Pediatric Approach to Trauma Treatment and Resilience-A Novel Relationship-Based Curriculum and Approach to Train Pediatric Professionals to Provide Trauma-Informed Care.

Information and techniques from evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health treatments, resilience and parenting literature and supporting evidence from neuroscience were adapted to provide pediatricians a practical approach and tools to promote resilience and respond to trauma symptoms.

Screening for Trauma Symptoms in Child Welfare-Involved Young Children: Findings from a Statewide Trauma-Informed Care Initiative.

Young children who experience abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and other interpersonal forms of trauma are at risk for developing complex psychological trauma. Timely referrals by child welfare services for trauma evaluation and intervention is critical, particularly during the developmentally-sensitive period of birth to three. However, few screening instruments exist that are feasible for implementation in child welfare services and none have reported psychometric data for children under three. The aim of this exploratory, retrospective study was to examine developmental differences in detection rates of two brief trauma screening scales, comparing outcomes for toddlers (age 1 and 2 years) and preschoolers (age 3 to 6 years), using the evaluation data from a statewide child welfare demonstration project. The sample included 151 children ages 1 to 6 participating in evidence-based trauma treatment with their caregivers. More than 80% of children, regardless of age group, met the cut-off on one of the screeners; children who met the cut-off on either screener were significantly more likely to have experienced domestic violence, physical abuse or poly-victimization. Implications for future research are discussed.

Trauma-Informed Care in the Massachusetts Child Trauma Project.

Child maltreatment is a serious public health concern, and its detrimental effects can be compounded by traumatic experiences associated with the child welfare (CW) system. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a promising strategy for addressing traumatized children's needs, but research on the impact of TIC in CW is limited. This study examines initial findings of the Massachusetts Child Trauma Project, a statewide TIC initiative in the CW system and mental health network. After 1 year of implementation, Trauma-Informed Leadership Teams in CW offices emerged as key structures for TIC systems integration, and mental health providers' participation in evidence-based treatment (EBT) learning collaboratives was linked to improvements in trauma-informed individual and agency practices. After approximately 6 months of EBT treatment, children had fewer posttraumatic symptoms and behavior problems compared to baseline. Barriers to TIC that emerged included scarce resources for trauma-related work in the CW agency and few mental providers providing EBTs to young children. Future research might explore variations in TIC across service system components as well as the potential for differential effects across EBT models disseminated through TIC.