scholarly journals The importance of trauma-informed approaches in education – the impact of implementing a brain-based approach to supporting learners across a Scottish Local Authority

2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Taylor ◽  
Whitney Barrett
2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2110348
Author(s):  
David Clifford

Over the last decade, the local government finance system in England has experienced ‘genuinely revolutionary change’: overall revenues have declined and councils are now more reliant on locally raised taxes. Importantly, the nature of change has varied geographically: urban councils serving poorer communities have experienced the biggest declines in their service spending. This paper considers the impact of these spatially uneven changes on the voluntary sector. We follow through time charities known to be in receipt of local government funding at the time of peak council budgets in 2009–2010 and describe trends in the income of these charities until 2016–2017. We show that, just as the pattern of change in local government financing has been spatially uneven, so the trend in charities’ income has varied geographically. Indeed the spatially regressive nature of recent change in charities’ income is remarkable: while the median charity in the least deprived decile of the local authority distribution experienced little change in their income, the median charity in the most deprived decile experienced a 20% decline. The results provide the strongest evidence to date that, in countries with a history of partnership between government and the voluntary sector, voluntary organisations in more deprived areas are particularly vulnerable to sizeable reductions in the level of local government spending. Indeed, by illustrating for the first time the sizeable reductions in the income of charities in disadvantaged communities, the results demonstrate an important mechanism through which ‘austerity urbanism’ becomes salient in the lives of individuals in deprived areas.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Powell ◽  
Kathy Morrison

Family violence (also referred to as Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence) describes violence that occurs within an intimate relationship, whether a current or former partner. Children can experience a range of abuses (emotional, physical, sexual and neglect) within the context of family violence, and harm is cumulative and may present as complex trauma. This paper is based on a practice presentation delivered at the International Childhood Trauma Conference in Melbourne (Australia) in June 2016. The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness of the impacts for children who have experienced family violence, to enhance understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to their trauma presentation, and to highlight the specific practice issues and considerations in providing therapeutic support to this client population, with the ultimate aim of improving diagnostic and treatment outcomes for children impacted by family violence. Sufficient safety and stability are required for children to experience therapeutic change, and if family violence is current, the initial response needs to be protective. Identification of family violence should prompt practitioners to use trauma-informed assessment and trauma-focused evidence-based treatments within a family therapy and systems framework. Family violence is complex and there are many barriers to treatment and practice considerations. Expansion of practitioner knowledge and skills in family violence trauma will enhance outcomes for children who have experienced family violence.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Rye ◽  
Joanna Anderson ◽  
Max Pickard

Purpose Many referrals to our mental health of learning disability service focus on concerns about behaviours that present risks to the referred person and to those around them, including support workers. If the referred person has good verbal ability, psychological therapy may be requested and offered, but the person may find it too difficult to engage for a number of reasons. Even when they do engage in therapy, the authors recognise the importance of helping staff better understand their attachment needs. This paper aims to demonstrate an innovative approach to helping staff provide Trauma-Informed Care (TIC). Design/methodology/approach The authors developed a training programme for support workers using psychodynamic concepts, such as splitting, transference and counter-transference, to help them develop insight into the processes that get enacted during their work. In this paper the authors have generally used the term “care staff”, recognising that an important aspect of the role of those staff is to provide care within an attachment framework; as well as support to maximise independence. Findings The feedback from staff who have attended has been very positive, both at the time and later. Staff who have attended have talked to multidisciplinary colleagues about the impact their learning has had on their ability to work with service users who present great challenges, in the context of their trauma histories. Originality/value The importance of providing TIC is gaining traction across varied settings. The authors are in the process of developing both qualitative and quantitative research programmes to evaluate this approach to increasing TIC for adults with learning disabilities, reducing staff burn out and placement breakdown.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilip Balu

The author's clinical experience with the Child Protection and Mental Health Care systems informs this brief practice-focused paper. The author posits that Secondary Traumatic Stress and Vicarious Trauma are central to understanding the impact of relationally traumatic material and the experience of individuals, families, team and the wider ecology of care systems. In particular, the author hypothesises that the tendency of systems to become fragmented in operation, with silos of sub-parts working parallel to each other, may be a natural adaptation to the ways in which traumatic experience ripples across system boundaries. This ‘ripple effect’ may lead to increasing emotional and relational reactivity, and survival-oriented inward focus of energies and efforts. The metaphor of the brain and nervous system is used to explore ideas of connection and integration in care systems. Trauma-informed leadership by individuals and teams is also touched upon in relation to reducing fear-driven clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (10) ◽  
pp. 843-856
Author(s):  
Constance Gundacker ◽  
Tyler W. Barreto ◽  
Julie P. Phillips

