in Child Welfare - The Trauma Center

CW360 o Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice • Winter 2013 11become anxious or distraught, but afterbeing trained to conduct trauma screeningsby Safe Mothers, Safe Children projectclinicians, caseworkers said they learnedhelpful information while reporting lowlevels of distress for themselves and theirclients (Dawson & Berry, 2002). Askingmay also help ease the shame associatedwith clients’ past experiences and result intheir feeling more supported and less alone.• Anticipate trauma triggers. The domesticviolence between Denise and her children’sfather was likely a traumatic experiencefor both her and her children, and thefact that she is not attending domesticviolence groups may be due to avoidance,a common trauma symptom. Denisemay be more likely to attend visits withher children if they were scheduled at adifferent time than these groups. Likewise,if Thomas approached Denise’s nonattendancewith this understanding andempathy, helping to explore the impact ofher past experiences on her current actions,rather than by using a punitive approach,he could be more successful in engagingher in services.• Understand the impact of trauma onparent-child relationships. Trauma cancause parents to have a negative worldview and, in particular, develop negativeattributions regarding their children’sbehavior. Their child’s actions, or eventheir appearance, may trigger themresulting in them reacting in an overlyharsh or punitive way. Helping parents tounderstand that their reactions may be aresult of their trauma, and are not the faultof their children, can help them respondmore positively to their children.• Understand the impact of traumaon children’s development andmental health. Children who have alsoexperienced trauma, such as exposureto domestic violence, may have theirown trauma symptoms—such as Tanya’sextreme reaction to her brother’s fall andher mother’s harsh response—whichcan in turn be triggering for the parent.Children’s development can also beimpacted by trauma, and concerns suchas Damon’s potential speech delay maynot be recognized by the parent becausehe or she is overwhelmed and/or does nothave information about expected childdevelopment. When working with a parentor family that has experienced trauma,child welfare staff should be attuned to howit may have impacted each of the children.• Recognize and manage traumareactions. Thomas’s past experiences withDenise’s anger and defensiveness have ledhim to avoid addressing an important partof Denise’s service plan and Christopher,Tanya and Damon’s safety. He may also befrustrated by what he perceives to be herlack of concern for her children and lackof urgency around her service plan goals.Using a “trauma lens” could help Thomasbetter understand Denise’s behavior towardsher children and how he (as a man and asa person in a position of authority) couldbe triggering for her, and provide strategiesfor working together with her rather thanfeeling like they are at cross-purposes. Thiscould help Thomas depersonalize Denise’sreactions towards him, regulate his ownemotions, and feel less frustrated puttinghim in a better position to approach heropenly and with compassion.Trauma can impact parents in many waysincluding their ability to keep their childrensafe. As described above, using a “traumalens” can help child welfare staff moreeffectively partner with families, workingtogether to ensure both their physical andpsychological safety.Erika Tullberg, MPH, MPA, isAdministrative Director of the ACS-NYUChildren’s Trauma Institute at NYULangone Medical Center. She can bereached at erika.tullberg@nyumc.orgOverviewSchool of Social WorkPreparing professionalsto be leaderswww.cehd.umn.edu/sswfor a just and caring society