Profiles of Select Trauma-Informed Programs - Trauma-Informed Approaches: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice to Build Resilience in Children and Families

Trauma-informed (TI) approaches provide a framework for preventing and addressing childhood trauma and building resilience in communities, children, and families. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has integrated TI approaches into a growing number of federal initiatives and grant programs; similar changes are happening at the state and community levels. These efforts often occur in silos and can prevent stakeholders from learning from each other’s work. To increase awareness of existing trauma-informed programs operating across the country, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and contractors conducted a search to identify TI programs that address  following questions:  what HHS and related federal agency investments focus on addressing trauma and/or promoting resilience in children and families and what are promising community- or state-level programs supported by federal and non-federal investments? This publication summarizes 13 selected examples of TI programs that emerged and highlights their key characteristics and findings. The first section presents an overview of selected programs and high-level summary of key observations. The second section features individual program profiles beginning with federally funded programs and moving to state and community programs.