Original Article cited below

Summary By Simply the Basics

The National Center on Family Homelessness offers this comprehensive toolkit as a road-map for organizations to become trauma-informed. They outline key principles and strategies to help create environments that are sensitive and responsive to the needs of individuals and groups who have experienced trauma. The toolkit emphasizes the importance of understanding trauma's impact on individuals and communities and provides practical guidance for integrating trauma-informed practices into organizational structures, policies, and procedures.

This framework offers organizations tools for self-assessment, including the means to evaluate existing practices and identify areas with room for improvement. The toolkit highlights the importance of fostering a culture of safety, trust, and collaboration within your organization, and provides strategies for promoting staff well-being and resilience. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of creating inclusive and equitable environments that recognize the diverse experiences and needs of individuals affected by trauma.

Overall, the toolkit serves as a valuable resource for organizations seeking to adopt trauma-informed approaches. By implementing the strategies outlined in the toolkit, organizations can create supportive environments that promote healing, empowerment, and resilience for individuals impacted by trauma.

Instructions for toolkit:

The Trauma-Informed Organizational Self-Assessment is a tool that organizations can use to examine their current practices and take specific steps to become trauma-informed.*

 The Self-Assessment should be completed by all staff within an organization, including direct care staff (full time, part time and relief), supervisors, case managers, clinicians, administrators (e.g., program managers, directors, executive directors, etc.) and support staff (e.g., office support, maintenance, kitchen staff, etc.).

In the Self-Assessment, the term “consumer” refers to adults who are being served by the program. There are also items that refer specifically to a consumer’s child or children. The term “staff ” refers to paid and voluntary individuals providing services, which include but are not limited to: those working directly with consumers and children, administrators, policymakers, groundskeepers, maintenance, and transportation specialists. 

The Self-Assessment can be completed in one sitting or in sections. It takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete the entire SelfAssessment at once. When responding to Self-Assessment items, please answer based on your experience in the program over the past 6 months. For each item, please consider the extent to which you agree that the program incorporates this practice using the following scale:

• Strongly Disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly Agree

• Do not know

• Not applicable to my role

Citation: Guarino, K., Soares, P., Konnath, K., Clervil, R., and Bassuk, E. (2009). Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Daniels Fund, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation