External evaluation finds Ella’s ‘trauma transformative’

Our service has been independently evaluated by Trauma Treatment International (TTI). They concluded that our work is ‘trauma transformative’, the highest rating on their trauma awareness spectrum and infrequently awarded.

The people we work with have been through devastating experiences and are among the UK’s most vulnerable, so it’s vital that our approach is trauma-informed. (Photo: Tom Price/Ella’s)

What TTI did

Psychologists from Trauma Treatment International (TTI) carried out research with three groups: service users; frontline staff; and members of the senior leadership team. Desk research was also carried out, including a review of policies and procedures. The process was highly collaborative and there was strong engagement across all groups.

What they found

The following is an excerpt from the evaluation report:

‘TTI finds that Ella’s is an emotionally caring organisation that not only feels physically and psychologically safe for service users, staff and the senior leadership team but also provides an authentic sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘family’. Given the nature of the organisation’s work, and the journeys that individuals have been on (including extremely traumatic interpersonal relationships) this is a remarkable achievement.’

‘There is strong evidence of transformation in the lives of the women supported by Ella’s as they move through the three stages of recovery to gaining independence and hope for different futures. Ella’s has clearly provided a reparative sense of family for many people.’

‘Strong, trauma-informed leadership is key to managing risk and mitigating and preventing trauma within Ella’s. The senior leadership team have a significant amount of front-line experience, and many staff members have experienced doing other tasks or jobs at Ella’s historically, making it a team who ‘flex’ easily under pressure; allowing them to support one another, cover for one another and develop processes that are sensitive to a thorough understanding of the operational demands.’

Thank you, TTI, for the encouragement, and the insights into how we can continue to do this even better. We are totally committed to treating the survivors we work with, with the utmost care and respect.