Many young people have experienced trauma by adulthood (Lewis et al, 2019; Perfect et al, 2016). Greater emphasis is needed to consider how to collectively support these young people. Schools and out-of-home care (OoHC) settings work with vulnerable youth from a wide variety of backgrounds and there is a need to determine how to provide essential support for these youth and to also understand their experiences. This thesis explores ways to motivate professionals to deliver trauma-informed care (TIC) to vulnerable youth, while also examining factors that contribute to the youth’s sense of belonging. Part one of this portfolio presents a scoping review of the qualitative research available from youth in OoHC relating to their sense of belonging. The findings of the review suggest direct relationships with care families, birth families and peers are important for belonging alongside an accepting wider environment. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of society providing opportunities for belonging considering community, ethnic, cultural and religious spaces. Part two presents an empirical paper that used semi-structured interviews to collect data and a grounded theory approach to generate a theory of what motivates staff to work in TIC environments with vulnerable young people. This staff motivation is essential for vulnerable youth to receive TIC and limit re-traumatisation. The findings present a theory that describes the motivations of staff along a professional timeline. Initially staff reported motivations relating to intrinsic reasons relating to childhood reflections and values, alongside perceived competence. An understanding of TIC, and expectancy around improving youths’ lives, kept staff working long enough to develop relationships in the setting. Finally, staff were motivated by seeing the young people’s progress and experience of trust developing. Spaces for self-reflection were important throughout. This theory can be applied to settings to support staff recruitment and retention in TIC settings.