'FASD Informed' Social Worker

Feb 24
4 min read

The FASD Informed Stage 4 Programme is a specialist training pathway designed for workers supporting children, young people and adults who have been exposed to Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) and/or drugs. The programme equips teams to consider safeguarding the neurodevelopmental impact of prenatal alcohol exposure and to deliver support that is developmentally appropriate.

It encourages good practice to avoid making assumptions and maintains a strong focus on safeguarding those with severe and complex needs, ensuring that all interventions are FASD-informed and regulation-focused to support early intervention.

'FASD-informed practice' acknowledges the need to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours, to consider 'symptoms' and to ask...

‘What does this child or young person's need?’

rather than

‘What is wrong with this child or young person's?’

We tailor the programme to consider strong reflective practice in teams supporting and safeguarding children, young people or adults with pre-natal alcohol exposure. We encourage sharing of good practice in consideration of personalised care and management planning.

The course is designed to dig deep when needs are complex, where there are ongoing physical or mental health conditions, making care multidisciplinary involving a wider team membership to include a healthcare responsibility rather than just social care, determined by the nature, intensity, complexity, and unpredictability of needs in supporting the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum.

4 x bitesize 90 minute sessions tailored to your team's rota, where we can adjust to suit you.....in or out of hours or on inset days... where you can dip in at your pace.

'FASD Informed'™ Professional Stage 1

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?... with no assumptions, all professionals starting on the same page; we consider the damage of the brain and nervous system and how this impacts everything.

Identify how alcohol is Neuro-Developmental Trauma
The impact of alcohol on the brain and its vulnerabilities
Show how alcohol has a direct impact on safeguarding through capacity, processing and functioning
Examine how the alcohol informs the spectrum of need and some of its 428 co-occurring conditions including Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Tourette’s.
Review developmental milestones in the womb; explain the lifelong impact
Recognise the brain functions and how FASD impacts development
Examine the developmental divergence of peers in learning

'FASD Informed'™ Professional Stage 2

Interpreting theory into practice, processing speed, hyper-fixation, fluctuating/environmental mental capacity, perseverance, confabulation; providing strategies to support the spectrum, digging deeper into the practical considerations with case study reflection.

'FASD Informed'™ Professional Stage 3

Digging deep into sexualised symptoms, 'switching' techniques, looking outside the box at meeting emerging and anticipated needs, planning well ahead for transitions.

'FASD Informed'™ Professional Stage 4

FASD NICE Quality Standards, OFSTED good practice informing 'FASD Responsive' Practice, Clinical Guidelines for Alcohol; personalised care, risk assessment, safeguarding, reflection and case management; forward planning.

Understanding the needs of carers & parents, vicarious trauma, adapting practice to plan to meet short and long term needs; good practice in getting support from a wider multi-agency team.

All participants will receive 'FASD Informed' certification, resources and membership of our network of FASD Responsive Professionals.

We tailor our bespoke online FASD-Informed sessions around the needs of the families you support; every session is unique because we consider carefully the child or adult that you support.

'Under the guidance of the programme lead, my team was encouraged to engage in open participation, drawing on the strengths present at every level. This collective multi-disciplinary reflection was pivotal; it allowed the team to step back from their reactive stance and consider the broader context, including the potential impact of alcohol-related brain damage.

This shift in perspective enabled my team to interpret the young person’s behaviours as forms of communication of unmet needs, fixated symptoms, perseveration; signalling changes in mental and physical health.

By unpicking these needs together, the team began to transition from a mode of crisis management to a more thoughtful and responsive approach.

For the Head of Service and the wider team, this period marked a complete turning point—a ‘showstopper’ moment that united everyone in the shared goal of making a real difference.

The sense of achievement and unity fostered within the team was profound, leading to a significant change in our entire service offer of core practices in supporting in care and children looked after where we now 'rule in alcohol' at the earliest opportunity to consider early intervention. The experience underscored the value of reflective practice, collaborative problem-solving, and the importance of celebrating collective successes.'

Head of Service.

This account from the Head of Service, illustrates the profound impact that reflective, strengths-based teamwork can have in supporting vulnerable children, young people, adults and their families.

By moving beyond crisis response and embracing open collaboration, the team was able to identify and address underlying needs, transform their practice, and empower those in their care. The experience serves as a powerful example of the importance of collective reflection and responsive support in achieving lasting, positive change. Great practice!

Director of FASD

'FASD Informed' (TM) Education delivered by a strong experienced qualified team, tailoring a bespoke service to support your team in becoming FASD Responsive(TM).

To book a placeholder diary date please email us: info@fasdinformed.co.uk

We also offer 1:1 consultation service and attendance of meetings for stuck or complex cases.