{"id":31621,"date":"2023-10-02T18:53:29","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T18:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/trauma-informed-concept\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T18:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:04:13","slug":"concepto-informado-sobre-el-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/trauma-informed-concept\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfCu\u00e1l es el enfoque informado sobre el trauma de Connecticut?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Trauma profoundly impacts children and families. Over time, trauma that goes unaddressed can lead to toxic stress that impairs development and causes long-lasting behavioral and physical damage. Untreated trauma has been linked to a wide range of issues later in life, including depression, anxiety, addiction, risk-taking behavior, a greater likelihood of chronic disease, and even early death. In recent years, rates of several mental health disorders among young people have increased significantly<\/a>, in part stemming from the trauma and isolation associated with living through the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

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Children and families involved with child protection agencies often have experienced trauma. Additionally, the processes of investigation, removal, and placement \u2014 routine interventions and functions of any child protection agency \u2014 are increasingly recognized as traumatic events in and of themselves<\/a>. Black and American Indian\/Alaska Native youth, who are overrepresented at each stage of the child welfare system, also may be exposed to trauma as a result of long-standing discrimination, systemic inequities, and adverse community conditions.<\/p>\n

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Child protection agencies have come to recognize the adverse effects of trauma and the critical importance of trauma-informed, healing-centered supports<\/a> for children and families.<\/p>\n

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Connecticut\u2019s Department of Children and Families (DCF) is an example of a state agency that aims to embed trauma-informed principles and values into all of its policies, programs, and practices, working to ameliorate the impact of trauma on the children and families it serves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Being trauma-informed is now embedded into everything that we do. It has become part of who we are.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Jodi Hill-Lilly, Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Connecticut DCF<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Centering trauma: Strategies and lessons learned<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

In 2011, DCF was awarded a $3.2 million, five-year federal grant to integrate trauma practices into all levels of the child welfare system. CONCEPT (the Connecticut Collaborative on Effective Practices for Trauma)<\/a> engaged multidisciplinary partners,1<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0including the Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI) and the Consultation Center at Yale University, to lay the groundwork for what has become a sustained focus on trauma and a statewide trauma-informed system of care<\/strong>. Although the CONCEPT grant has expired, its legacy and lessons continue on.<\/p>\n

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DCF learned many lessons through the creation and implementation of CONCEPT and through efforts to sustain and integrate it into the development of Connecticut\u2019s Behavioral Health Plan for Children<\/a>, which DCF led following the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown in 2012. The strategies and considerations discussed here hold promise for other child protection agencies interested in systemwide integration of trauma-informed principles.<\/p>\n

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Generating statewide stakeholder support<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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DCF\u2019s initial approach to developing a trauma-informed system of care was intentionally multi-pronged and integrated into a network of state partnerships. DCF leaders knew they had to gain support from stakeholders both internally (administration and staff) and externally (private providers, schools, and other agencies). A previously established steering committee assessed community readiness and secured community feedback by meeting with and listening to families, faith-based organizations, and grassroots groups across the state. The meetings and feedback helped inform the development of CONCEPT. Four workgroups were established to support rollout and implementation: Screening and Workforce Development; Learning Collaboratives; Policy and Procedures; and Data and Evaluation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Developing trauma-informed staff at all levels<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

Due to the diversity and volume of staff and stakeholders that needed to be engaged, cross-training was key. Everyone \u2014 commissioners, program managers, providers, constituents, and family advocates \u2014 received consistent trauma-informed training. In 2012, DCF began requiring comprehensive trauma training using the National Child Traumatic Stress Network\u2019s Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit<\/a>, which is now a pre-service requirement for all new staff. The Child Health and Development Institute established a learning collaborative to bridge gaps and build a common language between DCF and its community partners about trauma-informed care. Designated \u201ctrauma champions\u201d provided information to the community through local meetings and communications, and promoted trauma\u2010informed care and activities within DCF offices.<\/p>\n

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DCF leadership describes the paradigm shift as moving from a \u201chead change\u201d to a \u201cheart change.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a> A turning point in cementing this shift occurred through training staff on the neuroscience of trauma. Participant disclosures occurred in the classroom as staff came to terms with their own personal and secondary trauma. Leadership realized that they had to take care of staff members\u2019 emotions that arose both during training but also in their daily work with children and families. Leaders reviewed and refined the curriculum to incorporate secondary trauma language, created health and wellness teams in all DCF offices, and set up wellness rooms, nutrition groups, and informational speakers. DCF also changed its employee assistance provider to one that was more holistic and proactive in reaching out to staff.<\/p>\n

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Creating trauma screening and referral procedures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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DCF was among the first jurisdictions to begin trauma screening in child welfare. The validated Child Trauma Screen<\/a>, created by an interdisciplinary workgroup led by the Child Health and Development Institute and Yale, is now utilized to screen all children age 7 and older who are placed into care as part of the agency\u2019s \u201cmulti-disciplinary evaluation.\u201d A second screen for children ages 3 to 6 also has been developed and implemented. In addition, DCF requires trauma screening of all youth receiving court-ordered evaluation, and continues to test strategies for expanding trauma screening to more children involved across the child welfare system.3<\/sup><\/a> There are trauma-informed screening initiatives in schools, behavioral health settings, and pediatric practices.<\/p>\n

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After a lengthy review and feedback process, project partners streamlined the screening tool from 60 questions to 10 to increase the likelihood of completion and expand the universe of individuals able to administer the tool. The current tool is structured in an interview format, takes 10 to 20 minutes to administer, has separate child and caregiver versions, and probes trauma history, PTSD, mental health, and substance use. The screening tool is more user-friendly and supports the rapid development of findings that can be used quickly to inform service provision.<\/p>\n

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The caseworker integrates the child report, caregiver report, and the record review\/collateral information, and then enters the information into the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System. If appropriate, a standardized mental health referral form is generated using the results of the screening. Staff across all agencies involved in the case have access to the screening results.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Impact and institutionalization of CONCEPT<\/h3>\n

CONCEPT was developed and designed to be sustainable. Along with specific\u00a0training and treatment approaches implemented<\/a>\u00a0as part of the CONCEPT grant, DCF has incorporated a trauma-informed lens into its mission statement, practices, policies, contracts, and more. These shifts have outlived the CONCEPT grant and continue to evolve as the agency dives deeper into the intersection of racial justice, trauma, and safety science.<\/p>\n

During implementation of the CONCEPT grant, DCF:<\/p>\n