Trauma Informed Systems of Care

The partners of this workgroup, under the oversight of the Livingston HSCB’s  Funding Partners Workgroup, have formed a collaboration to improve outcomes for children who have experienced trauma and their families. Our mission is to create a system of care that recognizes trauma and its impact in order to better meet the needs of children and families in Livingston County.

Goals

Introduce and embed trauma informed knowledge and practices that are culturally competent, evidence supported/based, and responsive to the needs of traumatized children and their families, targeting change at three levels:

• System change
• Service delivery
• Child & Family outcomes

Objectives

System Change:

• Infuse a trauma informed perspective into decision-making policies and practices of major child-serving systems including law enforcement, legal, child welfare, human services, mental health and education.
• Expand community awareness of and responsiveness to the needs of traumatized children and their families.

Service Delivery:

• Infuse a trauma informed perspective into direct service (e.g. casework, assessment, therapy) and caregiving practices (e.g. with biological parents, kinship care, foster parents, adoptive parents).
• Improve collaboration between professionals (e.g. attorneys, caseworkers, therapists & court officials) based on a common language and shared understanding of traumatic stress.
• Expand community resources to address the needs of traumatized children and their families including:
  • Trauma Informed assessment practices
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Caregiver Education Program

Child Outcomes:

• Improve child welfare outcomes, specifically in reference to child safety, permanency, placement stability, community reintegration, academic achievement, and reducing child trauma symptoms.

Partnerships