Trauma-Informed Care

Individuals with substance use disorders who are receiving child welfare services often have a history of trauma. Substance use disorder treatment professionals and child welfare case workers should understand the role that trauma may play in an individual’s life. The cycle of trauma may lead to a lack of engagement in services, an increase in symptoms, re-traumatization, an increased risk of relapse, withdrawal from relationships, and poor treatment outcomes, among other possible outcomes. In a trauma-informed organization, employed professionals at the organization should understand how trauma affects the life of an individual seeking services.

  • Highlighted Resource

    • Trauma-Informed Care Walkthrough Project Report—Data and Findings
      Trauma-Informed Care Walkthrough Project Report—Data and Findings(PDF 1.2 MB)

      National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW), 2015

      Staff from NCSACW conducted “agency walkthroughs” at five trauma-informed care partnerships. The walkthrough process enabled the sites to better understand services through the eyes of their clients; uncovered inadvertent trauma triggers; and generated concrete changes necessary to become a more trauma-informed system. This report provides information on key strategies that staff in key systems can implement to minimize trauma triggers for clients, and it describes the findings from the Trauma-Informed Care Assessment Project.

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