Building a Trauma Informed System of Care Toolkit

Building a Trauma Informed System of Care Evaluation: Reach, Effectiveness, Successes, & Barriers

Successes

• All organizations noted that their immediate team members (in larger organizations) or their entire staff (in smaller organizations) have been trained in trauma informed care. • Several organizations reported having staff that attended the train the trainer program and now provide ongoing training within their organization to all newly hired staff and volunteers. • Numerous partners reported that they had gained buy-in from upper level management within their organizations. • Coordinated school health staff said their school superintendents were now on board and considering how to begin having trauma informed care training for school staff and are exploring grant opportunities to obtain funding for expanding resources for students and families in need. • The regional library director and the Topper Academy principal reported visitors (including state legislators) frequently come from other counties across Tennessee to hear about their trauma informed programming and improved outcomes. • The Veterans Administration chaplain is now using ACEs science in his approach when working with veterans. Prior to this, veterans often remarked, “when my meds get straightened out” or “when I get clean” everything will be okay, but now, by helping them understand ACEs science and the importance of resilience factors such as a strong support system and healthy coping mechanisms, he is seeing improvement for some. • Foster care program staff reported using the ACEs survey as a screening tool for foster parents in order to educate and help parents identify their own ACEs and how to prevent triggers in themselves as they interact with their foster children. This is being done as a preventative measure to help match foster parents with children with whom they are more likely to be successful as mentors. Foster parents have provided very positive feedback about this change.

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