About this guide
This guide provides access to a variety of materials relating to trauma and child welfare, including resources on the following topics:
- The impacts of trauma on child development and well-being
- The relationship between histories/experiences of trauma and parenting/family functioning
- Types of trauma, including trauma that can affect an entire community or people (e.g. colonization and racism) and trauma that can be passed on within a specific family (e.g. intimate partner violence)
- Steps that the child welfare system can take towards preventing the retraumatization or perpetuation of trauma within families
Understanding trauma and its impacts
- Childhood trauma and maltreatment: Effects on brain development [2015]Note: login required; must be a PART member to access
Historical, intergenerational, and collective trauma
- Intergenerational trauma: Convergence of multiple processes among First Nations peoples in Canada [2009]This journal article explores intergenerational trauma amongst First Nations peoples and outlines some of the behavioural disturbances associated with stressful/traumatic experiences (e.g., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse disorder).
- Intergenerational trauma: Beyond the cycle of abuse [2017]Note: login required; must be a PART member to access
Understanding trauma-informed care and service delivery in child welfare
- Trauma-informed child welfare practice: Part I - Developing a shared understanding [2014]Note: login to myOACAS required to access. Webinar slides also available here
- Trauma-informed practice in child welfare [2015]Note: login required; must be a PART member to access
Trauma-Informed Supervision
“Trauma informed care begins with the physical environment of an organization that promotes comfort, safety, and privacy for staff and clients. A culture that promotes respectful relationships between staff at all levels and between staff and clients also reinforces safety and trust. A TI organization provides clear expectations for employees and rewards excellence. TI care also recognizes and legitimizes the existence of indirect trauma and is proactive in providing staff with resources to manage this. TI organizations promote choice, collaboration, and empowerment when staff and clients have an opportunity to have input into policies that impact them. Choice, collaboration, and empowerment are also promoted when staff are provided opportunities for continuing education and to improve upon their work, and recognized for their contributions.”
- Carolyn Knight, The Routledge International Handbook of Social Work Supervision
- A Guide to Trauma-Informed Supervision [Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape]This guide was developed to aid supervisors of advocates at victim service providers. The purpose is to provide a brief overview and best practices for organizations to create an environment for effective supervision.
- Trauma-informed supervision: Historical antecedents, current practice, and future directions [The Clinical Supervisor]In this article, the author traces the development of the current emphasis on trauma-informed practice and care in behavioral and mental health treatment. Using the discrimination model of clinical supervision, the author then discusses the application of trauma-informed principles to supervision. Relevant research is cited, and case examples are employed to illustrate critical roles, responsibilities, and tasks. Challenges and future directions also are identified.
- The Role of Supervision in the Trauma-Informed Journey [Australian Childhood Foundation]An essential element of trauma-informed residential care is TI supervision. It is only when therapeutic residential workers have knowledgeable and supportive TI supervision that they can operate from a trauma-informed perspective. The basic requisites of TI supervision include knowledge of trauma and its effects on young people, secondary trauma, core skills of supervision, and core precepts of trauma-informed practice and care.
- Reflective Practices for Engaging in Trauma-Informed Culturally Competent Supervision [Smith College Studies in Social Work]Race, ethnicity, and culture are critical components that affect and shape the supervisory relationship, yet literature about ways to acknowledge and actively engage them from a trauma-informed approach has been limited. To enhance the discussion of this issue, this article first reviews leading theoretical aspects of supervision designed to train practitioners in the field of mental health, followed by a discussion of race, ethnicity, and culture in supervision and, finally, provides reflective practices for engaging in trauma-informed culturally competent supervision.
- Attending to racial trauma in clinical supervision: Enhancing client and supervisee outcomes. [The Clinical Supervisor]
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This article is focused on racial trauma as a psychological outcome associated with experiences of racism. Guidelines for clinical intervention are presented and the role of the clinical supervisor is discussed, both as it relates to the therapy treatment and the process of supervision. Note: You have to be authenticated by OACAS’s library databases to access. - The intersection of identities in supervision for trauma-informed practice: Challenges and strategies [The Clinical Supervisor]
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This article discusses and illustrates the role and impact of the intersection of supervisors’ and supervisees’ social identities and the associated power and privilege within the context of supervision for trauma-informed practice. Based on current theoretical, empirical, and practice literature, challenges related to the supervisor’s and supervisee’s racial, ethnicity, gender, social class, and additional social affiliations are identified, as are strategies for addressing them within supervision for trauma-informed practice. A case example drawn from the authors’ experiences illustrates the importance of attending to intersectionality in trauma-informed supervision Suggestions for future research efforts are offered. Note: You have to be authenticated by OACAS’s library databases to access. - Practice Guidelines for the Delivery of Trauma-Informed and GLBTQ Culturally-Competent Care [American Institute for Research]The American Institute for Research (AIR), in partnership with WestEd and Justice Resource Institute (JRI), is conducting a process and outcome evaluation of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The initiative seeks to reduce youth violence and foster safer communities by providing individual, family and community level interventions. JRI, a seasoned provider of youth services, trauma-informed programming and services for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) youth has been asked to provide guidance regarding trauma-informed and GLBTQ culturally competent programming that will inform the evaluation process. This companion guide to the SSYI Best Practice and Strategy Review highlights several practice issues related to serving youth impacted by trauma and/or dealing with issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Core Competencies in Trauma-Informed Supervision [National Child Traumatic Stress Network]Discusses the importance of quality supervision that organizations can provide to staff members at risk for secondary traumatic stress (STS). This fact sheet identifies the core competencies for supervisors providing formal support to workers who are exposed to secondary trauma. It is intended to be a developmental assessment for supervisors, to help identify areas of need, and to guide the user to resources to strengthen those areas of competency.
