New Resources Help Build Evidence on Trauma-Informed Approaches With Children and Families

As the events of 2020 create and exacerbate sources of trauma, several new resources examine trauma-informed approaches and opportunities to impact systems, communities, children, and families. The resources round out a suite of products developed for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation as part of the project Trauma-Informed Approaches: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice to Build Resilience in Children and Families.

Awarded to JBA and Education Development Center, the project seeks to break down silos across systems engaged in trauma-informed efforts while creating shared knowledge and resources for building the evidence base. To date, limited consensus exists on what makes initiatives “trauma informed” or whether, how, and why they impact participant outcomes.

Advancing Change to Support Trauma-Informed Initiatives and Build Evidence of Impact examines current trauma-informed approaches and research to identify gaps and needs, strategies for improvement, promising programs, and opportunities to shape cross-sector approaches and initiatives. A related presentation and accompanying PowerPoint slides are also available.

Using Logic Models Grounded in Theory of Change to Support Trauma-Informed Initiatives takes a more focused look at the use of theory-based logic models to help initiatives navigate between activities and outcomes. The report includes a sample theory-based logic model and two examples from trauma-informed initiatives. Excerpts from key informant interviews are also highlighted.