Building Agency Capacity for Trauma-Informed Evidence-Based Practice and Field Instruction

Abstract

Through this article the authors describe how schools of social work offering a child and adolescent trauma specialization actively partnered with their community-based field placement agencies to achieve a dual purpose: help agencies sustain the capacity for evidence-based trauma treatment (EBTT) and provide sufficient EBTT MSW student field placement sites that support preparation of trauma-informed practitioners by schools of social work. Development and description of the specific conceptual framework used to inform the trauma-informed organizational change initiative is described. Results of an Organizational Readiness assessment undertaken at six agencies reflect a strong alignment between implementation drivers identified in the literature (Fixsen, Blase, Naoom, & Wallace, 2009) and the conceptual framework. The manner in which these results are being used by schools of social work and their agency partners in sustaining the implementation of evidence-based trauma treatment is reviewed, and implications for future research, education, and practice is discussed.

Prerequisites for Maintaining Emotion Self-regulation in Social Work with Traumatized Adolescents: A Qualitative Study among Social Workers in A Norwegian Residential Care Unit

“…Even if the importance of such factors may seem obvious, they may not be enough emphasized by service providers. According to Strand et al (2015), services have a general tendency to focus on evidence-based methodologies rather than on organizational and structural factors that are needed to execute programs and methods successfully. These structural regulatory mechanisms may parallel what Susan Hart has labeled macro-regulation (as opposed to micro-regulation); which refers to rules, routines, rituals, and limits that parents and carers apply every day with children and adolescents in order to make them feel safe and cared for (Bentzen & Hart, 2015).…”

Exploring Nurses’ Knowledge and Experiences Related to Trauma-Informed Care

“…Based on some of our recent work as clinicians, educators, and researchers, we know that the principles of TIC are beginning to emerge in entry-to-practice competencies for generalist nurses. Efforts should be directed at increasing TIC capacity in undergraduate nursing programs ( Strand, Popescu, Abramovitz, & Richards, 2016 ), so that all nurses entering the profession are at least familiar with trauma theory and the application of TIC in practice. The integration of TIC into curricula must reflect the importance of this philosophy of care for all persons entering the health care system, not only those accessing mental health services.…”

Building Field Agencies' Capacity to Prepare Staff and Social Work Students for Evidence-Based Trauma Treatments

“…Participant agencies completed the baseline assessment and 2-4 follow-ups to date, depending on the agency. Factor analysis (a technique designed to assess whether survey items cluster together both conceptually and statistically) using the baseline data resulted in eight factors that aligned well with the NIRN framework (see Strand, Popescu, Abramovitz, & Richards, 2015, for a description of this analysis). These eight factors included three that aligned with the Organization driver, two factors that aligned with the Competency driver, two that aligned with the Leadership driver, and one stand-alone factor, Attitude Toward Evidence-based Treatment (or Umbrella), which consisted of one item.…”