What is in Validating Voices?

A set of cards to structure 3 processes

  • Starter Cards

    The resource aim, structure and flexibility,

    Guidance on how to introduce it to staff and young people.

    Ideas for creating safe spaces for young people and professionals. 

  • PART 1: REALISE

    Cards in 6 categories of life where young people can be invalidated by professionals. Each cards presents a short conversation, an interesting question or an image. Cards invite group discussion about what people notice and what could go better.

    The back of cards presents a fictional ACE history. Does this change our view of whether the conversation on the card is invalidating?

  • PART 2: RE-PLAY

    Via cards and online materials, invites creativity through the re-writing of short conversation scripts, watching short filmed scenarios between young people and professionals and even having a go at playing parts in conversation scenarios. Helps everyone to engage at the needed depth to really feel and see how validation vs. in validation can make such a difference.

  • PART 3: REMEMBER

    Let creativity flow! Cards offer guidance to creatively capture learning from the two previous components.

    Maybe its reminder posters for the setting, poetry on noticeboards, podcasts or staff newsletters…where do young people want to ‘speak into’ your setting to help it become a more validating place for everyone?

How does it support trauma-informed practice?

Organisations that are adversity and trauma-informed

  • reflect instead of react

  • promote self-care not self-sacrifice

  • aim for curiosity instead of numbing

  • work as a collective instead of in silos

Validating Voices supports these and the four Rs of trauma-informed practices proposed by SAMHSA (2014)

  • Realise: becoming aware of how the effects of trauma and adversity may be sustained through repeated invalidation

  • Recognise: the signals, coping and survival skills that young people use and how these may be misinterpreted, and triggered, in everyday situations which expose them to invalidation

  • Resist: using the resource in efforts to be healing in your organisation and resist re-traumatising young people through invalidation

  • Respond: the resource constitutes a form of collective action based on the Realisation, Recognising and commitment to Resist. Builds knowledge, attitudes and skills for positive practices.

Validating Voices also aligns with the additional five Rs proposed by Treisman (2021) (Treasure Box for Creating Trauma-Informed Organisations), which are:

  • Reflect: being in a culture of curiosity and trying to explore perspectives. This is at the heart of the resource.

  • Reconnect: to values of care and community. The resource supports caring practices within your organisational community.

  • Relational: the resource focuses on the everyday exchanges in relationships, as one of the places where healing work occurs.

  • Rewarding: Validating Voices brings playfulness and strength-based approaches to the work.

  • Real: spanning authenticity and a commitment to real change, Validating Voices supports validation of young people and professionals in a way that matters to young people.

Nuts and Bolts

NEXT: Online Supporting Material

  • Validating Voices is designed for public health professionals who encounter young people in a helping role from reception and administrative staff, to case workers, teachers/ tutors, community groups, and many more.

    We suggest working in small groups of 4-8. Smaller groups can make it easier to build a sense of collective listening and learning. Larger groups could also work, with some preparation.

    It can be used just amongst staff, including for supervision, but young people designed it to be a collaboration between them and professionals. It is broadly suitable for 12-24y olds. Settings should use their knowledge of their young people to judge those who might be ready and able to engage well with the resource.Description text goes here

  • It’s flexible to fit the time you have on any given day, and the time you have over the six months of the evaluation period to try all three components.

    30-60 mins would be ideal for any of the components. You can ‘play’ each component until you have completed the materials or feel ready to move on.Description text goes here

  • deally two, with about 4-6 young people.

    You could use the resource with different staff and different young people - the main things is that there are more young people than staff. This is important to managing power dynamics and ensuring young people have space to contribute.