The Office of the Child Advocate, in partnership with ForHealth Consulting, UMass Chan Medical School, is launching the Massachusetts Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma with funding included in this year’s state budget. The Center will support child-serving organizations and systems in becoming trauma-informed and responsive through training, technical assistance, communities of practice, and other support.
Why a State Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma?
Trauma can significantly impact a child’s development, with long-term consequences for physical, mental, and emotional health that can last into adulthood. But with the right supports, many who experience trauma will recover and thrive.
Every organization that works with children most likely works with children who have experienced trauma, whether they know it or not. Yet all too often, child-serving organizations and systems are not properly equipped to provide children with the supports and healing environment they need. In some cases, these systems can also cause or amplify trauma. Workforce turnover, limited time for staff training, and other capacity challenges can exacerbate all of these challenges, even for organizations actively seeking to provide trauma-informed and responsive care.
We need to redesign child-serving systems to reduce trauma infliction and re-traumatization and support healing and well-being – and we need to support those organizations seeking to do this work.
How the Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma Can Help You The Center will provide targeted training and technical assistance to child-serving organizations seeking to become trauma-informed and responsive, including:
- Organizational assessments to help identify areas of strength and areas for further work
- Targeted technical assistance/coaching support based on identified areas of need
- Training opportunities, which may include sessions on trauma, vicarious trauma, racial trauma, LGBTQ+ issues, protective and preventative childhood experiences, and/or self-care
- Opportunities to participate in Professional Learning Communities
- A website full of resources and toolkits for child-serving organizations