1. Saving Innocence Amber Davies, LCSW, Director of Clinical Programs
Creating Trauma Responsive Communities: Building Healthy Teams and Partnerships
Saving Innocence
Amber Davies, LCSW, Director of Clinical Programs

2. UBUNTU
I am because we are.

3. PRINCIPLES OF TRAUMA INFORMED CARE
Safety
Trustworthiness and transparency
Peer support and mutual self-help
Collaboration and mutuality
Empowerment, voice, and choice
Cultural, historical, and gender issues

4. ADDING VALUE Valuing others Principles of leadership
Make yourselves more valuable
Opening doors, making introductions
Know and relate to what others value
Listen then lead

5. STRENGTHS BASED EMPOWERMENT MODEL
Self-determination vs. Safety
Jumping out of the car vs. returning to police station
Returning to trafficker vs. returning to placement

6. TRAUMA INFORMED AND TRAUMA RESPONSIVE
The way we think
What we feel
The way we communicate
The way we practice

7. FIRST CONTACT AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Fighting instincts
You control how it goes with first conversation
Stay calm and be genuine
Ask about basic needs
Have a poker face, minor may disclose information
Kids like to know your motivation

8. HELPING TRAUMA SURVIVORS
Answer some of their questions about what they may be experiencing
Normalize their distress by letting them know that what they are experiencing is normal
Help them to learn effective coping strategies

9. PTSD and what we go home to
Help them to be aware of possible symptoms that may require additional assistance
Give them a positive experience that will increase their chances of seeking help in the future
PTSD and what we go home to

10. “THE OPPOSITE OF ADDICTION IS CONNECTION.” - JOHANN HARI
“THE OPPOSITE OF ADDICTION IS CONNECTION.” - JOHANN HARI
Social Recovery -
“You are not alone.”

11. Harm Reduction 1. Have a non-judgemental attitude
2. Emphasize the person’s ability to care for himself or herself
3. Use short-term pragmatic goals and a scale of behaviors to achieve the goals
4. Provide information about health and risk behaviors
Harm Reduction

12. 5. Focus on concrete risk behaviors and connect those with the individual’s reality (his/her own risk behaviors)
6. Provide different options to reduce the risks
7. Provide a supportive environment (professionals, family, peers, etc.)
8. Have a team of experienced professionals involved in designing and implementing harm reduction strategies.
Harm Reduction

13. SAFETY & PLANNING Physical Safety Emotional Safety Safety Plan
Procedures Needed
Partnerships
Relationships

14. MODELING Minimize risk of making things worse
Maximize possibility of improvement
Leadership training and development
Skills for teamwork
Cross collaboration
System integration
MODELING
“creating and modeling healthy and supportive relationships between individuals, and developing an atmosphere of hope and non-violence.” - The Sanctuary Model, Dr. Sandra Bloom

15. CREATIVE SOLUTIONS Connecting youth to other services
Ensuring safety of youth and self
Knowing your kids
Knowing your partners
Reinforcing goals
Survivor Lead Initiatives

16. SURVIVOR LEADERSHIP Engaging survivors Recovery model
Creating and maintaining boundaries
Requirements

17. Relationship Directed Advocacy
Pursuit of child
Need for Community vs. Need for Services
Self Directed goals - reciprocity/ expectations
Community connections
Permanency in child’s life

18. Healthiest and Most Adaptive Approaches
Applying Zone of Control:
We can accept it
We can change it
We can change the way we deal with it
We can escape it.
(From Building Resilient Teams, Fisher, P.)

19. SELF CARE Practice and model it! Supervision Low Impact Debriefing
Taking time
Coping skills
Solid Support system/ work environment

20. SELF CARE IN AGENCIES Essential for leadership to buy into needs
Additional time off (vacation)
Bookending time off around time intensive and emotionally intensive events i.e. sting operations, trials, crisis calls, death of a client, etc.
Making supervision / processing / debriefing available after strenuous events
Monthly activities and team building
Professional development
Annual Rejuvenation Week

21. Contact:
@savinginnocence