Trauma-Informed Continuum

Public policies that are informed by the science behind ACEs and trauma (consider using the trauma model).

Recommendations:

All social service agencies complete a self assessment on trauma-informed practices including training, hiring practices, and cross-sector referrals

In Palm Beach County, many opportunities lie in the inter- and cross-system practices on behalf of the youngest people being served Examples of these opportunities lie with the school system, child and family services, child welfare, or through the court system These sectors and systems impact thousands of children's lives with known multiple ACEs (regardless of ACEs screening protocol) and trauma As with any system change approach, once the mental model shift of becoming trauma-informed takes place, the practice of recruiting, training, and equipping caregivers and the policies in place for service delivery for children will change as well Thereby the practice of expelling children from early care and education centers would look different, or there would be a regional plan for such children The same is true of school-aged children without a history of school punishments

Another example would be court-determined child placement through the foster care system. We would require educational and training support as well as evaluate kinship care placements in light of intergenerational transmission of ACEs Additionally, as a county we would prioritize the continuity of therapy and care for children removed from family or foster placements This type of practice change would truly show the understanding of trauma and ACEs and the intergenerational transmission of ACEs in the absence of an intervention The staff across agencies and sectors would work to align trauma-informed services, treatment, and case plans. The information about a child's trauma would be shared across systems, when allowed and appropriate To achieve these and other inter- and cross-system changes, the sector or system might have to undergo political advocacy and education to initiate reform; however, if as a society we believe the science to be true, we must persevere to realize change48

EXAMPLES OF TRAUMA-AWARE STRATEGIES

a. Trauma-Prevention Strategies: Policies that are not necessarily designed with the explicit intent of addressing traumatic stress, but have great potential to do so by reducing exposure and promoting resilience b. Trauma-Informed Policies: Policies that reflect knowledge about the prevalence of trauma exposure in a population and how the effects of trauma could have secondary consequences c. Trauma-Specific Policies: Policies that promote access to interventions that mitigate the effects of trauma exposure and promote recovery