systems

Nurturing
Future
Guide: Praveen Nahar| Mahaan Ghosh
By :Jovita Hazarika | Nileena Rajan | PDPG15
National Institute of Design

CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Acknowledgement
Introduction
Concscious lifestyle and happiness
Future Generation of India
Child development
Stages of emotional developement
Parenting and upbringing
Brain developement
Trauma and toxic stress
What is trauma?
Causes of trauma
Symptoms of trauma
Stress
Traumagenic neurodevelopement
Around the world
The breakthrough study
Child rights and protection
Children and their needs
Stakeholders and providers
Child rights
Ensuring child rights
Organisations working for child rights in India
Field Diaries
Conflictorium
Shwas
Amanbiradri and communal riot victims
Childline and ASAG
Dialogues
Workshops
Survey
Classroom work
Conclusion
Bibliography
We express our sincere gratitude to each and everone who
contributed, supported and motivated us in completing our
system design project “Nuturing future”.
Firstly, we would like to thank the conflictorium, Shwas Foundation,
Ahmedabad Study Action Group (ASAG), Childline
Ahmedabad and Aman Biradri for cooperating and helping
us with in our research. We extend our special thanks to
Anandi S Patel, nodal director of Ahmedabad childline and
Ms. Binal, employee of childline for your enthusiasm and optimism
about our project which inturn motivated us.
Maya Tripathi, ASAG, your experience, compassion and commitment
towards children is truly something we look upto
Usmanbhai and Mustakbhai of Aman biradri for your help in
the field to communicate with riot survivors and also sharing
your vision for a more tolerant, accepting and peaceful future
Avni Sethi, director, Conflictorium, your insights the topic were
indispensable and your zest for triggering a change in society
through your initiatve inspiring.
Jeevika Shiv, co-director Anandi, NGO working on women
empowerment, for constantly being there for us to reach out
We would also like to thank Dr. Dayal, Department of Psychiatry,
Medical college Calicut
Lakshmi Nair, psychologist, Dr. Anwar Ali, psychologist, Mrs.
Soma Shiv, social worker for women empowerment for your
valuable time and insights on our project.
Thanks folks- M.Des, Product Design 2015 for being an integral
part of this journey
our friends and family for constantly being there in every way
possible, for us as we continue acheiving everything we want.
Lastly, we would like to guide Mahaan Ghosh and Praveen
Nahar for your guidance and motivation through out this journey.
As you said we are dealing with a tricky topic that we
designers should contribute to immediately.
Response to ACEs and Child trauma

SDGs intend to empowering people to live increasingly sustainable
lives. It is to apply to all countries, worldwide.The 17
SDG goals are interwoven and interdependent: they are all
needed, if any are to truly succeed. Goal 3 addressing good
health and wellbeing is major necessity for a sustainable future.
Introduction
Conscious lifestyles and happiness
Well being is a state of being comfortable, healty and happy.And
the deepest sources of happiness are to be found
within ourselves, nonetheless external factors do play a role.
We believe focusing on ensuring child wellbeing
through positive design would nuture future. And
the future of any society depends on its ability
to foster the healthy development of the next
generation. But we have an iceberg to tackle.
A healthy and strong mind promote wellbeing. It is difficult to
find happiness if you see your children dying for lack of food,
water, or health care; even more so, if you see that others are
enjoying those same benefits that you lack. A strong sense
of injustice can undermine even strong will and practice of
humility. The future of any society depends on its ability to
foster the healthy development of the next generation. And
nurturing resilience, emotional and social competency in the
coming generation is the key for building a happy and sustainable
society.
Future generation of India
India is home to the largest number of children (39% of the
population) in one single country in the entire world. According
to even the more conservative estimates, at least 40%
live in situations which make them vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation. The largest segment of this population lives in
urban areas, having travelled from small towns and rural areas
to urban areas in search of livelihood, a means of existence,
out of hope of a better and happy life .
India accounts for the largest number of children in work,
sexually abused children and the second largest number of
children affected by HIV, India can arguably be seen as having
the highest number of children facing exploitation and neglect.
There are massive violations of the child’s rights to protection
every single day that are under recognized and under
reported.
Children are more vulnerable than adults, to conditions under
which they live. Hence, they are more affected than any other
age group by the actions and inactions of governments and
society. There are national and international policies and legislation
in abundance for the protection of children’s rights. The
Indian Constitution has provisions which guarantee that the
State meets the basic requirements of the child and protect
their human rights. India is a signatory to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet, loopholes in the
law coupled with the lack of effective implementation, cultural
tolerance of certain practices and general public apathy of the
serious levels of harm faced by millions of children leave a lot
to be done.
There is a strong need to strengthen civil society’s commitment
to ensuring that child protection is understood and
practiced by all of us who are stakeholders in ensuring the
rights of children. We need to empower them to be the best
possible today so that they can create the best tomorrows.
THE ACE ICEBERG

