11 Milestones to C.A.R.E.
11 Milestones to becoming Trauma-Informed
Homage Senior Services leadership proudly display their CARE site designation.
The Children’s Wellness Coalition has identified 11 milestones you can achieve in order to advance your school or organization’s journey toward becoming trauma-informed. The Children’s Wellness Coalition can help!
1. Arrange an ACEs presentation for any staff member
Any employee of an organization has attended a workshop or presentation about ACEs science.
2. Arrange an ACEs presentation for all staff members
All employees have attended a workshop or presentation about ACEs science.
3. Participate in a local ACEs initiative
Organization representatives attend ACEs Quarterly meetings or Children’s Wellness Coalition meetings in Everett, WA, participate in local work groups, or are a part of the Coalition’s Trauma Informed – Multi-Tiered Systems of Support initiative (for schools) or have a signed MOU as part of the Designated C.A.R.E. Site initiative.
4. Leadership committed to integrating ACEs science
Organization/building decision-makers publicly state the intention of, approve a committee to lead and provide resources for the entire organization/building to become trauma-informed.
5. Administrators integrate trauma-informed practices & policies
People responsible for your organization’s policies and procedures apply an ACEs science lens to all policies and practices impacting students, clients and staff.
6. Staff receive ACE & resilience surveys
This means that each staff member has anonymously completed an ACE survey to determine their own ACE and resilience scores so that the organization can determine its ACEs burden and resilience foundation. It is important for an organization to do this as it provides impetus for the organization to examine its workplace practices through an ACEs science lens and make appropriate changes, to make sure its workforce is practicing self-care, and to create a physical and emotional environment that is safe and supportive for staff.
Anyone who takes an ACE survey should be educated about ACEs science, provided a resilience survey or information about resilience factors, and the opportunity to talk with a support specialist, counselor or social worker. Note: Employees should not provide their scores to the organization they work for.
7. Clients become educated about ACEs science
“Client” also refers to patient, student, prisoner, customer….whomever is served by the organization. They have a right to know the most powerful determinant of their, and their children’s, health, safety and productivity.
8. Clients receive ACE & resilience surveys
This means that clients, students, customers, patients, prisoners have completed an ACE survey for themselves. It does not mean that they have provided that information to the organization that gave it to them. Depending on the nature of your organization, your client’s ACE score should remain private; it is appropriate for a physician to know the ACE score of a patient; it’s not necessary for a school to know the ACE score of a student. However, it would be useful for a school to know the ACE burden of its student body by gathering student ACE scores anonymously.
If developmentally appropriate, anyone who takes an ACE survey should be educated about ACEs science, provided a resilience survey or information about resilience factors, and the opportunity to talk with a professional support.
9. Your Organization Implements Trauma-Informed practices for clients
Your organization has applied ACEs science lens to all practices for clients, students, patients, prisoners or customers, and changed them to become trauma-informed and resilience-building.
10. Evaluates Trauma-Informed policies and practices
On an ongoing basis, your organization evaluates changes it has implemented, and makes improvements.
11. Physical environment is Trauma-Informed
Your organization has examined good examples of the trauma-informed physical environments of other similar organizations, and made changes in your own physical environment.