A National Compendium of Trauma-Responsive Policies and Programs
Introduction
Across the country, policymakers and community leaders are working to create environments that foster health and wellbeing for their residents. As part of this effort, there is growing recognition that experiencing trauma and adversity has an impact on our long-term health and social circumstances.
This compendium summarizes a range of interventions, policies, and programs that states and communities across the country are pursuing to prevent and address adversity and trauma within and across sectors. It is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers and spark ideas about how trauma-responsive principles can be applied across different sectors in service of improving outcomes for individuals and families. Recognizing that every state, locality, tribe, and community has distinct
needs based on the population served, geography, and existing resources, examples of what works in any given jurisdiction should be considered in the context of the local setting.
Overview
This compendium is organized in two sections:
Section 1: Governance models that focus on trauma, including:
- Statewide offices and financial investments addressing child well-being,
- trauma, and/or resilience;
- Children’s cabinets, commissions, and councils;
- Task forces; and
- Staff positions specifically focused on child well-being, trauma, and/or
- resilience.
Section 2: National, state, and local policies and programs designed to address
- trauma and adversity, further refined into the following areas:
- Wide-ranging state policies to develop trauma-informed and traumaresponsive systems;
- Policies or programs aimed at preventing re-traumatization;
- Training and education of child- and family-serving staff;
- Early intervention programs;
- Assessing and screening for adversity and toxic stress;
- Expanding behavioral health supports;