Child Welfare Trauma Tookit

Intended Audience: Child welfare service personnel working directly with clients, supervisors of frontline personnel, personnel who are interested in Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice

Description of Course: This 2-day training is designed to teach basic knowledge, skills, and values about working with children in the child welfare system who have experienced traumatic events, and how to use this knowledge to support children’s safety, permanency, and well-being through trauma-informed practice. The training also covers the effects of trauma on birth and resource parents as well as professionals working within the Child Welfare System. Training modalities used will be case scenario discussions, video and audio clips, and lecture.

Intended Objectives:

• Define the Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System
• Understand the term “child traumatic stress” and know what types of experiences constitute childhood trauma
• Understand the relationship between a child’s lifetime trauma history and his or her behaviors and responses
• Practice strategies for enhancing psychological safety in children and families
• Identify coping responses, strengths, and protective factors that promote resilience among children who have been impacted by trauma
• Enhance family well-being and resilience by providing education and support to birth and resource parents
• Increase the participant’s knowledge of the ways in which they are impacted by secondary traumatic stress and coping strategies
• Identify strategies for partnering with youth, families, and other agencies and systems that interact with children and families

Topics Include:

• Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Child Welfare System
• Child Trauma and Child Traumatic Stress
• How Does Trauma Affect Children
• Impact of Trauma on the Brain and Body
• Culture and Trauma
• Trauma and Resilience of Those Working in the System
• Collaboration with Agencies and Systems that Interact with Children and Families