Moving Policy Toward a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Approach to Support Children Who Have Experienced Trauma

Abstract

BACKGROUND:As attention to the potential negative outcomes of childhood trauma has grown, so have calls for schools to take an active role in supporting students experiencing trauma. These calls extend beyond efforts initiated by individual schools to include those mandated by state law, which largely focus on teacher training and on screening for adversity. METHODS:This article explores the evidence base and limitations for current approaches in state law and explores how policies to address other student health, safety, and wellness issues can help either ameliorate or exacerbate students' experiences with trauma. RESULTS:Few trainings for nonclinical staff have rigorous evidence of effectiveness, and based on evidence of teacher trainings on other topics, cannot work in environments that do not actively reinforce and encourage the application of that knowledge. Trainings also largely do not acknowledge the structures and systems, including systemic racism within schools, that may contribute to disparate rates of adversity for black and American Indian and Alaskan Native children. Screening carries several risks, including confounding adversity with experiencing trauma, missing broader contextual adversity, and potentially retraumatizing children. CONCLUSIONS:State policymakers need to take a more holistic approach in creating policies to support students experiencing trauma.

“What Does it Mean to be Trauma-Informed?”: A Mixed-Methods Study of a Trauma-Informed Community Initiative

“…The adverse effects of trauma can be prevented and mitigated through holistic services and supports that are traumainformed and fit diverse clinical, organizational, and community settings (Middleton et al, 2019;Temkin et al, 2020). A trauma-informed approach is characterized by a realization of the widespread impacts of trauma and various pathways to recovery; the recognition that experiences of trauma may be accompanied by specific signs and symptoms; a comprehensive and integrative response; and efforts to prevent re-traumatization (Harris & Fallot, 2001;SAMHSA, 2014;Tebes et al, 2019).…”

The Potential for Teacher‐Student Relationships and the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model to Mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences

“…The model also emphasizes the importance of meeting other physical, nutritional, and other basic needs for children to feel safe and supported at school. 62 The increased emphasis on educator and staff wellbeing also ensures that teachers can engage in resiliencebuilding relationships. 63 The WSCC model also provides a framework for developing a schoolwide infrastructure that promotes positive TSRs to improve health and educational outcomes while building resilience.…”

“…66 State mandates that require trauma-based training for teachers and school staff also have the potential to create supportive environments for students who have experienced ACEs while increasing the likelihood of teachers adopting TSR inteventions. 62…”

“…At the school or institutional level, traumainformed schools that revise policies, procedures, and practices to recognize the prevalence and impact of trauma on students while avoiding traumatization should be explored within the WSCC model to create safe and supportive school environments. 62 Traumainformed schools also provide opportunities to engage all school staff and administrators in providing a safe and supportive environment that develops school connectedness to potentially increase resilience. 29,42,47 Establishing evidence-based school-wide continuing education that addresses ACEs, TSRs, and resilience is also essential to understanding children who have experienced ACEs to remove barriers to developing TSRs.…”

Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in Sarcoidosis: Diagnosis, Management, and Health Outcomes

“…This promotion acknowledges that trauma-whether related to sexual, racial, or the trauma of having a rare complex disease-exists [55,56], is pervasive, and is predominantly not recognizable. It also acknowledges that the propensity for inadvertent medicalized re-traumatization is common and, therefore, trauma-informed patient care [57] should prevail as a baseline communication strategy. Trauma-informed care is simply a commitment to respect, compassion, safety, and patient empowerment [58].…”