Trauma-informed care and the public child welfare system: the challenges of shifting paradigms: introduction to the special issue on trauma-informed care

Abstract

Given the prevalence of trauma and traumatic stress reactions among child welfare system-involved children, families, caregivers, professionals, and other stakeholders, it is critical that child welfare professionals integrate an understanding of trauma into their own practice and link families with trauma-informed treatment and services, which are essential elements of a trauma-informed child welfare systems. This introductory article provides an overview of the trauma-informed paradigm shift occurring in public child welfare and discusses the importance of moving from a trauma-informed framework to a trauma-responsive organizational culture in order to create and sustain trauma-resilient organizations and communities. In this special issue, readers will discover articles that include research findings relevant for multiple stakeholders engaging in trauma-informed care. Contributions provide insight that is relevant for understanding and engaging in trauma-informed practice across three levels within the socio-ecological model: individual (children and families), organizational (agency leaders and workforce), and community (university-state partnerships).