1 / 17

Understanding and Responding to Early Childhood Trauma: Systems and Program Approaches

Understanding and Responding to Early Childhood Trauma: Systems and Program Approaches . Beth L. Green, Ph.D. green@npcresearch.com www.npcresearch.com March 18, 2009. Informing policy, Improving programs. Presentation Overview. What is Early Childhood Trauma?

gauri
Download Presentation

Understanding and Responding to Early Childhood Trauma: Systems and Program Approaches

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Understanding and Responding to Early Childhood Trauma:Systems and Program Approaches Beth L. Green, Ph.D. green@npcresearch.com www.npcresearch.com March 18, 2009 Informing policy, Improving programs

  2. Presentation Overview • What is Early Childhood Trauma? • Some Effective Programs for Preventing or Reducing the Impact of Early Childhood Trauma? • Development of a “Trauma-Informed” Early Childhood System?

  3. What is Early Childhood Trauma? • Definition: A reaction to a traumatic event or situation that overwhelms a child’s ability to cope, and inhibits him/her from moving forward with life in a normal manner • Multiple causes: Child abuse/neglect, family violence, crisis situations, extreme environmental events, prolonged absence of a supportive caregiving environment, chronic poverty, homelessness, etc. • Vulnerability: Very young children are particularly vulnerable to traumatic & stressful events

  4. Consequences of Early Childhood Traumatic Stress • Impedes Brain Development • Impedes Emotional Development • Impacts Behavior and Physical Health • Effects are Cumulative • Effects are Long-Term

  5. The Cycle of Early Childhood Trauma

  6. Some Effective Approaches • Prevent maltreatment • Evidenced-based parenting and parent-child attachment programs • Effective mental health and substance abuse treatment for parents • Early identification & treatment among young children (e.g., mental health consultation in child care, pediatric screening) • Evidence-based therapeutic treatments for identified trauma

  7. Example Local Programs Oregon Relief Nurseries • Provide home visitation, therapeutic center-based care, case management, parenting education and support, and respite care • Serve very high risk families with children ages 0-5, including those with involvement in child welfare system • Recent evaluation showed several important outcomes

  8. Improved Parenting Outcomes More stable family functioning Improved quality of parent-child interactions More frequent reading to young children

  9. Improved Family Stability Increased employment Increased income Less frequent ER use

  10. Decreased Involvement with Child Welfare Less time in foster care High rate of reunifications – 100% for RN vs. 64% statewide

  11. Example Local Programs Oregon Healthy Start • Universal screening of first-birth mothers • Intensive home visiting and parent education and support for high risk families • Recent evaluation showed several important outcomes • Improved quality parent-child interactions • Improved frequency of reading to young children • Improved immunization rates • Reduced parenting stress

  12. Reduced Maltreatment Among Healthy Start Families

  13. What is a “Trauma Informed” Early Childhood System? • An preventive system that effectively prevents, identifies, and treats trauma as early as possible • A coordinatedsystem that prevents re-traumatization • A well-trained system in which providers understand issues related to early childhood trauma • An effectivesystem that uses evidence-based approaches and evaluates outcomes

  14. Developing A Trauma-Informed Early Childhood in Multnomah County • 2005: Children’s Relief Nursery (CRN, Portland) • Grant from SAMSHA to be a Community Treatment Site within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) • National network intended to advance knowledge about effective approaches to childhood trauma • Portland CRN is one of the few nationally focused on the 0-3 population, twofold goals: 1. To provide services to prevent and ameliorate early childhood trauma 2. To begin to develop a “trauma informed” early childhood system

  15. System Development Work Led by The Children’s Relief Nursery

  16. Multnomah County Policy Panel on Early Childhood Trauma • A high-level group of policymakers charged with: • Defining key elements of a Trauma Response System for young children • Committing and developing resources for this system • Identifying an agency or group to lead this effort

  17. Current Status of ECT System • Multnomah County Commission for Children, Families, and Communities responded to an RFP and now is leading this effort (working with NWECI) • A few have committed resources (County, United Way) • Actively seeking further support for this effort

More Related