SDGs intend to empowering people to live increasingly sustainable
lives. It is to apply to all countries, worldwide.The 17
SDG goals are interwoven and interdependent: they are all
needed, if any are to truly succeed. Goal 3 addressing good
health and wellbeing is major necessity for a sustainable future.
Conscious lifestyles and happiness
Well being is a state of being comfortable, healty and happy.And
the deepest sources of happiness are to be found
within ourselves, nonetheless external factors do play a role.
A healthy and strong mind promote wellbeing. It is difficult to
find happiness if you see your children dying for lack of food,
water, or health care; even more so, if you see that others are
enjoying those same benefits that you lack. A strong sense
of injustice can undermine even strong will and practice of
humility. The future of any society depends on its ability to
foster the healthy development of the next generation. And
nurturing resilience, emotional and social competency in the
coming generation is the key for building a happy and sustainable
society.
Future generation of of India India
India is home to the largest number of children (39% of the
population) in one single country in the entire world. According
to even the more conservative estimates, at least 40%
live in situations which make them vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation. The largest segment of this population lives in
urban areas, having travelled from small towns and rural areas
to urban areas in search of livelihood, a means of existence,
out of hope of a better and happy life .
India accounts for the largest number of children in work,
sexually abused children and the second largest number of
children affected by HIV, India can arguably be seen as having
the highest number of children facing exploitation and neglect.
There are massive violations of the child’s rights to protection
every single day that are under recognized and under
reported.
Children are more vulnerable than adults, to conditions under
which they live. Hence, they are more affected than any other
age group by the actions and inactions of governments and
society. There are national and international policies and legislation
in abundance for the protection of children’s rights. The
Indian Constitution has provisions which guarantee that the
State meets the basic requirements of the child and protect
their human rights. India is a signatory to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet, loopholes in the
law coupled with the lack of effective implementation, cultural
tolerance of certain practices and general public apathy of the
serious levels of harm faced by millions of children leave a lot
to be done.
There is a strong need to strengthen civil society’s commitment
to ensuring that child protection is understood and
practiced by all of us who are stakeholders in ensuring the
rights of children. We need to empower them to be the best
possible today so that they can create the best tomorrows.

Child
development
Its important to understand child development
and stakeholders to study the affect of adverse
experiences and trauma.

STAGES OF EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Parenting and upbringing
Parenting and upbringing is major
contributor that decides child mental
and emotional wellbeing and
prompte healty brain devepment.
Netherland is a model
country for parenting. They have the
worlds happiest children!
They make their children independent at the same
time is always approachable for them. They ensure that
children are always heard and they make it a point to
have quality family time.
There is no much pressure about education. There
are no homeworks in primary school
ADOLESCENCE
(11 to 18years)
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Important event: Social Relationships
Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity.
Success leads to an ability to stay true to yourself, while
failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self
SCHOOL AGE
(6 to 11 years)
Industry vs. Inferiority
Important event: School
Children need to cope with new social and academic
demands. Success leads to a sense of competence. while
failure results in feelings of inferiority.
PRESCHOOL
(3 to 5 years)
Initiative vs. Guilt
Important event: Exploration
Children need to begin asserting control and power over the
environment. Success in this stage leads to a sense of purpose.
Children who try to exert too much power experience
disapproval, resulting in a sense of guilt.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
(2 to 3 years)
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Important event: Toilet Training
Children need to develop a sense of personal control over
physical skills and a sense of independence. Success leads
to feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame
and doubt
INFANCY
(0 to 2 years)
Trust vs. Mistrust
Important event: Feeding
Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide
reliability, care and affection. A lack of this will lead to mistrust
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
The normal human brain undergoes changes in structure
and function across the lifespan from early childhood to late
life. Understanding these normal developmental changes
is critical for determining the difference between normal
development and pathology, and how normal development
and pathology interact.
Although the bulk of brain development occurs in utero,
the brain continues to develop after birth. In the first 5 years
of life there is an overall expansion of brain volume related
to development of both gray matter and white matter
structures; however, from 7 to 17 years of age there is a
progressive increase in white matter (felt to be related to
ongoing myelination) and decrease in gray matter (felt to be
related to neuronal pruning) while overall brain size stays the
same. Gray matter areas that undergo the greatest increases
throughout this latter developmental epoch include frontal
cortex and parietal cortex. Basal ganglia decrease in size,
while corpus callosum, hippocampus, and amygdala appear
to increase in size during childhood, although there may
be developmental sex-laterality effects for some of these
structures. Overall brain size is 10% larger in boys than girls
during childhood.

Trauma &
Toxic Stress
Adverse experiences may cause trauma which inturn
may cause toxic stress which is life altering