- Child welfare supervision: Special issues related to trauma-informed care in a unique environment [The Clinical Supervisor]The child welfare (CW) system must adopt a trauma-centered focus. Children served typically have experienced some form of trauma, and involvement with the system is, itself, traumatizing for children and their families. Frontline workers and supervisors also are influenced by their exposure to that trauma and work-related challenges. There is a need for clear articulation of a trauma-informed approach to supervision and for research as to its implementation and impact. The authors provide a rationale for why professionals in the CW system require trauma-informed supervision, reviewing relevant literature. Potential components of trauma-informed supervision are explored, with practical examples illustrating implementation. Note: You have to be authenticated by OACAS’s library databases to access.
- Trauma-informed supervision and consultation: Personal reflections [The Clinical Supervisor]This contribution is focused on the provision of supervision and consultation that is trauma-informed, following the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) model. TIC requires a specialized knowledge base and skill set, not just for the clinician but also for the supervisor. Its core emphasis is the use of a theoretical model of traumatic stress and its many aftereffects, including the use of specialized evidence-based and evidence-supported techniques within a relationship-based and responsive treatment. Supervisors need a broad understanding of the risks and benefits that accompany work with the traumatized and must have the ability to support and protect their supervisees and their clients. Note: You have to be authenticated by OACAS’s library databases to access.
- Trauma-Informed Supervision [Competency-Based Supervision for the 21st Century]A slide deck by Diane Levy that outlines the basics of Trauma-Informed Supervision, including understanding risk factors and interventions for secondary traumatic stress experienced by clinicians.
- Supervising from a Trauma-Informed Perspective [University of Texas]This 8-minute video from the University of Texas outlines the importance of and basics of trauma-informed supervision.
- Using Reflective Supervision to Support Trauma-Informed Systems for Children [Multiplying Connections]This paper offers a rationale to administrators, program directors, and supervisors in child service agencies for the adoption of reflective supervision as a supervisory approach consistent with Trauma Informed Systems.
- Cross-Racial Supervision: A Developmental Approach for White Supervisors Working with Supervisees of Color [The Clinical Supervisor]The counseling profession is becoming more aware of the importance of racial and cultural issues in counselor education and supervision. However, the majority of the current literature concerning racial and cultural dimensions is limited to cross-cultural counseling and assessment. Cross-racial issues have not been addressed widely within the supervision process. The purpose of this article is to examine the benefits and challenges related to cross-racial supervision, and discuss the significance of integrating racial identity development in the supervision process. A summary of the literature on cross-racial supervision will be presented and a developmental approach to cross-racial supervision between a white supervisor and a supervisee of color will be discussed. Note: You have to be authenticated by OACAS’s library databases to access.
- Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit [2020]Must create an account to access this resource. Includes modules specifically for supervisors and caseworkers.
- FOCUS on Workforce Wellness: Trauma-Informed Supervision [2022]A newsletter with multiple articles focused on worker wellness, this specific edition contains an article on trauma-informed supervision.
Trauma-informed organizational culture and readiness
Trauma-informed child welfare practice
- Trauma-informed child welfare practice: Part II - Approaching practice using a trauma lens [2014]Note: login to myOACAS required to access. Webinar slides also available here
- Child welfare trauma training kit [2013]Note: You must create an account on the Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma in order to access
- Trauma-informed practice in child welfare: Practice considerations [2015]Note: login required; must be a PART member to access
Secondary trauma in child welfare
- Workforce resource: Secondary traumatic stress [2011]This handout presents an overview of the literature on secondary traumatic stress (STS) in the child welfare workforce, identifying common sources and symptoms of STS and suggestions for workers and agencies to help prevent and address it
- Addressing secondary traumatic stress among child welfare staff [2012]Practice brief from the ACS-NYU Children’s Trauma Institute
- Using the secondary traumatic stress core competencies in trauma-informed supervision [2018]A resource from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network that discusses the importance of quality supervision for staff members at risk for secondary traumatic stress.
- Secondary trauma and child welfare staff: Guidance for supervisors and administrators [2016]Resource for child welfare supervisors and administrators from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
