In this episode, Jessica is joined by Becky Dawson, National Wellbeing Lead at Twinkl, former secondary teacher, Head of Year, and SENCo. Together, they dive into why PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) and RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) need to be treated as central to safety, wellbeing, and future life outcomes for children and young people, rather than peripheral subjects tucked away in registration slots or side projects alongside the main curriculum.

Jessica and Becky explore:

• The "Crucial Curriculum": Why PSHE and RSHE are foundational life skills that teach young people critical thinking, online safety, media literacy, financial management, and how to identify healthy, safe relationships.
• Supporting the Whole Child: How trauma-informed practice, relational approaches, and psychological safety directly impact attendance, engagement, regulation, and academic achievement across the entire school.
• The Educator Reality: The challenges facing non-specialist teachers expected to deliver complex or sensitive topics without adequate training, time, or funding - and how schools can better support staff.
• Inclusive & Whole-School Approaches: The necessity of ensuring SEND learners access meaningful RSHE, navigating parental engagement and transparency, and creating cross-curricular links that ease the burden on timetable space.

About Becky Dawson

Becky Dawson is currently the National Wellbeing Lead at Twinkl, bringing over 25 years of hands-on experience in secondary education. Beginning her career as a drama teacher, she quickly moved into pastoral leadership, overseeing PSHE, RSE, and year-group leadership. Her passion for inclusion and learner support also led her to serve as a SENCo, advocating for equitable curriculum access for young people with SEND.

Becky later worked with the London Borough of Newham as part of their Head Start initiative, implementing whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Today, she works to equip educators, school leaders, and support staff with high-quality resources, CPD training, and actionable guidance to help create safe, supportive, and trauma-informed environments for all young people.

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In this episode of Trauma Informed Conversations, host Jessica Parker is joined by adoptive parent, former social worker, foster carer, and author Sarah Naish. Drawing on over 40 years of lived and professional experience across social care and education, Sarah explores the transformative question: What if behaviour makes perfect sense?

Jess and Sarah discuss how shifting to a trauma lens allows us to look beyond surface-level reactions and understand that all trauma-based behaviour is an expression of an underlying, unmet need. From practical strategies like "naming the need" to addressing systemic gaps in social work, school, and inspection frameworks (like Ofsted), this conversation provides a realistic, deeply compassionate roadmap for supporting care-experienced children, families, and the professionals who care for them.

Key Takeaways

• Looking Behind the Behaviour: Understanding that challenging actions are not personal attacks ("doing this to me"), but rather a child's attempt to communicate inner distress and seek safety or nurture.
• The "Gift of Why" & Naming the Need: Why asking children "Why did you do that?" is unhelpful, and how adults can step in to gently name the underlying fear or unmet need for them.
• Decoding Hurtful Statements: Viewing painful phrases (like "I hate you") as a discharge of internal pain rather than calculated malice, allowing caregivers to respond with empathy instead of defense.
• Systemic & Training Gaps: Addressing the urgent need for trauma-informed training top-down—from universities to social work teams and Ofsted inspectors—to prevent burnout and protect placement stability.
• Reframing Professional Language: Why shifting away from clinical jargon (e.g., replacing "dysregulated" with "terrified" or "placement" with "home") helps adults stay connected to the stark reality of childhood trauma.

Guest

Sarah Naish is an international best-selling author, keynote speaker, and CEO of the Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma (CoECT). Bringing over 40 years of lived and professional experience to her work, Sarah's background spans across social work, nursery nursing, fostering over 40 children, and adopting a sibling group of five.

Recognised as a trailblazer in therapeutic parenting, she is the founder of the National Association of Therapeutic Parents (NATP) and founder/director of two trauma-informed fostering agencies in England and Wales (TRUE Fostering and SAfER Fostering). Sarah has authored numerous sector-defining books—including the No. 1 bestseller The A–Z of Therapeutic Parenting—and works continuously to reform foster care assessments, kinship support tools, and trauma training across education and social care systems globally.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Sophie Spikey Has a Very Big Problem
• The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting Professional Companion: Tools for Proactive Practice.
• The Essential Guide to Kinship Care (Co-authored with Enza Smith MBE)
• Free Resource – Allegation Support Pack
• Level 4 Trauma-Informed Practitioner Qualification

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In this episode of Trauma Informed Conversations, host Jessica Parker is joined by TICS Associate Cat Jolleys. Drawing on her 24-year background as a primary school deputy head and SENCo, as well as her current work as a forest school leader and nature practitioner, Cat explores the deep connection between the natural environment and nervous system regulation.

Starting with John Muir’s famous quote "We are now in the mountains and they are in us" - Jess and Cat discuss how stepping outside shifts us from "what is wrong with you" to an environment of low demand, safety, and sensory restoration. From neuroplasticity and tree climbing to mindfulness around a campfire, this conversation highlights how nature serves as a powerful co-regulator for care-experienced young people, neurodivergent children, and exhausted adults alike.

Key Takeaways

• The Neurobiology of Outdoors: How natural environments reduce sensory and cognitive overload, allowing children - especially those with additional needs - to regulate faster and stay regulated for longer.
• Safety in the Woods: Understanding how ancestral instincts influence our need for safety, such as leaning against a tree to guard our backs or creating "dens" to feel cocooned.
• Attention Restoration Theory: Why just 15 to 20 minutes of scanning nature, feeling sunlight, or hearing bird song can clear cognitive capacity and restore an overwhelmed nervous system.
• Healing for Parents and Carers: The role of "Nature Well" sessions in offering trauma-informed space for parents of SEND children - giving them permission to rest, be restored, and leave home pressures behind.
• Practical Inclusivity: How urban schools, social workers, and office workers without direct access to forests can bring nature into daily practice through houseplants, sunlight, and small noticing walks.

Guest

Cat Jolleys is a TICS Associate, qualified Forest School Leader, and Nature Health and Wellbeing Practitioner based in Greater Manchester. Following a nearly 24-year career in primary education as a Deputy Headteacher and SENCo, Cat pivoted her work toward nature-based wellbeing. She specialises in facilitating child-led outdoor learning, supporting care-experienced and neurodivergent young people, and delivering nature wellbeing sessions that foster relaxation, restoration, and revitalisation.

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