Trauma-informed practice goes beyond the skills and techniques used by an individual social worker. Organizations and communities can unintentionally retraumatize clients through their policies and procedures. Social workers have a responsibility to advocate for change.
In this Assignment, you use the knowledge you have gained about trauma-informed practice to evaluate the organizational and operational structure of a setting with which you are familiar. You also make recommendations for changes needed to apply core trauma-informed principles.
The Assignment
In Week 4, you explored the concept of trauma-informed services through six principles and 10 implementation domains (SAMHSA, 2014). Now, choose a setting in which you have worked providing social work services (e.g., current/previous field placement, employer, etc.) and explore the principles and implementation domains of trauma-informed services in the setting you have chosen.
1. Describe the agency setting. Is it public or private, non-profit or for-profit? Is the agencys primary goal to serve trauma survivors?
2. Approximately what percentage of clients would be defined as trauma survivors?
3. Explain how the setting demonstrates each of the 6 key principles. Provide examples.
4. Using the sample questions on page 14-16 as a guide, assess each of the 10 implementation domains at the agency and explain which key principles are evident in each domain.
5. Provide specific recommendations for improving each of the principles that are not well implemented. Be specific about (1) organizational, (2) environmental, (3) programmatic, and/or (4) administrative changes that would need to occur for your agency to implement a trauma-informed approach.
6. Explain potential barriers to creating trauma-informed services in this setting and how you might address these barriers.
Grading Rubic:
1. Paper fully addresses all instruction prompts.
2. Paper demonstrates an excellent understanding of all of the concepts and key points presented in the text(s) and Learning Resources. Paper provides significant detail including multiple relevant examples, evidence from the readings and other sources, and discerning ideas. Paper demonstrates exemplary critical thought.
3. Paper is well organized, uses scholarly tone, follows APA style, uses original writing and proper paraphrasing, contains very few or no writing and/or spelling errors, and is fully consistent with graduate level writing style. Paper contains multiple, appropriate and exemplary sources expected/required for the assignment