Georgia's Solihull Training Reflections
One of our newest team members at our head office, has recently completed our Solihull training. This essential training is offered to all staff, regardless of their role within the organisation, to enhance their understanding and contribute to their professional development.
The Solihull Approach is not a specific framework or intervention, but rather a foundational approach that informs all aspects of our work with children and young people. It is based on three key components:
Containment: Understanding and responding to emotional communication without becoming overwhelmed, thereby helping others regain the ability to think clearly.
Reciprocity: The interactive process where both the child and adult engage in the initiation, regulation, and conclusion of interactions. This concept applies to all relationships.
Behaviour Management: A natural part of development where carers guide children in learning self-control, setting boundaries, and reinforcing positive behaviour. This fosters internalised understanding and supports broader learning and development.
When these components are applied together, they form the basis of trusting, therapeutic relationships with children and young people. Building on this, we employ trauma-informed, therapeutic relationship development practices throughout our organisation, ensuring the physical and psychological wellbeing of both those in our care and our staff. This approach recognises the importance of choice and voice in addressing power imbalances and enhancing relationships.
The staff training session is conducted over two days, consisting of two distinct sessions that thoroughly explore the three key components of the Solihull Approach. Georgia has shared a first-hand account of her experience with the training and how it will influence her work at Inspire Scotland moving forward.
Speaking on her time at the training Georgia added:
“The Solihull training was truly transformative, reshaping the way I perceive the world and the people around me. It prompted deep reflection on my own upbringing and reinforced the idea that every individual’s early experiences are entirely unique shaping their thoughts, actions, and relationships in profound ways.
In our first session, we explored key concepts such as containment and reciprocity. We examined how different areas of the brain shape behaviour and experiences, highlighting how early soothing by caregivers creates a foundation for emotional regulation. Conversely, unmet needs in infancy can lead to difficulties in processing emotions later in life.
Reciprocity provided valuable insight into early communication, emphasizing the "dance of reciprocity"—a natural back-and-forth interaction between caregivers and infants that helps develop emotional expression. A lack of this interaction can impact a child's ability to communicate effectively in the future.
In our most recent session, we discussed behaviour management and epigenetics, uncovering how life experiences can unknowingly influence future generations through genetic modifications. This highlighted the Impact of generational trauma and the ways in which it can affect children and their families.
The Solihull training has given me a profound understanding of the critical role that meaningful relationships play from the moment we are born. It highlighted how early connections shape emotional well-being, communication skills, and the ability to navigate relationships throughout life.
What resonated most with me was recognising how deeply embedded this approach is within Inspire. It is not a framework but a core philosophy that influences nearly every action, interaction, and practice—across individual houses and throughout the organisation. This training has reinforced the importance of being intentional in the way we engage with young people, ensuring that our staff approach every interaction with empathy, patience, and a deeper awareness of how early experiences shape behaviour. As a result, it has made us all more mindful, not only in our practices but in the way we support and nurture the young people in our care.”