14th September 2025

New Young Person’s Trauma Keyring Launched

Sometimes, when you’re living with the effects of difficult experiences, it can feel impossible to explain what’s really going on. You might get angry, upset, go quiet, or need to walk away, but the people around you don’t always see this as a response to trauma. Too often, it gets misunderstood as “being difficult”.

That’s why the Healthwatch Essex Trauma Ambassador Group, working alongside young people across Essex, have created something new: the Young Person’s Trauma Resource – a discreet keyring that helps you make others aware of what you’re going through.

The keyring has been designed with young people for young people. It’s small, simple, and easy to carry; something you can keep close without drawing unwanted attention. If you’re in school, college, at the GP, in hospital, or anywhere else where you need support, you can show it to a professional so they understand that what they’re seeing is linked to trauma. It’s a way of saying, “this is what’s happening for me right now”, without having to find the words in the heat of the moment.

Trauma can be defined as an event, or series of events, which are very stressful, frightening, distressing and/or disturbing. Causes of trauma include experiencing violence or abuse, exposure to crime and bereavement; however, it is very much an individual reaction and there is no complete list of causes. Trauma can be triggered at any stage in a person’s life and occurs when some kind of external factor causes them to recall the event which was traumatic to them. Trauma can be experienced from birth, so there is no age limit to be affected. Again, triggers are very personal and hugely varied, but some common examples can include a smell, visual object or a certain word or phrase. For young people, the stress of professional and formal environments can be particularly challenging.
The reactions caused by trauma are equally unique but often can be likened to the symptoms of a panic attack. The instinct may well be to retreat, shut down on an emotional and/or communicative level, or to react with a desire to protect themselves. Reactions can be of a physical, emotional and psychological manner. The effects have a huge impact on the individual personally, not just in the moment when the trigger occurs but for some time after. They can be hugely distressing for the individual concerned.

Young people helped to shape every stage of this resource, sharing honestly about what would (and wouldn’t) work:

“I would use a card, to be fair, but a lot of people my age wouldn’t. So it’s a good idea to have something different for them.”

“I definitely wouldn’t want it on my phone. That’s where all my stress comes from, so I would want something totally separate.”

“It needs to be like invisible, so that nobody would think anything if they saw it.”

“Just something really simple. If I get angry or upset, I can’t mess about with something complicated.”

By listening to this feedback, we’ve created a keyring that is discreet, practical, and empowering.

Sharon Westfield de Cortez, Information and Guidance Manager at Healthwatch Essex, said: “This project shows the power of co-production. By working directly with young people and listening to their experiences, we’ve been able to create a resource that genuinely meets their needs. The keyring is about empowerment – giving young people a simple way to communicate what they’re going through and helping professionals to respond with understanding.”

You can request your free Trauma Keyring here. If you’ve already started using the keyring, we’d love to hear how it’s helping you. You can share your feedback here and it will make sure this resource keeps evolving to meet young people’s needs.

At Healthwatch Essex, we know that trauma affects people in many different ways. This keyring is one small step towards making it easier for young people to be understood and supported.