what is trauma?
Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or
set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as
physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and that can
have lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and
physical, social, emotional well-being.
Trauma is defined by the way a person reacts to events. So
a trauma to one person may not be a trauma to another. And
some people can cope with the trauma and move forward
quickly. Others, though, may not be able to cope.
Children might see an event as traumatic even when the
adults around them do not. Any time a child does not feel
safe and protected, the event could be seen as a trauma.
Because trauma is defined by the person who experiences it.
There are three main types of trauma are acute, chronic, or
complex.
•Acute trauma results from a single incident.
•Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged exposure to
events or domestic violence or abuse.
The ones where child faces alone without the
necessary support are the adverse experiences
that lead to chronic and complex traumas and
cause toxic stress.
•Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic
events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.
causes of trauma
Some of the more common traumas children face are
-Surgery or Serious Illness
-Accidents
-Loss/Abandonment
-Constant, Intense Bullying -Isolation within the Family
-Separation from Loved ones -Domestic Violence
-Natural Disasters
-Community Violence
-Emotional Abuse
-Substance Abuse
-Physical Abuse
-Mental Illness
-Sexual Abuse
-Terrorism
-Neglect
-Flight from Home as Refugee
•Unusually high level of anger
•Tantrums that do not stop within a
few minutes
•Inability to be soothed or comforted
•Agitation
•Heightened startle response
•Terrified responses to sights,
sounds, etc., that remind the child
of the trauma
•New fears
•Loss of skills such as use of the
toilet and/or speech
•Aggression towards family and
others
•Fear of adults who remind them of
the trauma
•Fear of being separated from parent
or caregiver
•Eating problems such as loss of
appetite, low weight or digestion
issues
•Nightmares
•Sleeplessness
•Irritability
•Listlessness
•Withdrawal from previously trusted
adults
•Avoidance of eye contact and/or
physical contact
•Unusually high level of anger/excessive
temper
•Tantrums that do not stop within a
few minutes
•Inability to be soothed or comforted
•Aggression towards family and
others
•Verbal abuse towards others
•Overly bossy or controlling
•Disruptive (may be expelled from
preschool due to behaviors)
•Agitation
•Difficulty focusing or learning
•Development of learning disabilities
•Poor skills development
•Loss of skills- speech, toilet
•Bedwetting
•Acting out in social situations
•Fear of adults who remind them of
the trauma
•Fear of being separated from parent
or caregiver
•Withdrawal from family and friends
•Avoidance of eye contact and/or
physical contact
•Inability to trust others or make
friends
•Imitating the traumatic event
•Heightened startle response (easily
startled)
•Terrified responses to sights,
sounds, etc., that remind the child
of the trauma
•Eating problems such as loss of
appetite, low weight or digestion
issues
•Lack of self confidence
•Stomach aches and headaches
•Loneliness
•Confusion
•Unusual clinginess
•Overly obedient (fear of punishment
for not obeying)
•Wild eyed, especially when
stressed
•Nightmares
•Sleeplessness
•Irritability
Symptoms of trauma
0-2years 3-5years 6-11years 11-18years
•Unusually high level of anger/excessive
temper
•Aggression towards family and
others
•Verbal abuse towards others
•Overly bossy or controlling
•School problems
•Difficulty concentrating
•Suicidal thoughts or actions
•Stomachaches, headaches and
other physical complaints
•Withdrawal from friends and family
•Fear of being separated from
caregiver
•Acting out in social situations
•Imitating the traumatic event
•Fear of adults who remind them of
the trauma
•Eating problems such as loss of
appetite, low weight or digestion
issues
•Nightmares
•Sleeplessness
•Irritability
•Inability to trust others or make
friends
•Lack of self confidence
•Loneliness
•Confusion
•Drug or alcohol use
•Clinginess
•Sexual knowledge beyond the
child’s age
•Overreaction to situations
•Re-creation of the traumatic event
during play
•Hoarding of food
•Unusually high level of anger
•Aggression towards family and
others
•Verbal abuse towards others
•Overly controlling
•School problems
•Difficulty concentrating
•Suicidal thoughts or actions
•Drug or alcohol use
•Associating with negative peers
or adults
•Risky behaviors, including sexual
behaviors
•Unhealthy romantic relationships
•Self harm
•Panic attacks
•Shame
•Flashbacks
•Hostility
•Hoarding of food
•Overly self-reliantA
•Running away
•Starting fights
•Trouble relating to peers
•Defiant
•Mistrustful
•Inability to see a future (expects to
die young)
•Alienated
•Stomachaches, headaches and
other physical complaints
•Withdrawal from friends and family
•Acting out in social situations
•Avoidance of situations that remind
the child of the trauma
•Eating problems
•Nightmares
•Sleeplessness
•Irritability
•Inability to trust others or make
friends
•Poor self esteem
•Loneliness
•Confusion

STRESS
It’s important to distinguish among three kinds of responses
to stress: positive, tolerable, and toxic. As described below,
these three terms refer to the stress response systems’ effects
on the body, not to the stressful event or experience
itself:
Positive stress response is a normal and essential part of
healthy development, characterized by brief increases in
heart rate and mild elevations in hormone levels. Some
situations that might trigger a positive stress response are
the first day with a new caregiver or receiving an injected immunization.
strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity—such as physical
or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance
abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the
accumulated burdens of family economic hardship—without
adequate adult support. This kind of prolonged activation of
the stress response systems can disrupt the development of
brain architecture and other organ systems, and increase the
risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well
into the adult years.
stress results in acute and chronic changes in neurochemical
systems and specific brain regions, which result in longterm
changes in brain “circuits,” involved in the stress response.
When toxic stress response occurs continually, or is triggered
TRAUMAGENIC NEURO DEVELOPMENT
Trauma at different stages in life will presumably have different
effects on brain development. The few studies that have
looked at this issue do suggest that there are differences
in the effects of trauma on neurobiology, depending on the
stage of development at which the trauma occurs. Studies in
this area, however, have been limited.
Neurobiology of stress response
The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)/hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
(HPA) axis system plays an important role in the
stress response. CRF is released from the hypothalamus,
sociated with an increase in alerting and vigilance behaviors,
critical for coping with acute threat.
Studies in animals showed that early stress has lasting effects
on the HPA axis and norepinephrine. A variety of early stressors
resulted in increased glucocorticoid response to subsequent
stressors. Maternally deprived rats had decreased
numbers of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus,
hypothalamus, and frontal cortex. Stressed animals demonstrated
an inability to terminate the glucocorticoid response to
stress, as well as deficits in fast-feedback of glucocorticoids
on the HPA axis, which could be related to decreased glucocorticoid
receptor binding in the hippocampus. Early postnatal
Tolerable stress response activates the body’s alert systems
to a greater degree as a result of more severe, longer-lasting
difficulties, such as the loss of a loved one, a natural disaster,
or a frightening injury. If the activation is time-limited and buffered
by relationships with adults who help the child adapt, the
brain and other organs recover from what might otherwise be
damaging effects.
Toxic stress response can occur when a child experiences
by multiple sources, it can have a cumulative toll on an individual’s
physical and mental health—for a lifetime. The more
adverse experiences in childhood, the greater the likelihood
of developmental delays and later health problems, including
heart disease, diabetes, substance abuse, and depression.
Research also indicates that supportive, responsive relationships
with caring adults as early in life as possible can prevent
or reverse the damaging effects of toxic stress response.
with stimulation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) release
from the pituitary, resulting in glucocorticoid (Cortisol in
man) release from the adrenal, which in turn has a negative
feedback effect on the axis at the level of the pituitary, as well
as central brain sites including hypothalamus and hippocampus.
Cortisol has a number of effects which facilitate survival.
In addition to its role in triggering the HPA axis, CRF acts
centrally to mediate fear-related behaviors, and triggers other
neurochemical responses to stress, such as the noradrener-
adverse experiences increase hypothalamic CRF messenger
ribonucleic acid (mRNA), median eminence CRF content, and
stress-induced glucocorticoid and ACTH release. These effects
could be mediated by an increase in synthesis of CRH
mRNA following stress.51 In nonhuman primates, adverse
early experiences resulted in long-term effects on behaviors,
as well as elevated levels of CRF in the cerebrospinal fluid.
Exposure to chronic stress results in potentiation of noradrenergic
responsiveness to subsequent stressors and increased
gic system via the brain stem locus coeruleus. Noradrenergic
release of norepinephrine in the hippocampus and other brain
neurons release transmitter throughout the brain; this is as-
regions.

