied on confidence‑building activities or general social‑work tools, such as “Three Houses” or adopted resources from domestic abuse organisations.

However, these did not provide a structured, trauma‑informed, developmentally appropriate approach to helping children understand and regulate their emotions.

East Renfrewshire introduced a new perpetrator programme similar to the Glasgow’s Caledonian model, practitioners recognised a missing piece: a high‑quality intervention for children affected by domestic abuse. After learning about Healing Together during training, the team brought the programme into their service as the child‑focused therapeutic element of their whole‑family approach.

“I realised this was exactly what we needed. We had sourced training for the women, for the men… but nothing specifically to support the children. Healing Together filled that gap.” —Gemma McKinlay

A Training Experience That Changed Practice

Gemma described the Healing Together training as the best she has ever received, praising the clarity, emotional depth, and accessibility of the content. The continuity of delivery from the live online sessions to the video‑led modules strengthened her confidence and helped her absorb the programme values.

What was most transformative, however, was the shift in her own approach to practice. Gemma reports actively using grounding and emotional‑regulation techniques from the training before entering family homes, enabling her to bring calm, attuned energy into high‑stress environments.

“It’s affected my practice in terms of the energy I take into a home. I’m more present, grounded, and able to support families better because of it.”

This practitioner‑focused emotional regulation is a powerful ripple effect of the programme, improving the quality of relationships between workers and families.

Real‑World Outcomes for Children and Young People

Although Healing Together is still in its early implementation phase, the impact on the young people who completed the programme has been striking. Gemma has delivered the domestic abuse and anxiety programmes on a one‑to‑one basis with several young people aged 15 demonstrating that Healing Together is highly relevant even for older teens.

1. Improved Emotional Literacy and Self‑Awareness

One young person reported being better able to name and understand their feelings, giving them a new language for emotional expression.

2. Reduced Anxiety and Stress

A 15‑year‑old boy who completed the anxiety programme showed significant improvements as he approached exam season. His father reported:

“He managed exams much better. I was surprised at how calm and less stressed he was.”

His support worker noted that the programme increased his confidence, positivity, and ability to reflect on his coping strategies.

3. Intergenerational Benefits

A young person that had completed the programme recently uses the breathing and grounding strategies from the programme and even taught them to younger family members, creating intergenerational benefits.

“Her little nephew copied her breathing techniques—that moment gave me goosebumps.”

4. High Engagement with Resources

Despite initial concerns that animations and worksheets may be “too young” for teenagers, all the young people engaged well.

The combination of short videos and reflective worksheets strengthened their learning and made the theoretical concepts relatable and memorable.

Positive Impact on Parents and Carers

While Healing Together is delivered to children, its benefits often extend to the wider family. When Gemma shared the “show and share” sheets with the father of one young participant, he described the techniques as personally helpful and emotionally resonant.

He even reflected on his own challenges and how he could utilise the strategies in his daily life when feeling overwhelmed —showing how the programme can inadvertently support adult emotional healing.

“He said he might use the breathing himself. I encouraged it—these strategies are for everyone.”

Ease of Implementation and Practitioner Confidence

Gemma emphasises how easy the programme is to deliver due to:

• high‑quality facilitator videos
• clear session plans
• vibrant, child‑friendly materials
• accessible online platform
• ongoing monthly coaching sessions

She re‑watches delivery guidance before each session to ensure accuracy and confidence, and describes the resources as “absolutely brilliant”.

Printing worksheets in colour and preparing a homely, calming room have further supported successful delivery.

Future Plans: Scaling Up and Embedding the Programme

As the domestic abuse service expands, the team intends to:

• train additional practitioners
• deliver Healing Together one‑to‑one and eventually in groups
• introduce additional modules such as Angry Feelings and Resourcing Parents & Carers
• embed the programme across the Women’s and Children’s service

Gemma hopes to continue dedicating significant time to delivering Healing Together to support more children and young people affected by trauma and mental ill health.

A Programme That Empowers Frontline Practitioners

Another profound impact is the sense of empowerment felt by staff:

“I feel privileged to have been trained. I want to keep offering this to as many children and young people as I can.”

Healing Together equips practitioners with tools once reserved for clinical specialists, enabling earlier intervention, reducing the need for specialist referrals, and improving outcomes for vulnerable children.

Conclusion

The Healing Together programme has already made a meaningful difference in East Renfrewshire, enhancing emotional wellbeing in young people, supporting parents, and strengthening the confidence and skillset of frontline practitioners. While still early in its journey, the programme is proving to be a vital component of trauma‑informed, whole‑family support, delivered with compassion, structure, and evidence‑based practice.

Its continued expansion holds the promise of improving the lives of many more children and families for years to come.