New resource for legal advocates

The National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence showed us that children are exposed to violence at alarming rates.

Some of the results of a child’s exposure to violence can impact their development, understanding and mental health and could eventually land them in front of a judge who may not be aware of their exposure or victimization.

“Legal advocates working with youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems need to understand how past histories of violence and traumatic experiences can profoundly affect their clients’ health and their court cases,” said Lisa Pilnik, director and co-founder of Child & Family Policy Associates, LLC.

To help legal advocates understand children’s exposure to violence, the Safe Start Center partnered with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law and Child and Family Policy Associates to create Victimization and Trauma Experienced by Children and Youth: Implications for Legal Advocates.

New Article: Breaking the Silence Trauma-informed Behavioral Healthcare

A great new article by, authors Susan Ko and Kelly Decker, “Helping Children Cast Off the Shackles of Trauma in the National Council Magazine (2011, Issue 2),” discusses how important it is for systems serving children to be trauma-informed.

It focuses on several topics:

1. Discussing trauma-focused, child serving systems
2. Developing skills for identifying and triaging traumatized children
3. Providing resources and training of staff and administrators
4. Creating a focus on Cross-System collaboration

They conclude that a trauma-informed system is a powerful way to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and youth.

Access it here:

http://www.gmhcn.org/files/NC_Mag_Trauma_Web-Email.pdf