I have been looking forward to this conversation since I started recording the Taking Action series. Iain Smith has done a massive amount to try to ensure that the justice system in Scotland recognises, and takes account of, the impact of trauma on people's lives. It is challenging work as Iain is so aware of the need to support the victims of crime as well as taking account of the circumstances of the perpetrators

Iain feels that his greatest achievement since he began campaigning was the introduction of the Young Persons Sentencing Guidelines which have been operational from January 2022 onwards.

Many Law Schools now teach trauma aware law and the Law Society of Scotland run a specialist accredited course for lawyers on Trauma.

As Iain says "The raising awareness of trauma is really the start for change. Real change is created by how individuals and systems “respond” to this knowledge. That’s trickier.

The justice system rightly focus’ on victims but fails to understand the vast majority of those who perpetrate crime start off as victims. Their victimhood is too soon forgotten in our desire for retribution and punishment."

That courage to take on what is often an unpopular view - remember the response to the other David Cameron's comments when he moved away from John Major's dictum that "we need to condemn a little more, and understand a little less - is admirable. In Iain's case it is balanced with sensitivity and an awareness of the complexity of the all that the Justice System tries too achieve

It was a privilege to record this conversation with Sarah Lathan. Her book, Creating a Trauma Informed Classroom is outstanding. It offers excellent support and advice for educators in any context. It is based on Sarah's experience, deep knowledge and understanding and it also offers a superb summary of the research, and the other texts, which inform the book. By my reckoning, it distils almost all of the books that you would otherwise have to read to become better informed abut the impact of adverse experience and how we should deal with that in our schools, If you have the time and energy, it will whet your appetite to learn more.

Despite all that the book brings, it is admirably concise and clear

As well as being a great author, Sarah is a lovely guest, patient through a series of hassles and glitches, which were all my fault, thoughtful, responsive and open.

Routledge have provided a discount code - 25EFLY3 n- for 20% off the price of the book on their website (Creating a Trauma-informed Classroom) but the book is also available from Amazon, Waterstones, Bookshop.org and from most book retailers.

Listeners can follow Sarah on X at @lathan_miss (https://x.com/lathan_miss) or find her on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-lathan-107558336) and I highly recommend that you do and also take advantage of the discount offer. You willl not regret either action

This episode explores the impact of boarding schools on those who attend them. It is an important issue not only because to the damaging effect that it can have on individuals, but also because a significant number of ex-boarders attain significant power and influence. It could be argued that the trauma that they have suffered has a far wider impact
Morag Edwards is an ideal person to discuss all of this. She was a pupil at a co-educational boarding school in Scotland from 1965 to 1971. She also worked as an educational psychologist for over thirty years, with a career focus on children who had experienced early relationship trauma and neglect. She has written about her experience of boarding school under the author name Isobel Ross. The book is titled 'Almost Boys – The Psychology of Co-Ed Boarding in the 1960s' handsets her experience within a framework of developmental psychology, attachment theory and ACEs: ‘The publication of ‘Almost Boys’ introduced Morag to other ex-boarders questioning the existence of boarding education within our current knowledge of developmental psychology and attachment theory. Morag now aims to use her professional background to help others understand the psychological implications of early boarding on young children. She also writes historical fiction under the name Morag Edwards. The latest novel in her Jacobite Trilogy, The Jacobite’s Heir, will be published by Bloodhound Books in September 2025. She also writes contemporary fiction as Isobel Ross. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Almost-Boys-Psychology-Co-ed-Boarding- ebook/dp/B0CRLF8M6L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ULU0GK14SN8Z&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Its WHUAcbwLlFfk-
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Morag has been closely involved with Seen & Heard https://seenheard.org.uk/ who work to support those affected by their boarding school experience and the influence boarding schools to address the issues raised by Morag in this podcast