Background
In 2018, we participated in a Planning Project spearheaded by OneLenawee. As part of this project, we set the goal of increasing resilience and decreasing trauma through communication and education. We asked the questions:
- If we are successful, how will our region change?
- What actions would lead to those changes?
- What do people need to know, feel, or believe to take those actions?
- Who needs to change?
- What can we do to help people change?
- What do we have that can contribute to our goal?
As we answered these questions, we realized we needed to increase trauma-informed care among our human services organizations first. We had our strongest relationships with the people at those organizations and they are more likely than some other organizations to be supporting people who have experienced trauma.
The Project
In December 2018, the Collective Impact Core reviewed organizational trauma-informed care assessments. We selected an assessment and toolkit from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
In February 2019, we formed a sub-committee to create:
- a presentation to introduce the organizational assessment to the workgroup members,
- a series of factsheets to give to interested organizations (human services, business, education), and
- an agreement to outline the expectations for organizations who wanted our support in completing the assessment.
Once the Collective Impact Core approved the materials from the sub-committee, the Workgroup Representatives began to present them to their workgroups and recruit interested organizations.
Success Metrics
This project was put on hold in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and officially ended in 2021. At the end of the project:
- 35 workgroup member organizations received the presentation on organizational trauma-informed care assessments,
- 13 organizations requested additional information,
- 3 organizations signed the partnership agreement, and
- 2 initiated an organizational assessment.
View our full measurement plan.
Created Materials
- A presentation that introduces trauma, trauma-informed care, and the organizational assessment
- A one-page factsheet about the impact of trauma in Human Services Organizations
- A one-page factsheet about the impact of trauma in Schools
- A one-page factsheet about the impact of trauma in Businesses
- A Memorandum of Understanding
Press
The Daily Telegram – “One Lenawee: Lenawee County Understanding Impacts of Trauma”