Leveraging Leadership in Child Welfare Systems: Large-scale Trauma- and Resilience-informed Training Initiative

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Child Welfare
• Trauma-Informed Care

Background:

• Public health systems require trauma-informed infrastructure to support children in the child welfare system.
• Training direct service staff on trauma foundations is common, but leadership training effects are less understood.
• Leaders significantly influence implementation decisions, making their trauma knowledge critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a trauma-informed principles training for leadership stakeholders.
• To assess the impact of leadership training on trauma knowledge, professional wellbeing, and leadership approach.
• To explore potential downstream effects on staff, organizational culture, and child/family outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale training initiative was conducted for leaders at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
• Trauma knowledge was assessed from baseline to post-training.
• Changes in professional wellbeing and leadership approach were reported after a reflective training component.

Main Results:

• Leaders demonstrated significant improvement in trauma knowledge from baseline to post-training.
• Participants reported positive changes in their professional wellbeing.
• Leaders noted shifts in their leadership approach following the reflective training.

Conclusions:

• Leadership training in trauma-informed principles can enhance leader knowledge and practice.
• This training may positively influence organizational culture and direct service staff.
• The program holds potential for improving outcomes for children and families within the child welfare system.