Introduction
Around the
world
The future of any society depends on its ability
to foster the healthy development of the next
generation. Adverse childhood experience leading to trauma
and causing trouble in adulthood is an area of
study gaining attention around the world in
recent times

the breakthrough study
vorce or parental separation, or having a parent with a mental
and/or substance use disorder.
Adverse childhood experiences and its life altering impact
is an area of study that gained attention in the recent times.
Though child abuse and tough adulthood were reported in the
20th century to Sigmund Freud. He ruled out the connection
calling it childhood sexual fantasies.
Initial studies started in the 1980s with the discovery of Post
Adverse childhood experiences often occur together. Almost
40% of the original sample reported two or more ACEs and
12.5% experienced four or more. Because ACEs occur in
clusters, many subsequent studies have examined the cumulative
effects of ACEs rather than the individual effects of
each.
ACE study has been conducted
in Romania, the Czech Republic,
the Republic of Macedonia,
Norway, Philippines, the United
Kingdom, Canada, China and
Jordan other than USA
Traumatic Stress Disorder. But the CDC- Kaiser study done
Adverse childhood experiences have a dose–response rela-
on a sample of 26000, of which they studied childhood trau-
tionship with many health problems. As researchers followed
ma17500 people became a major break through.
participants over time, they discovered that a person’s cumulative
ACEs score has a strong, graded relationship to nu-
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study) is a
merous health, social, and behavioral problems throughout
About two-thirds of individuals reported at least one adverse
cuity, and severe obesity, and correlated with ill-health includ-
research study conducted by the American health mainte-
their lifespan, including substance use disorders. Further-
childhood experience; 87% of individuals who reported one
ing depression, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease
nance organization Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for
more, many problems related to ACEs tend to be comorbid,
ACE reported at least one additional ACE. The number of
and shortened lifespan.Compared to an ACE score of zero,
Disease Control and Prevention. Participants were recruited
or co-occurring.
ACEs was strongly associated with adulthood high-risk health
having four adverse childhood experiences was associated
to the study between 1995 and 1997 and have been in long-
behaviors such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, promis-
with a seven-fold increase in alcoholism, a doubling of risk
term follow up for health outcomes. The study has demon-
of being diagnosed with cancer, and a four-fold increase in
strated an association of adverse childhood experiences
(ACEs) with health and social problems as an adult. The study
is frequently cited as a notable landmark in epidemiological
research, and has produced more than 50 scientific articles
and more than 100 conference and workshop presentations
that look at the prevalence and consequences of ACEs.
FIndings
Early
Death
Disease
disability &
social problems
Adoption of health
risk behaviours
Social, emotional & cognitive
impairement
Anxiety
55.7 %
Medical treatment
or pharmacotherapy
for a Mental Health
Condition
High risk
for HIV
58.9 %
42.5%
61.4%
Alchohol,
Heavy Drinking
21.3 %
25.5 %
24.3%
Cardiovascular
Disease
32.9%
Cancer
Separation or
Divorce
emphysema; an ACE score above six was associated with a
30-fold increase in attempted suicide.
The ACE study’s results suggest that maltreatment and
household dysfunction in childhood contribute to health problems
decades later. These include chronic diseases—such
as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and
diabetes—that are the most common causes of death and
According to the United States’ Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, the ACE study found that:
Adverse childhood experiences are common. For example,
Disrupted neurodevelopement
Adverse childhood experiences
Hopelessness
61.4%
14 or more days of
disturbed work/ activity
due to mental health
conditions
67.2%
Life
disatisfaction
disability in the United States. The study’s findings, while relating
to a specific population within the United States, might
reasonably be assumed to
28% of study participants reported physical abuse and 21%
reflect similar trends in other parts of the world, according to
reported sexual abuse. Many also reported experiencing a di-
the World Health Organization.

response to aces and child trauma
As knowledge about the prevalence and consequences of
adverse childhood experiences increases, trauma- informed
and resilience-building practices based on the research is
being implemented in communities, education, public health
departments, social services, faith-based organizations and
criminal justice across USA.
alertness to environmental and relational threats. Therefore,
they may have difficulty focusing on school work, and consolidating
new memory, making it harder for them to learn
at school. Approximately one in three or four children have
experienced significant ACEs. A study by the Area Health
Education Center of Washington State University found that
students with at least three ACEs are three times as likely
to experience academic failure, six times as likely to have
its suspensions by 85%. Rather than standard punishment,
students are taught to recognize their reaction to stress and
learn to control it. Spokane, Washington, schools conducted
a research study that demonstrated that academic risk
was correlated with students experiences of traumatic events
known to their teachers. The same school district has begun
a study to test the impact of trauma-informed intervention programs,
in an attempt to reduce the impact of toxic stress. In
Social services
Social service providers—including welfare systems, housing
authorities, homeless shelters, and domestic violence centers
– are adopting trauma-informed approaches that help to prevent
ACEs or minimize their impact. Utilizing tools that screen
for trauma can help a social service worker direct their clients
to interventions that meet their specific needs. Trauma-informed
practices can also help social service providers look
Communities
More communities seek to integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building
practices into their agencies and systems.
Tarpon Springs, Florida, became the first trauma-informed
community in 2011. Trauma-informed initiatives in Tarpon
Springs include trauma-awareness training for the local housing
authority, changes in programs for ex-offenders, and new
approaches to educating students with learning difficulties.
behavioral problems, and five times as likely to have attendance
problems. These students may have trouble trusting
teachers and other adults, and may have difficulty creating
and maintaining relationships. The trauma-informed school
movement aims to train teachers and staff to help children
self-regulate, and to help families that are having problems
that result in children’s normal response to trauma, rather
that simply jumping to punishment. It also seeks to provide
behavioral consequences that will not re-traumatize a child.
Brockton, Massachusetts, a community-wide meeting led to
a trauma-informed approach being adopted by the Brockton
School District. So far, all of the district’s elementary schools
have implemented trauma-informed improvement plans, and
there are plans to do the same in the middle school and high
school. About one-fifth of the district teachers have participated
in a course on teaching traumatized students. Police
alert schools when they have arrested someone or visited
at a student’s address. Massachusetts state legislation has
at how trauma impacts the whole family.
Trauma-informed approaches can improve child welfare services
by
1) openly discussing trauma and
2) addressing parental trauma.
The New Hampshire Division for Children Youth and Families
(DCYF) is taking a trauma-informed approach to their foster
care services by educating staff about childhood trauma,
Education
As mentioned earlier, children who are exposed to adverse
childhood experiences may become overloaded with stress
hormones, leaving them in a constant state of arousal and
Trauma-sensitive, or compassionate, schooling has become
increasingly popular in Washington, Massachusetts, and California.
Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, Washington, adapted
a trauma- informed approached to discipline and reduced
sought to require all schools to develop plans to create “safe
and supportive schools”. At El Dorado, an elementary school
in San Francisco, California, trauma-informed practices were
associated with a suspension reduction of 89%.
screening children entering foster care for trauma, using
trauma-informed language to mitigate further traumatization,
mentoring birth parents and involving them in collaborative
parenting, and training foster parents to be trauma-informed.

