Managing traumatized children: a trauma systems perspective

To review the current research on trauma-informed child-serving systems. Research on this topic, although sparse, is critically important because most children who come into contact with systems, including the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, have experienced at least one traumatic event.

Very little research has actually been done on this topic area. Although it makes intuitive sense to integrate a trauma-informed approach into child-serving systems, much more research needs to be conducted in order to determine the efficacy of trauma-informed thinking in child-serving systems.

A number of research studies have been conducted that focus on adults with co-occurring disorders who have received trauma-informed treatment. These results suggest that a 'trauma-informed' approach is a helpful and effective way to implement services. These same principles may be applied to work with children in order to create a 'trauma-informed child-serving system'. Twelve literature-supported and research-supported components of such a system are introduced in this review, ranging from the importance of specialized knowledge about trauma to trauma assessment and the value of trauma-informed policy.