Trauma-informed Care for Child Welfare

I want to thank Northeastern State University and the Cherokee Nation for recognizing the importance of trauma-informed practices in the child welfare system. I was honored to be allowed to present the two-day training to nearly 100 NSU Social Work students and tribal child welfare workers.

I applaud both organizations for recognizing the importance of understanding and responding to the effects of trauma and abuse. Too many social service organizations have neglected these topics for far too long and it’s great to know someone is taking the lead.

We were blessed to hear a keynote address by Dr. Eduardo Duran, author of Healing the Soul Wound. His perspectives on identifying and healing the problems associated with historical trauma were well received and much appreciated. He was as genuinely pleasant as I had hoped and patiently welcomed my questions and comments during our lunch together.

The workshop was held in the Cherokee Nation Tribal Chambers, providing a great venue for the presentation. I enjoyed getting to know the various workers and students that were in attendance and believe we were all able to learn from their nearly 400 years of combined experience working in child welfare. (I had a lot of trouble adding all the years as we went around the room!)

Training the workers is an important step in developing a trauma-informed, trauma-responsive system. One of the things discussed was how much other parts of the system would benefit from the development and implementation of trauma-informed practices. I’m hopeful we can continue to spread the message to the court systems, juvenile justice workers, resource parents and others that work so hard to protect and serve these children.

If you or your organization are interested in learning more about trauma-informed practices or training, please contact us here or by phone at (918) 777-3075