The tale of two counties united by their pursuit of the best interest of children through trauma-informed practice

Abstract

This chapter identifies innovative implementation for developing trauma-informed child welfare systems. Two counties are profiled, one from a centralized child welfare system and the other from a decentralized system, and their efforts to infuse trauma-informed practices to address the impact of trauma to children, families and communities. Each offers a systemic model that demonstrates positive outcomes in reducing out-of-home placements, increasing permanency and simultaneously addressing child well-being. These two models demonstrate the necessity for leadership, workforce resiliency and moving beyond training into actual implementation that moves toward evidence-based child welfare practices.