Building a Trauma Informed System of Care Toolkit

Building a Trauma Informed System of Care System of Care Meetings

A major key to the success and growth of the Johnson City System of Care has been holding a bi-monthly Trauma Informed System of Care meeting. Shortly after we began training community partners, we held our first System of Care meeting. At each training, we invited the organizations attending training to send at least one representative to the System of Care meeting. Our experience has shown those who follow up and participate are likely to be more engaged in developing a trauma informed culture in their workplace than those who do not. To encourage greater participation from staff at all levels within organizations, we do not require a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an agency in order for a person or an organization to become an affiliate of the System of Care. This allowed people to come and benefit from the meeting without a legally binding agreement, which depending on the type of organization, could set up barriers to involvement. Although we began with no prior design for these meetings, a successful structure emerged around two components – coaching and cheering. Someone presents some kind of educational content at each meeting followed by announcements of implementation successes experienced by people in attendance. In each meeting, one of an invited presenter or one of us provides continuing education and practical applications of trauma informed care, ACEs science, and/or resilience principles. In addition to other topical training, we review the four stages of becoming trauma informed in most meetings. This reminds partners that being trauma informed is a journey not a destination. Self-assessment tools are available to gauge where an organization is in the journey of becoming trauma informed. Two assessment tools we are familiar with are: Creating Cultures of Trauma-Informed Care (CCTIC): A Self-Assessment and Planning Protocol Community Connections; Washington, D.C. - Roger D. Fallot, Ph.D. and Maxine Harris, Ph.D. April 2009 1 Trauma Informed Care Organizational Self-Assessment - This is a tool for organizations to assess their implementation of trauma-informed care in several domains. It was developed by the Traumatic Stress Institute. 2 Coaching System Partners

1

https://www.theannainstitute.org/CCTICSELFASSPP.pdf

2 https://traumaticstressinstitute.org/resources/trauma-informed-care-organizational-assessment/

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