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

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.

Using the core curriculum on childhood trauma to strengthen clinical knowledge in evidence-based practitioners.

The high prevalence of trauma exposure in mental health service-seeking populations, combined with advances in evidence-based practice, competency-based training, common-elements research, and adult learning make this an opportune time to train the mental health workforce in trauma competencies. The Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma (CCCT) utilizes a five-tiered conceptual framework (comprising Empirical Evidence, Core Trauma Concepts, Intervention Objectives, Practice Elements, and Skills), coupled with problem-based learning, to build foundational trauma knowledge and clinical reasoning skills. We present findings from three studies: Study 1 found that social work graduate students' participation in a CCCT course (N = 1,031) was linked to significant pre-post increases in self-reported confidence in applying core trauma concepts to their clinical work. Study 2 found significant pre-post increases in self-reported conceptual readiness (N = 576) and field readiness (N = 303) among social work graduate students participating in a "Gold Standard Plus" educational model that integrated classroom instruction in core trauma concepts, training in evidence-based trauma treatment (EBTT), and implementation of that EBTT in a supervised field placement. Students ranked the core concepts course as an equivalent or greater contributor to field readiness compared to standard EBTT training. Study 3 used qualitative methods to "distill" common elements (35 intervention objectives, 59 practice elements) from 26 manualized trauma interventions. The CCCT is a promising tool for educating "next-generation" evidence-based practitioners who possess competencies needed to implement modularized, individually tailored trauma interventions by strengthening clinical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and familiarity with common elements.

What child welfare staff say about organizational culture.

This article examines the factors that can affect job satisfaction, organizational culture and climate, and intent to leave at a public child welfare agency. Findings from focus group data collected from direct line, middle, and senior managers revealed a passive defensive culture. The authors discuss concrete organizational interventions to assist the agency in shifting to a constructive oriented culture through enhancements in communication, including supervision and shared decisionmaking, recognition and rewards, and improvement in other areas related to working conditions.

A clinical consultation model for child welfare supervisors.

This article presents findings from a consultation project conducted by faculty from six schools of social work with approximately 150 child welfare supervisors over a two-year period. The purpose of the program was to assist supervisors with their roles as educators, mentors, and coaches for casework staff, specifically in relationship to case practice decisions. The consultation model, the development of the curriculum, the project implementation, and the results of the initial assessment are described.

Assessment and screening tools for trauma in children and adolescents: a review.

The need for thorough and accurate assessment of trauma in the lives of children and adolescents has become extremely important for the implementation of appropriate interventions. This article reviews 35 measures, 25 in depth and 10 in brief, that are currently available for use by researchers and practitioners. Instruments were divided into four domains: those that screen for (1) both a history of exposure to traumatic events and the presence of symptoms of trauma; (2) only a history of exposure; (3) symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or Dissociations; and (4) multiple symptoms of trauma (i.e. depressions, anger, sexual concerns, as well as PTSD). Information about the type of instrument, how trauma is constructed, psychometric properties, and practical issues are addressed for each of the 25 measures. A brief analysis is also provided for each measure.