Trauma-informed care in the perinatal period

This guide aims to help staff and services understand the impact of psychological trauma on women in the perinatal period and respond in a sensitive and compassionate way. It aims to support staff to ensure they ‘do no harm’ through care delivery that, without thought or intention, could retraumatise individuals. This includes examples of how to:

• recognise and understand the impact of psychological trauma and how experiences may present during the perinatal period
• respond to disclosures and tailor care to needs of women and families so that services do not retraumatise individuals
• best support staff working in maternity and mental health services, acknowledging the effects of vicarious trauma and that staff may have their own experiences of trauma, which could impact on their capacity to deliver trauma-informed care

Commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Produced by Clare Law and Dr Lauren Wolfenden at the Centre For Early Child Development (Blackpool, UK), Dr Mickey Sperlich at the University at Buffalo (US) and Professor Julie Taylor at the University of Birmingham (UK).