Most American
doctors as of 2015 do not use ACE
surveys to assess patients because
Housing authorities are also becoming trauma-informed. Supportive
housing can sometimes recreate control and power
dynamics associated with clients’ early trauma. This can be
reduced through trauma-informed practices, such as training
staff to be respectful of clients’ space by scheduling appointments
and not letting themselves into clients’ private spaces,
and also understanding that an aggressive response may be
Across the world, many organisation in the social sector work
with trauma survivors, on preventing trauma and building resilient
society.
Few of them:
Health care services
Screening for or talking about ACEs with parents and
children can help to foster healthy physical and psychological
development and can help doctors understand the
circumstances that children and their parents are facing.
By screening for ACEs in children, pediatric doctors and
nurses can better understand behavioral problems. Some
-no randomized controlled trials that show
that such surveys can be used to actually improve
health outcomes
-no standard protocols for how to use the information
gathered
-revisiting negative childhood experiences could be
emotionally traumatic
-the technique is not taught in medical schools
-nature of the conversation makes some
doctors personally uncomfortable
trauma- related coping strategies. The housing authority in
doctors have questioned whether some behaviors resulting
Tarpon Springs provided trauma-awareness training to staff
in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses
so they could better understand and react to their clients
are in fact reactions to trauma. Children who have experi-
stress and anger resulting from poor employment, health, and
housing. A survey of 200 homeless individuals in California
and New York demonstrated that more than 50% had expe-
enced four or more ACEs are three times as likely to take
ADHD medication when compared with children with less
than four ACEs. Screening parents for their ACEs allows
healthier emotional and social development, compared with
those not enrolled. Public health
rienced at least four ACEs. In Petaluma, California, the Committee
on the Shelterless (COTS) uses a trauma-informed
approach called Restorative Integral Support (RIS) to reduce
intergenerational homelessness. RIS increases awareness of
and knowledge about ACEs, and calls on staff to be compassionate
and focus on the whole person. COTS now consider
themselves ACE-informed and focus on resiliency and
recovery.
doctors to provide the appropriate support to parents who
have experienced trauma, helping them to build resilience,
foster attachment with their children, and prevent a family
cycle of ACEs. Trauma-informed pediatric care also allows
doctors to develop a more trusting relationship with parents,
opening the lines of communication. At Montefiore Medical
Center ACEs screenings will soon be implemented in 22
pediatric clinics. In a pilot program any child with one parent
who has an ACE score of four or higher is offered enrollment
and receive a variety of services. For families enrolled in the
program parents report fewer ER visits and children have
Some public health centers see ACEs as an important way
(especially for mothers and children) to target health interventions
for individuals during sensitive periods of development
early in their life, or even in-utero. For example, Jefferson
Country Public Health clinic in Port Townsend, Washington,
now screens pregnant women, their partners, parents of
children with special needs, and parents involved with CPS
for ACEs.With regard to patient counseling, the clinic treats
ACEs like other health risks such as smoking or alcohol
consumption.

Child rights
& Protection
What Indian society provides children. By policies
and law there is so much our country is offering
our children. But we fail when it comes to
enforcement and implementation

