Understanding complex trauma: what every support worker should know
Because behaviour makes more sense when you understand the story behind it.
If you work with children or young people in care, you will encounter the impact of trauma. Not occasionally. Not rarely. Regularly.
But there is a difference between a single traumatic event and complex trauma. And understanding that difference can completely change how you interpret behaviour.
What is complex trauma?
Complex trauma refers to repeated, prolonged exposure to traumatic experiences, often occurring in childhood and within caregiving relationships.
This can include:
Ongoing neglect
Physical or emotional abuse
Family violence
Chronic instability
Multiple placement breakdowns
Exposure to substance misuse or mental illness
Repeated loss of caregivers
Unlike a one-off traumatic event, complex trauma shapes how a child’s brain, nervous system, and sense of self develop over time.
It is not just something that happened to them. It becomes something that shapes them.
How complex trauma impacts development
Children exposed to chronic stress adapt in order to survive. These adaptations are protective, but they can look confusing or challenging in everyday settings.
You may see:
Hypervigilance and constant scanning for danger
Explosive anger or aggressive behaviour
Emotional shutdown or detachment
Difficulty trusting adults
Intense reactions to minor changes
Controlling behaviour
Difficulty with transitions
Challenges with attachment
These are not personality flaws. They are survival responses.
When a child has learned that the world is unpredictable or unsafe, their nervous system stays on alert. Even neutral situations can feel threatening.
Why behaviour can seem “out of proportion”
To an outside observer, the reaction may seem bigger than the trigger.
For example:
A raised voice may trigger panic
A cancelled plan may trigger rage
A gentle correction may trigger withdrawal
For a young person with complex trauma, the present moment is often layered with past experiences.
The nervous system reacts first. Thinking comes later.
If we only respond to the surface behaviour, we miss the underlying survival response driving it.
What support workers need to shift
From “What is wrong with them?” to “What happened to them?”
From control to safety
From punishment to skill-building
From power struggles to power-sharing
From taking behaviour personally to understanding it functionally
Support workers are not just managing behaviour. They are helping to reshape a young person’s experience of adults, safety, and trust.
That is significant work.
Practical trauma-informed approaches
Prioritise safety and predictability
Use clear routines. Give warnings for transitions. Follow through on what you say.
Stay regulated
Your nervous system influences theirs. Slow voice. Calm body. Steady tone.
Validate feelings without endorsing unsafe behaviour
“This feels really hard right now”, acknowledges emotion without approving aggression.
Avoid shaming language
Shame reinforces the belief that they are the problem.
Focus on the relationship first
Connection is not a reward. It is the foundation for change.
What complex trauma does not mean
It does not mean:
The young person is incapable of growth
Boundaries are unnecessary
Behaviour should be ignored
Accountability disappears
It means that boundaries must be delivered within safety and relationship.
Structure without connection feels controlling.
Connection without structure feels unsafe.
Children with complex trauma need both.
Final thoughts
Understanding complex trauma does not make the work easier. But it makes it clearer.
When you see behaviour through a trauma-informed lens, you stop reacting to defiance and start responding to distress.
You become part of the corrective experience.
And sometimes, that steady presence is the most powerful intervention of all.
Rosie 🌹