Health workforce specification for children in complex situations at risk of deprivation of liberty

The Department for Education awarded a contract worth £149,510 to Anna Freud/UCL/SLaM on 9 June 2026 for the design and delivery of a comprehensive toolkit and subject matter expert support to upskill health and children's social care professionals in trauma-informed approaches for children in care, particularly those at risk of deprivation of liberty. The scope includes development of a competency framework, training options, toolkit resources, training delivery, and supervision structures to support evidence-informed practice within the Home Again pilots. The service aims to improve multi-agency working, enable earlier interventions, and reduce escalation to crisis and deprivation of liberty orders while meeting NHS quality assurance and clinical standards.