children and their needs
-Survival
-Protection
-Support to grow
-Nutritious food
-Good health
-Education
-Freedom of expression
-Developement
Children of all ages, gender, culture and community are entitled
for the same. If not they need to be enabled with life skills
to deal with adversity.
Stakeholders | Providers
Parent
Family
Teachers
School
Community
NGOs
Local administration
Government
Child rights
Child rights represent basic entitlements that every child in
the world should be able to do or have. All children have the
same rights. All rights are connected to each other and are
equally important. These rights are enumerated in the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Rights reflect the most basic needs of children and are
common to every child. IF they are not fulfilled the child
suffers, does not have the chance to develop or may not
even survive.
The UN convention
on the rights of the child
took 10 years to be drafted. The
first declaration of the rights of the
child was a 5 point declaration drafted by
Eglantyne Jebb (founder, Save the Children)
in 1923. A revised version was adopted by
the UN in 1959 but remained a statement
of principles. THe UN convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted by
consensus entered into force as
international law on
September 2,.1990.
Child Rights
t1.Everyone under 18 has these rights
2.All children have these rights no matter who they are, where they
live, what their parents do, what language they speak, what their
religion is, whether they are a boy or girl, what their culture is, whether
they have disability, whether they are rich or poor. No child should be
treated unfairly on any basis.
3. All adults should do what is best for children. Wen adults make
decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect
children.
4. The government has the responsibility to make sure Children’s
rights are protected. THey must help families protect children’s rights
and create environment where children can grow and reach their
potential.
5.Family has the responsibility to help children learn to exercise their
rights, and to ensure that their rights are protected.
6.Children have the right to live
7.Children have the right to a name, and this should be officially recognized
by the goovernment. Children have the right to a nationality.
8.Children have the right to an identity- an official record of who they
are. No one should take this away from them.
9.Children have the right to live with their parents, unless it is bad for
them. Children have the right to live with a family who cares for them.
If a child lives in a different country than his/ her parents do, they have
the right to be together in the same place.
10.Children have the right to be protected from kidnapping
11.Children have the right to give their opinion and for adults to listen
and take it seriously.
12.Children have the right to find out things and share what they think
with others, by talking, drawing, wiriting or in any other way unless it
harms or offends other people.
13. Children have the right to choose their own religion and beliefs.
Parents should help decide what is right and wrong and what is best
for the child.
14.Children have the right to choose their own friends and join or set
up groups as long as it isnt harmful to others.
15.Children have the right to privacy
16.Children have the right to get information that is important to their
wellbeing, from radio, newspaper, books, computers and othe sources.
Adults should make sure that the information children are getting
are not harmful and help children find and understand the information
they need.
17.Children have the right to be raised by their parents if possible.
18.Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated,
in body or mind
19.Children have the right to special care and help if they cannot live
with their parents
20.Children have the right to care and protection if they are adopted
or in foster care
21.Children have the right to special protection and help if they are
refugees, as well as all the rights in CRC.
22.Children with disabilities have the right to special education and
care as well as all the rights in the CRC to enable them live a full life
23.Children have the right to the best health care possible, safe water
to drink, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information
to help them stay healthy.
24.Children in institutional care or in other situations away from home,
have the right to have the rights above.
Children have the right to help from the government if poor or in need.
25.Children have the right to food, clothing, a safe place to live and to
have all basic needs met.
26.Children have the right to a good quality education.They should
be encouraged to go to school and be educated to the highest level
possible.
27. Education should be relevant and should facilitate development
of talent and abilities of children. It should also help children to live
peacefully, protect the environment and respect other people.
28.Children have the right to chose and practice their own culture,
religion and speak their own language. Any minority and indigenous
groups need special protection of this right
29.Children have the right to play and rest
30.Children have the right to protection from work that harms them,
and is bad for their health and education. If they work, they have the
right to be safe and paid fairly.
31.Children have the right to protection from harmful drugs and fron
the drug trade.
32.Children have the right to be free from sexual abuse.
33.No one is allowed to kidnap or sell children
34.Children have the right to protection from any kind of exploitation.
35.No one is allowed to punish children in a cruel or harmful way.
36.Children have the right to protection and freedom from war.
37.Children under 15 cannot be forced to go into the army or take
part in war.
38.Children have the right to help if they have been hurt, neglected or
badly treated.
39.Children have the right to legal help and fair treatment in the justice
system that respects their rights.
40.If the laws of the childs country provide better protection of rights
than the articles in the CRC those laws should apply
41.Every child has the right to know their rights! Adults should know
about these rights and help children about them, too.
42.These articles explain how governments and international organizations
like UNICEF will work to ensure children are protected with
rights rights.

ensuring child rights
Policy workers (Government), and other non profit organisations
work together to ensure childrights. and promote wellbeing
for children.
Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.
Promotes child welfare.
Child Development Schemes
-Grant-in-aid (GIA) Scheme for Assistance to Voluntary
Organisations in the field of Women and Child Development.
-General grant-in-aid scheme for assistance to voluntary
organisations in the field of women and child
development.
-Integrated Child Protection Scheme.
Child Protection & Welfare Scheme
- Kishori Shakti Yojana
Rashriya Bal Kosh (National Children’s Fund)
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescence
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
NCPCR was set up in March 2007 under the Commissions
for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, an Act of
Parliament (December 2005). NCPCR is a statutory body under
the CPCR Act,2005 under the administrative control of
the Ministry of Women & Child Development ,Government of
India. The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws,
Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in
consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in
the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child. The Child is defined as a person in the 0
to 18 years age group.
The Commission visualises a rights-based perspective flowing
into National Policies and Programmes, along with nuanced
responses at the State, District and Block levels, taking
care of specificities and strengths of each region. In order to
touch every child, it seeks a deeper penetration to communities
and households and expects that the ground experiences
gathered at the field are taken into consideration by all
the authorities at the higher level. Thus the Commission sees
an indispensable role for the State, sound institution-building
processes, respect for decentralization at the local bodies
and community level and larger societal concern for
children and their well-being.
organisations WORKING FOR CHILDREN IN INDIA
There are many organisation like Rahi Foundation, Delhi,
Prajwala foundation, Hyderabad etc who work against child
abuse. So many other NGOs work on child rights. Childline is
a 24 hour helpline for children in distress.
They work on empowering children and educating children
about their rights also facilitating the same.
Childline India
Childline 1098 is India’s only 24 hour emergency phone outreach
helpline service for children in need of care and protection.
Available in 83 cities and towns. Childline 1098 is
the only helpline service offering a comprehensive package
of child protection services to children in India.It is working
towards its vision of a child friendly environment where every
child is ensured of his/her right to protection.
CHILDLINE, initiated in 1996 is India’s first 24-hour helpline
for children in need of care and protection. It took telephone
technology to the most marginalzed groups of children.
Breaking myths associated with helplines being a western
concept, introducing children to telephones as a medium
of communication, building partnerships across society for
child protection have called for highly innovative strategies for
awareness about CHILDLINE. CHILDLINE aims to ensure that
it is the service that both children and adults, see, think, feel
and identify with as the service that protects children anywhere
in India.
Childline awareness strategies aim at empowering children to
dial 1098 when in crisis, building partnerships across society
where each one has a role to play in protecting children, and
advocating for children. Though we have child protection policy
in place, there is very little material available that facilitate an
understanding of child protection issues and provide simple
guidelines for acting on child rights violations
CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) constantly focuses its efforts
on strengthening and systematizing Child Protection in
India. This is achieved collectively and in collaboration with
the Government of India, State Governments and Civil society
organizations in order to make children’s issues a priority on
the National Agenda.
Catalyzing allied system include the police, health care organizations,
educational institute, transport undertakings, telecom,
media, NGOs who have a large stake in child protection is
vital in order to create a more sensitive and proactive society

