Podcast: Understanding and Living with Anger in Traumatised Children
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If you've ever found yourself Googling "how to help violent foster child" at 2am, or felt your heart racing when your child's anger explodes over something seemingly trivial, this course is for you. You're not alone, and you're not failing.
This course is specifically designed for foster carers, adoptive parents, and kinship carers supporting children with trauma histories.
You'll discover:
- The fascinating science behind trauma-related anger that will completely change how you see those explosive moments.
- What's really happening when a child melts down over seemingly nothing.
- How anger manifests differently across ages - from pre-schooler tantrums to teenage power struggles.
- Why traditional parenting techniques don't work with traumatised children.
- The real questions carers are asking - with honest, validating answers.
Important:
This course doesn't teach restraint techniques - that requires professional oversight and is a contentious practice. Instead, we focus on something more powerful: understanding. When you truly understand what's driving a child's anger, everything changes.
Nearly half of UK foster carers report being physically harmed by a foster child. We acknowledge that reality whilst helping you understand the 'why' behind the behaviour.
This foundation course prepares you for our upcoming advanced course on therapeutic de-escalation techniques.
Informative, easy to understand and valuable to any foster carer.
If you're a foster carer or other professional working with children, this certificate is a record of your Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
CPD Minutes: 30
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You might not hear it directly, but a lot of children are really saying, “Please don’t give up on me” — even when they’re shouting or slamming doors. This course helps you tune into what’s going on underneath those behaviours, so you can respond in a way that shows them their voice, feelings, and fears matter.
By helping you reflect on what children can’t always say out loud, you’re supporting this standard:
“Children know that their views, wishes and feelings are taken into account in all aspects of their care.”
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by a child’s outburst or confused about why something small turned into a full-blown meltdown, this course is here to help. It unpacks what’s really going on beneath angry behaviour, especially for children who’ve experienced trauma, and gives you therapeutic, practical ways to respond.
This helps you meet Standard 3 by supporting you to:
“Encourage positive behaviour using strategies that are tailored to the individual child.”
Instead of just reacting to behaviour, you’ll learn how to respond in ways that strengthen your relationship and help the child feel safe, without losing your boundaries.
You might be wondering, “What do I do when it turns violent?” You’re not alone. This course talks honestly about aggression and the risks involved in things like restraint. It also guides you to focus on prevention, de-escalation, and safety planning — and reminds you that you’re never expected to manage this alone.
By exploring how to keep everyone safe (including you, your family, and the child), the course supports you in meeting Standard 4:
“Children feel safe and are safe.”
When a child is constantly anxious or in survival mode, it impacts their emotional and even physical health. This course helps you understand how trauma affects the nervous system, and why anger often masks deeper feelings like fear or shame.
You’ll be supported to respond in ways that promote healing — helping children learn to name, express, and manage their feelings — which is key to this standard:
“Children’s physical, emotional and social development needs are promoted.”
No one hands you a manual for managing a child who throws things, screams “I hate you,” or lashes out at their siblings. This course helps bridge that gap by offering real-world insight, up-to-date research, and emotional support. You’ll gain strategies that are grounded in evidence but explained in a way that makes sense for day-to-day life.
This contributes directly to Standard 20, which expects that foster carers are helped to:
“Develop the skills required to meet the needs of children placed with them, and to keep them safe.”
It also encourages you to reflect on your own triggers and emotional resilience — because let’s face it, it’s not just about the child’s behaviour. It’s about what it stirs up in us, too.
