KCA Training - Knowledge Change Action

10/06/2026

🌱 Infant Mental Health Week 2026

Theme: Attunement

Before children can manage their feelings, they need someone who can manage them with them.

Attunement is about noticing, understanding and responding to a baby's cues in a way that helps them feel safe, seen and valued. Through thousands of everyday interactions, babies learn that their needs matter and that relationships can be trusted.

When a caregiver responds with warmth, curiosity and consistency, they are doing far more than meeting an immediate need. They are helping to build the foundations for emotional regulation, resilience, communication and lifelong wellbeing.

At KCA, our Five to Thrive approach highlights the importance of these relational experiences through five key building blocks: **Respond, Engage, Relax, Play and Talk**. Attunement sits at the heart of them all.

This Infant Mental Health Week, let's celebrate the power of connection and recognise that some of the most important moments in a child's development happen in the ordinary, everyday interactions between a child and the adults who care for them.

💚 Because when children feel understood, they are better able to understand themselves.

*Attunement isn't about getting it right all the time. It's about noticing, repairing and reconnecting.*

09/06/2026

What a great idea from Flying Start Luton 🧡. We love seeing all of the ways Five to Thrive is used across the Country. Thank you to all our Five to Thrivers.. for all you do!

08/06/2026

📢 We're exploring a new opportunity for parents and carers and we'd love your input.

We're considering offering an open online Five to Thrive for Parents and Carers webinar, designed to help adults better understand children's behaviour, the impact of stress, and how everyday relationships can support emotional wellbeing, healthy development and resilience.

The session would be suitable for:
💙 Parents and carers
💙 Foster carers
💙 Kinship carers
💙 Adoptive parents
💙 Special guardians
💙 Grandparents and family members in a caring role

We're also interested in hearing from Family Hubs, local authorities, fostering services, virtual schools, schools and organisations who may wish to book places for families they support.

Before we launch, we'd like to understand the level of interest and shape the offer around what people need most.

If this sounds useful, please complete our short Expression of Interest form:

🔗https://bit.ly/3RLob99

For those already familiar with Five to Thrive, this could provide a valuable way of extending the approach directly to the families and carers you support.

Further information about Five to Thrive can be found here https://bit.ly/3PQWwmB .

Please feel free to share with colleagues, parents, carers and networks who may be interested.

05/06/2026

The most powerful tools aren't found in a training manual – they're already within us.

When stress is high, it's easy to believe we need the perfect strategy, script or intervention. But neuroscience reminds us that some of the most powerful influences on brain development, emotional regulation and resilience come through everyday human connection.

✨ How we show up
✨ The tone of our voice
✨ Our breathing
✨ Our body language
✨ The attention we give
✨ Moments of playfulness and joy

These simple, human interactions help others feel safe, connected and ready to learn, grow and thrive.

At KCA, we call this Five to Thrive – Respond, Engage, Relax, Play, Talk – a practical, neuroscience-informed framework that builds resilience through relationships.

Sometimes the most important thing we can do is pause, notice, and be present.

03/06/2026

Trauma or Neurodivergence? Or both?

Too often, children and young people are viewed through a lens of behaviour, labels or diagnosis alone.

But what if what we're seeing is an adaptation to stress, adversity, sensory overwhelm, unmet need, or a combination of factors?

The reality is that trauma and neurodivergence can sometimes look similar from the outside. Both can influence regulation, communication, relationships, attention and behaviour. Yet behind those behaviours is a child trying to navigate their world as best they can.

A relational, trauma-informed approach doesn't ignore diagnosis. It simply starts somewhere different:

💙 What's happening for this child?
💙 What do they need to feel safe?
💙 How can we respond with curiosity, compassion and connection?

When we shift from "What's wrong?" to "What might this behaviour be communicating?", we create environments where all children and young people can thrive.

01/06/2026

Our brains are built for connection.

When we feel unsafe, overwhelmed or disconnected, our brains naturally shift into survival mode. Learning, thinking, problem-solving and relationships can all become harder.

The good news is that our brains remain capable of change throughout life. Through connection, co-regulation and experiences that help us feel safe, belong and matter, we can strengthen the neural pathways that support resilience, wellbeing and recovery.

At KCA, our work is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: when people experience safety, belonging and mattering, more good days become possible.

27/05/2026

There’s something incredibly powerful about creating space for professionals from across multiple sectors and services to come together, reflect and deepen understanding around attachment, trauma and resilience.

A huge thank you to our wonderful Associate Trainer, Joanna McCloughry, who has recently been delivering our Attachment, Trauma and Resilience training in Slough. Joanna consistently brings warmth, compassion and deep expertise to every space she works in, helping practitioners feel safe to reflect, connect and grow together.

Some lovely feedback from a lead in Slough:

“Joanna was such a great facilitator. It really felt like she cared about everyone in Slough and really understood what we were experiencing. She managed conversations in the room really well. I really admired her response and what she offered when people opened up to her. She is an excellent trainer full of compassion and reason and so much knowledge.”

We’re so proud to have Joanna as part of the KCA team and grateful to everyone in Slough who engaged so openly in the conversations and learning. 💛

21/05/2026

Stress and uncertainty can affect how we think, feel, learn and connect - for adults as well as children and young people.

In this FREE on-demand webinar, Alex Elander-Phoenix explores the impact stress and uncertainty can have on our brains, relationships and wellbeing, alongside practical, relational approaches that can help us better support ourselves and those around us.

A valuable watch for anyone working in education, early years, social care, wellbeing or family support.

🎥 Watch the webinar on demand here:
https://jigsaweducationgroup.com/the-impact-of-stress-and-uncertainty-how-to-support-ourselves-children-and-young-people/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=collab&utm_campaign=KCA

📚 You can also access a free supporting resource here:
https://connected.kca.training/signup.cfm?signup_id=41926&signup_code=ZFG23YJB

Join our Jigsaw webinar 'The Impact of Stress and Uncertainty: How to support ourselves, children and young people', led by Alex Phoenix, Training Consultant at KCA Training

18/05/2026

Foster carers do far more than provide a home. They provide relationships that help children feel safe, understood and able to heal. 💚

Trauma-informed practice can help carers to:
• understand behaviour as communication and unmet need
• build safe, relational environments
• strengthen confidence, consistency and resilience
• create the conditions for stability, learning and long-term wellbeing

During Foster Care Fortnight, we want to recognise the incredible role foster carers play in helping children and young people recover, grow and thrive through connection and relationships.

If you’d like to explore how trauma-informed and relational practice can support your fostering service, carers or wider workforce, we’d love to connect.

14/05/2026

To celebrate Foster Care Fortnight, we’re giving away a copy of the incredible book
📖 Attachment, Trauma and Resilience by Kate Cairns and Brian Cairns.

This powerful book has supported so many practitioners, carers and professionals to better understand the impact of trauma, relationships and resilience on children and young people. It’s full of insight, compassion and practical wisdom that can genuinely shape practice and relationships.

Whether you’re a foster carer, teacher, social worker, early years practitioner or simply passionate about relational and trauma-informed approaches, this is a book worth having on your shelf.

To enter:
👇 Complete the short Microsoft Form below
📅 Entries close 22/05/2026
🎉 Winner announced 25/05/2026

https://forms.office.com/e/kDcVMpQPMi

Please feel free to like, share and tag someone who would love this book.