Lyla Lindsey
Trauma-informed care is a framework for human service delivery that is based on an understanding of how trauma affects people's lives and their service needs. It recognizes that exposure to traumatic life events, such as child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence, can have profound and destabilizing effects on individuals and families. Trauma-informed care aims to reduce the potential for re-traumatization and promote healing and recovery. This approach is particularly relevant in child/family welfare services, where there is a risk of inconsistent development of trauma-informed models and practices due to the lack of an overarching framework in Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Understanding of trauma and its impact on individuals | Safety (physical and emotional) |
| Recognising trauma as a pervasive issue | Trustworthiness |
| Knowledge of trauma-informed practices and their importance | Choice |
| Addressing trauma in a safe and supportive environment | Collaboration |
| Preventing re-traumatisation | Empowerment |
| Prioritising workforce wellness and training | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Justice (DEIAJ) |
| Providing trauma-specific interventions | Respect |
| Embedding trauma-informed practices in all health and human service systems | Strengths-based approach |
| Recognising the impact of trauma on consultations | Skill acquisition and strength-building |
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What You'll Learn
Understanding trauma and its effects
Trauma-informed care is a framework for human service delivery that is based on knowledge and understanding of how trauma affects people's lives, their service needs and service usage. It is important to understand the experiences of adversity in childhood, such as sexual or other forms of abuse, as trauma. Exposure to traumatic life events such as child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence is a driver of service need.
Trauma-informed care recognises the pervasive nature of trauma and promotes environments of healing and recovery. It requires an active, ongoing commitment from all members of an organisation to understand trauma and adversity. This includes acknowledging how one's self-view and worldview influence their interpretation of the present. Being trauma-informed is about the workforce as much as it is about individuals receiving services.
Trauma-informed care is necessary because incidents of trauma can have profound and deeply destabilising effects on individuals. Staff must understand trauma and its symptoms and behavioural presentations in individuals. Behaviours that appear self-destructive or self-defeating can be acknowledged as adaptive behaviours to trauma that have become maladaptive over time. This understanding ensures that policies and service providers respond appropriately to people dealing with trauma and its effects.
Trauma-specific services are best delivered as part of a trauma-informed system of care operating within a trauma-aware organisational context. This includes the physical environment, policies, procedures, communication, and messaging mechanisms. Organisations looking to become more trauma-informed need to apply the filter of trauma-informed values and principles to all levels of the organisation.
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Service delivery and organisational strategies
Trauma-informed care in Australia involves recognising and responding to the effects of trauma. This approach promotes a supportive environment for care providers and a safe and trusting environment for those receiving care. Trauma-informed care can be implemented at all levels of an organisation, from individual teams to the whole organisation.
Promote connection
Trauma-informed organisations facilitate connections between trauma-impacted individuals and various sources of support. This includes support for staff, such as access to trauma-informed support via supervision and peer consultation.
Communicate belief in recovery
A sense of hope and expectation of resilience and recovery is communicated, along with an understanding of the challenges of recovery. This includes creating an organisational culture and leadership that values and promotes a trauma-informed approach.
Build staff knowledge and skills
Staff should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to deliver care in a trauma-informed way. This includes understanding the dynamics of traumatic stress, the role of coping strategies, and the potential trauma history of those engaging with the service.
Create a safe and stable environment
A physically and emotionally safe space should be provided for staff and individuals engaging with the organisation. This includes maintaining privacy, confidentiality, and mutual respect, as well as respecting cultural differences and diversity. The environment should also be predictable and stable, facilitating the individual's ability to rebuild a sense of control over their lives.
Involve trauma-impacted individuals
Trauma-impacted individuals should be involved in the design and evaluation of the organisation's procedures and service delivery. This includes involving them in the development of policies and processes that support trauma-informed practices.
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$25.55
Child/family welfare services
Trauma-informed care is an approach that is being increasingly adopted by child and family welfare services in Australia. This approach recognises the widespread impact of trauma and its potential to affect an individual's life trajectory and ability to engage with services. By understanding the role of trauma, services can better
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Adverse childhood experiences
The significance of ACEs was highlighted by Felitti et al.'s research in 1998, which demonstrated a clear link between the number of adversities experienced in childhood and impaired physical and mental well-being in adulthood, as well as reduced life expectancy. This research brought attention to the need to address underlying factors contributing to childhood mental illness, such as parental mental illness and early attachment difficulties.
