An organisation, that is tackling violence on Lancashire’s streets, is celebrating after winning an award.

The Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (LVRN) has been announced as winners of the successful partnership award at HCRG Care Group’s 2024 awards ceremony.

This is for the team’s efforts to develop a ‘trauma-informed Lancashire’, highlighting the pervasive and harmful impact of traumatic experiences on individuals, families, and communities.

The LVRN delivers trauma-informed workshops to professionals working across social care, education, police, health, prisons and other public sector organisations.  

The ceremony, which was held at Preston’s Ribby Hall on February 29, shone a spotlight on the hard work and dedication of individuals and organisations working to make our communities safer.  

Through working with vulnerable adults and young people, the LVRN recognised the importance of providing trauma-informed care. This has led to more than 10,000 individuals across the county receiving trauma-informed basic awareness training and in 2023, the ‘train-the-trainer’ package was launched.  

Superintendent and trauma-informed Lancashire lead, Justin Srivastava, said: “We are thrilled to accept this award in recognition of our efforts in contributing to a Trauma Informed Lancashire. We hope by providing the train-the-trainer package, that the importance of trauma-informed principles continue to be embedded in organisations in the future.

“It has been a privilege to work with like-minded professionals and whilst adopting a trauma-informed approach to your work is an ever-evolving process, the VRN is proud to be here to support partners such as HCRG Care Group in such an important change in behaviours.”  

The LVRN launched their trauma informed work in April 2022, and since then it has gone from strength to strength. The LVRN remains dedicated to providing organisations with the tools they need to support individuals in a trauma-informed way.  

Over the past 12 months, seven organisations have been awarded the Working with Trauma Quality Mark by One Small Thing. The VRN has been working with these organisations, and others, to help Lancashire culturally adopt trauma-informed practices.