Field Diaries
Time spent understanding children their needs
temparament, stakeholders. Meetings with
compassionate, empathic, optimistic and skeptic
people. Finding motivation, inspiration. Identifying
change makers and collaborating with cocreators
Endless discussions and finding directions as we
travel

Conflictorium was our first site of field visit. We decided to visit
the place as we came to know that it is a museum of conflict intended at sensitizing
Kinjal Shah, the young and determined founder of Shwas, greeted us with
much warmth. She started this NGO alongside a couple of friends during the days
the society.
as an engineering student, seeing the misery , fate bestowed on children living in
the slums of Ahmedabad. Though they had the capacity to create a bright future for
It is a resource centre on “peace and conflict”integrating Art, Law, Culture & the
themselves, they were not being empowered for the same. They made the decision to
Behavioral Sciences.They have contemporize the discourse on conflict by promoting
acceptance of conflict as necessary to human refinement, promoting dialogue on
Avni Sethi, Creator, Conflictorium
Kinjal Shah, founder, Shwas with
children
give them the attention they deserve.
They have 8 centers across Ahmedabad with a total of around 50 children who
most contentious issues. They support youth, specially excluded groups, to setup
come for tuition after or before classes. They live in the slums near the Shwas center
their own “Conflictoriums” in their neighborhoods so that violence is reduced and
a few of them are homeless. We visited them at their Gulbartekra center, where we
differences celebrated.As State and the Individual have become the biggest adver-
met a bunch of 12 children from the Hollywood basti.
saries- they hope to collaborate with all the actors to reduce this violent tension, and
On taking to her about ACEs , she said physical and emotional abuse is evidently
find creative community led solutions. They add knowledge on conflict and build
common, but they dont understand it is wrong as its very common. As an organ-
new paradigms, juxtaposing art with logic and giving space to expression of innate
Sorry tree, a conversation trigger
A gathering at Shwas
isation that only promise education for a better future, all they do is educate the
feelings.
children that physical abuse is wrong. And communicate the parents the same.
Children open up to the teachers are they are successful in building one on one
They find success in the endeavour as they connect with us in a very emotional way
connection. According to her, the biggest sadness that plague these children is the
through all the experience they have created. The experiences followed by con-
social exclusion they face and they crave for acceptance. The life around them is
versation trigger installations that encourages us to express our feelings. It also
much dreamier than the one they live. They are very much vulnerable.
motivates the layman to think about what he could contribute to the society.
We had the opportunity to discuss our topic with Avni Sethi, the founder of Conflictorium.
-Deeply moved by the overall feeling
stirred by the installations
-The conversation triggers- Sorry tree,
empathy alley, memory jars
-Rohit Vermulas suicide note that
indicated troubled childhood
-What plagues them the most is social
exclusion, they crave for societys acceptance
like the other kids they meet.
- The one to one connection of student
teachers help children open up.
The shy bunch was clearly happy to meet us and friendly while interacted. We look
forward to meet them with the games and activities we promised them.

Aman Biradri and Riot Survivors
Aman Biradri is an organisation working with the victims of riot since 2002.
CHILDLINE AND ASAG
Ahmedabad Study Action Group is the collabarative organisation of Childline in
It is a people’s campaign for a secular, peaceful, just and humane world. It aspires
to build local level institutions mainly of youth and women, of diverse faith, caste
and gender, at village and district levels to strengthen mutual bonds of tolerance,
fraternity, respect and peace between people of different religious groups, caste
and language groups, to promote equal citizenship, justice, communal harmony,
peace, and the celebration of our social and cultural diversity.
Ahmedabad. The cases in Ahmedabad go to them. Head of ASAG, Maya Tripathi
briefed us about the work they do. They have 6 staff. They attend to all the cases
that reach them. The call can be from anyone, There are frequent users of 1098
who report any case of child in distress they come across. They invite such people
as volunteers to work with them. In spreading awareness and for field visits. All
cases come to them from a kid who had a fight with parents to cases of child marriage
and trafficking. They go to the field and meet all these children in distress. If
need they get the children to office and their staff are capable to give them primary
couselling. In cases they need to protect the child, they send them to shelter home
with 24 hours. If they feel the case is severe and need some expert help for couselling
they contact the Gujarat state administration who have psychologists for the
same. Maya ben have 30 years of experience in the field and is extremely compassionate.
She understand children to an immense depth.
We also had the opportunity to meet Anandi S Patel, Head of Social Work department,
Gujarat Vidyapith, who is the nodal director of childline in Ahmedabad along
with Binal ben an ASAG employ who coordinates the activities between the NGO and
the nodal office. They were the most enthiusiastic and optimistic people who we met
regarding the project. They felt it is a necessity to reach out to every children in
distress and they want to acheive the same though the motto of childline is to help
children in extreme distress- who are from a poor socio- economic background.
The lack of resources and infrastructure they need are not available to them at the
current moment. They want to increase the visibility of childline so more children
reach out to them.
Usman, Social worker at Aman biradri
A
Through them we met survivors of riots who were kids back then. We visited the
victims living in Naroda, an area that was affected by the communal riot. Interviewed
seven of them and heard other stories of riots. All their social lives changed
drastically post the riots. All of their families lost everything economically and all
these children had to drop education. The only girl we interviewed got married at
12 in the camp. Rest of the boys (10-15 years) took up jobs as soon as they got out of
the camps.
People we met are Usmanbhai, Mustak bhai,both of them are riot survivors who
work with Amanbiradri with riot victims across the country. They facilitated the
interviews with Imranbhai, Yasmin, Imranbhai (2) and their families. Except for
Imranbhai (2) who was 15 back then, none of them could recall (selective amnesia?)
or did not want to open up about riots . Imran bhai says he was anxious for a year
and a half that followed and even now the slightest terror he senses, he fled the
house with his wife and three children.
Going through the adversity as a family made them thrive.
Usman, Social worker at Aman biradri
-Story of Javed who lost 15 family
members got a compensity of lakhs but
ended up an alchoholic.
-They all coped well as they faced it
together as a family.
- Need to increase the visibility of
childline.
- the kind of distress children face in
India
- Existing/ past program like bal bhavan
and social worker for every school
that works on similar lines.