In the context of Australia's youth justice system, ACEs and trauma symptomatology are prevalent, with high rates of substance use and internalising and externalising behaviours observed. The Australian Institute of Family Studies recognises the importance of understanding ACEs and their impact on human service delivery sectors. This includes acknowledging the long-term effects of childhood trauma and abuse and the need for trauma-informed care in child/family welfare services.
Trauma-informed care aims to create a safe and supportive environment for individuals affected by trauma. It involves understanding how trauma affects people's lives, their service needs, and service usage. This approach prioritises workforce wellness, leadership investment, ongoing education, and the creation of safe spaces to promote healing and prevent re-traumatisation. Organisations implementing trauma-informed care should apply these values and principles at all levels, including the physical environment, policies, procedures, and communication mechanisms.
Child and Family Hubs in Australia aim to integrate health, social care, and legal support to provide fair access to quality services for children and families affected by ACEs. These hubs play a crucial role in promoting resilience, healing, and growth for those impacted by childhood adversity.
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![SMA 14-4816 TIP 57 Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services - TREATMENT IMPROVEMENT PROTOCOL 2014 [Black and White Loose Leaf Edition 2022 Printing]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71DLsI6T-tL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Preventing re-traumatisation
Trauma-informed care is a framework for human service delivery that is based on knowledge and understanding of how trauma affects people's lives, their service needs, and service usage. It is an organisational change process that requires all individuals, practices, protocols, and environments to engage in universal precaution for trauma. The Australian Institute of Family Studies highlights the need for trauma-informed care in child/family welfare services.
- Safety: Creating a safe and supportive environment is crucial. This includes physical and emotional safety, ensuring that individuals feel secure and comfortable in their surroundings.
- Trustworthiness: Building trust is essential. This involves demonstrating reliability, consistency, and transparency in interactions with individuals.
- Choice: Providing individuals with choices and options empowers them and allows them to feel in control of their own recovery.
- Collaboration: Working collaboratively with individuals creates a sense of partnership and shared decision-making. This helps to build trust and ensure that interventions are tailored to their needs.
- Empowerment: Encouraging and supporting individuals to take an active role in their healing process empowers them. This may involve providing them with the necessary resources and tools to make informed decisions about their care.
- Staff Training: Ensuring that staff have a good understanding of trauma and its effects is vital. This includes recognising how trauma can impact individuals' behaviours and presenting symptoms. By understanding trauma, staff can create safe spaces and adapt their practices to avoid re-traumatisation.
- Organisational Strategies: Organisations should adopt a trauma-informed approach at all levels. This includes considering the physical environment, policies, procedures, and communication mechanisms. A consistent and universal approach across the organisation helps to prevent re-traumatisation and provides a cohesive framework for support.
- Adjunct Services: Offering adjunct services to address other presenting issues is important. Trauma-specific interventions may not always be effective for all individuals, so providing a range of support options ensures a holistic approach to care.
- Evaluation and Monitoring: Implementing a process of evaluation and monitoring helps to ensure the effectiveness of trauma-informed practices. This involves seeking feedback from clients and staff and making adjustments as needed to prevent re-traumatisation.
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Frequently asked questions
Trauma-informed care is a framework for human service delivery that is based on knowledge and understanding of how trauma affects people's lives, their service needs and service usage. It promotes environments of healing and recovery rather than practices and services that may inadvertently re-traumatize.
The five guiding trauma-informed values and principles are safety (physical and emotional), trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
Research suggests that exposure to adverse, potentially traumatic events in childhood is not uncommon. Understanding the experiences of adversity in childhood such as sexual or other abuse as trauma is now recognised to be an important concept for human service delivery sectors.
Trauma-informed care in child/family welfare services might include evidence-based programs or clinical interventions that are specific to addressing trauma symptoms, such as trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy. It also includes broader organisational- or service-level systems of care that respond to the needs of clients with a lived experience of trauma.
