in Child Welfare - The Trauma Center

2 CW360 o Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice • Winter 2013From the EditorsWe, at the Center for Advanced Studies inChild Welfare (CASCW), have had a verybusy and exciting year in 2012 and areproud to present the first issue of CW360°for 2013! CW360°, typically released as anannual publication, was developed to providecommunities, child welfare professionals,and other human service professionals withcomprehensive information on the latestresearch, policies, and practices in a key areaaffecting child well-being today. We are onceagain fortunate to co-produce a special editionof CW360° with one of our partners at theUniversity of Minnesota: Ambit Network.As anyone working in the field of childwelfare in the last few years can attest, therehas been increased attention placed on therole of trauma in our work. In this issue, weshift our focus from the secondary traumaexperienced by the child welfare workforce(the topic of our spring 2012 issue) to theexamination of trauma-informed practicewith children and families involved inthe child welfare system. Recognizing anoverwhelming body of research on the criticalimpact of trauma on almost every aspectof our lives, the field of child welfare is atthe dawn of major shift in how it views itswork. It is no longer a question of whether toincorporate trauma-informed organizationaland practice strategies into child welfarepractice, but how. As a leader in helpingcommunities navigate research and practicein child trauma, Ambit Network has beenan instrumental partner in bringing togetherthe rich collection of practical knowledge andresources you will find throughout this issue.As in previous editions, CW360° isdivided into three sections: overview, practice,and perspectives. In the overview section,articles focus on key issues from researchon complex trauma to the development oftrauma-informed child welfare organizations.The practice section includes articles onevidence-based and promising practicesthat use a trauma-informed perspective foraddressing the experiences of children andfamilies in the child welfare systems. Finally,the perspectives section presents articlesfrom a variety of child welfare stakeholdershighlighting innovative examples ofintegrating a trauma-informed perspectiveinto practice and policy and offering practicalsuggestions and strategies for system andpractice improvements.Traci LaLiberte, PhDDirector, Center for Advanced Studies in Child WelfareExecutive Editor, CW360 oTracy Crudo, MSWDirector of Outreach, Center for Advanced Studies in Child WelfareManaging Editor, CW360°From the EditorsThis special issue of CW360°, focused onchildhood traumatic stress, is a product ofthe long-standing partnership between AmbitNetwork and the Center for Advanced Studiesin Child Welfare (CASCW). We are gratefulto CASCW for this opportunity and we wishto express our deep appreciation to the manyauthors who contributed their expertise tothis publication.Ambit Network, a National ChildTraumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)Community Treatment and Services CenterAbigail Gewirtz, PhD, LPDirector, Ambit Network &Associate Professor, University of MinnesotaGuest Editor, CW360 ofunded through the Substance Abuse andMental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA), is a university-communitypartnership committed to raising thestandard of care and improving access toquality services for traumatized children,their families, and communities throughoutMinnesota and eastern North Dakota.Traumatic events can be devastating tochildren and families. Children and familiescan respond to traumatic events in a rangeof ways. Some children are resilient andChris Bray, PhD, LPAssociate Director, Ambit NetworkGuest Editor, CW360 ohave strong supports in their lives, whichcan mitigate the damage traumatic eventsoften engender. Children and families inthe child welfare system often experiencetrauma that is complex and ongoing and maylack the resources to resolve their traumaticexperiences. It is our hope that this issue ofCW360° will provide all of you who workalongside troubled children and families witha resource that guides you in your work asyou recognize and understand the effects oftraumatic stress.