dialogues
We follow a qualitative approach over a
quantitative one while approaching patients
identified with trauma. Most of the
time we go beyond the textbooks.Revisiting
traumatic events could do damage,
its to be handled sensitively.
Dr, Dayal, Dept. of psychiatry, Calicut
Medical College
Upbringing vary with the diverse culture
in India.
West is putting thought into parenting
because of the less number of children
there, which is not the case with our
country
Avni Sethi, Founder, Conflictorium
In India children are considered extension
of ourselves while they are considered as
a separate individual in the west. And our
culture promote dependency over independency.
According to the medical sciences, children
confirm to child abuse because of
certain traits in them.
Dr. Anwar Ali,Psychologist, NID
Kids of today are problematic than before.
But they are easy to cousel, while
couselling parents, its hard to make them
understand. They consider children their
property and that no body has any right
to interfere.There is more distress in the
middle class families which we are usually
unable to reach out to.
Maya Tripathi, Head ASAG Childline
We want to reach out to every kid in distress.
Sadly the resources and infrastructure
does not enable us to do that. We
attend every child who reach out to us.
We need to increase our visibility. Everyone
knows 100 and hardly anyone know
1098.
Anandi S Patel, Nodal director, Childline
Ahmedabad
Children and their behaviour are sole
contribution of society and ubringing. If
you say its 20% genes and 80% environment,
I disagree. Environment can solely
change it.
Mrs. Soma Shiv, Social worker

workshops
Two workshops were conducted with a bunch of 10 students .
The first workshop aimed at understanding how to identify adverse experience
through different activities. They were made to draw on the topic “family”. We tried
games like mirroring, where one child had to mirror another. This could be used as
exercise to entrain children and could also be used to resolve conflicts. Completing
a story was another game tried, where each child had to add a sentence to the story
to complete the story. The story was given a title “ A day in life”. Other activities like
assigning characters in stories with family members were used to understand the
relationship with the children . Other activities listed included tangram and model
making in clay. where the forms and colours can be used to identify temperament
deviation. As it was a first interaction, children did not open up 100% giving us
less than desired result. This made us understand that these activities with more
time with children will yield positive results in indentifying trauma.
The second workshop was a cocreation workshop conducted alongside Amrita Warrier,
Neela Tayade and Prasam Pal. Amrita was working on identifying better ways
of teaching physics. We joined them to understand can tapping and associating
physics and daily life could be a way to understand physics and child’s
environment. In such ways can all subjects have narratives that linked to childs daily
life. This workshop made us understand that building such narratives would be a
hard task at hand.
Entrainment, Workshop 1 Drawing, Workshop 1 Drawing, Workshop 1 Teaching, Workshop 2
Mirroring, Workshop 1 Drawijng, Workshop 1 Drawing, Workshop 1 Demonstration, Workshop 2
Story telling, Workshop 1 Drawing, Workshop 1 Drawings, Workshop 1 Children attending, Workshop 2

survey
Survey on a sample of 60 adults.
Inference: Majority have experienced childhood adversities, dealing with it alone
can be concluded as a major problem. Child sexual abuse is the most common
among the adversities.
Have you faced any of the following adversities?
A parent or other adult in the household often or very often… Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? or Act in a way
that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?
9
A parent or other adult in the household often or very often… Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? or Ever hit you so hard that
you had marks or were injured?
8
An adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever… Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? or Attempt
or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you?
21
You often or very often feel that … No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? or Your family didn’t look out
for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?
7
You often or very often feel that … You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you?
0
Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
3
Often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? or Sometimes, often, or very often kicked, bitten, hit with
a fist, or hit with something hard? or Ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?
0
Live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or who used street drugs?
4
A household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?
7
A household member go to prison?
1
Suffered from severe illness or major accidents ?
8
Live in a threat of terrorism, communal riots or natural disasters ?
2
None of the above
24
Other
3

classroom work

CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Can we enable children of mother India
thrive?
Will we continue blaming our genes
for who they are even though we can
change them by providing positive environment
and by training them to be socially
and emotionally competant?
Is making India a trauma sensitive country
a distant dream?
May be we cant promise them a great
future, but cant we cultivate resilience in
them so they are able to cope with all adversities.
Few of the references are:
Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman
Option B
Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant
CDC Kaiser Study on Adverse Childhood
Experiences
Ted Talk, Adverse Childhood Experience,
Nadine Burke Harris
fosteringresilience.com
acestudy.org
optionb.org
psychologytoday.com
cdc.gov
Developing Strategies to Deal with Trauma
in Children
Edited by Jill Donelly, Anna Kovacova,
Joy Osotsky, Havard Osofsky, Caroline
Paskell, Josi Salem Pickarly
Empowering Children through Art and
Expression
Bruce St Thomas and Paul Johnson
When father kills mother
Jean Harris Hendriks, Dora Black and
Tony Kaplan
Treating Traumatic Stress in Children and
Adolescenes
Margaret E Blausten, Kristine M Kuriniburgh
Attachment Focused Trauma Treatement
for children and adolescence
Niki Gomez- Perales