Background and Objectives: Traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction have a lifetime prevalence of 62%-75% and can negatively impact health outcomes. However, many primary care providers (PCPs) are inadequately prepared to treat patients with trauma due to a lack of training. Our objective was to identify trauma-informed approach curricula for PCPs, review their effectiveness, and identify gaps. Methods: We systematically identified articles from Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, Cochrane, PsycINFO, MedEd Portal, and the STFM Resource Library. Search term headings “trauma-informed care (TIC),” “resilience,” “patient-centered care,” “primary care,” and “education.” Inclusion criteria were PCP, pediatric and adult patients, and training evaluation. Exclusion criteria were outside the United States, non-English articles, non-PCPs, and inpatient settings. We used the TIC pyramid to extract topics. We analyzed evaluation methods using the Kirkpatrick Model. Results: Researchers reviewed 6,825 articles and identified 17 different curricula. Understanding health effects of trauma was the most common topic (94%). Evaluation data revealed overall positive reactions and improved knowledge, attitudes, and confidence. Half (53%) reported Kirkpatrick level 3 behavior change evaluation outcomes with increased trauma screening and communication, but no change in referrals. Only 12% (2/17) evaluated Kirkpatrick level 4 patient satisfaction (significant results) and health outcomes (not significant). Conclusions: Pilot findings from studies in our review show trauma-informed curricula for PCPs reveal positive reactions, an increase in knowledge, screening, communication, and patient satisfaction, but no change in referrals or health outcomes. Further research is needed to examine the impact of trainings on quality of care and health outcomes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 369-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Brown ◽  
Jennifer Bellamy

Exposure to stress and early life trauma have been linked to child maltreatment and parental substance misuse. These issues often co-occur, yet few child welfare services target their shared underlying causes in a single intervention. Teaching mindfulness-informed strategies to substance-misusing families in the child welfare system may be one promising trauma-informed approach. As part of a larger pilot study testing the initial efficacy of a mindfulness-informed intervention for parents in public child welfare, this study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and clinical trends of the intervention using weekly reports of stress, coping, and mindfulness. Findings show support for the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention as well as positive responses to the intervention on measures of stress and mindfulness. However, the impact of the intervention varied with regard to improving weekly coping among participants. Implications for the integration of mindfulness into child welfare practice as a trauma-informed approach are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Corina Joseph ◽  
Heidi Christy Mingi Michael

<p>The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between jurisdiction and the extent of sustainability information disclosure on Malaysian local authority websites. The extent of online sustainability disclosure is examined utilizing the coercive isomorphism tenet in both quantitative and qualitative phases.  In the quantitative stage, the analysis of 139 websites was conducted. The General Linear Model is utilized to determine the relationship between jurisdiction (measured by different states) and the extent of online sustainability information disclosure. In the qualitative phase, the semi-structured interviews were carried out to answer the underlying possible reasons derived from the quantitative phase. The quantitative phase provided evidence that various states have applied distinctive degree of coercive pressures on the extent of sustainability information disclosure on Malaysian local authority websites.  The interview findings revealed additional factors that are relating to the jurisdiction: political, state leadership, and bureaucratic procedure implemented by different states. The paper has recognized the impact of coercive isomorphism for the jurisdiction utilizing both quantitative and qualitative phases.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd P. Gilmer ◽  
Kimberly Center ◽  
Danielle Casteel ◽  
Kyle Choi ◽  
Debbie Innes-Gomberg ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Trauma is a significant public health issue, negatively impacting a range of health outcomes. Providers and administrators in public mental health systems recognize the widespread experience of trauma, as well as their limited ability to address trauma within their communities. In response, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health funded nine regionally based community partnerships to build capacity to address trauma. We describe partnership and community capacity-building efforts and examine community impact, defined as successful linkages to resources and changes in stress tolerance capacities among community members. Methods We conceptualized community capacity-building as dissemination of trauma-informed education and training, community outreach and engagement, and linkage of community members to resources. We measured trauma-informed trainings among partnership members (N = 332) using the Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit. Outreach, engagement and linkages were documented using Event and Linkage Trackers. We examined changes in the type of successful linkage after the issuance of statewide mandatory restrictions in response to COVID-19. We examined changes in stress tolerance capacities among community members (N = 699) who were engaged in ongoing partnership activities using the 10-item Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale; the 28-item Coping Orientation to Problems; and the pictorial Inclusion of Community in Self Scale. Results Training and education opportunities were widespread: 66% of members reported opportunities for training in 13 or more trauma-informed practices. Partnerships conducted over 7800 community capacity-building events with over 250,000 attendees. Nearly 14,000 successful linkages were made for a wide range of resources, with consistent linkage success prior to (85%) and during (87%) the pandemic. In response to COVID-19, linkage type significantly shifted from basic services and health care to food distribution (p < .01). Small but significant improvements occurred in coping through emotional and instrumental support; and sense of community connectedness (p < .05 each). Conclusions Community-based partnerships demonstrated effective capacity-building strategies. Despite the pandemic, community members did not report reduced stress tolerance, instead demonstrating gains in external help-seeking (use of emotional and instrumental supports) and perception of community connectedness. Future work will use qualitative methods to examine the impact of community capacity-building and the sustainability of this approach for addressing the impact of trauma within communities.


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