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Linking Trauma-Informed Screening and Assessment Practices Across Child-Serving Systems

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

The concept of trauma-informed care has received increased attention lately. A key part of a trauma-informed service system is the incorporation of trauma-informed screening and assessment practices. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they refer to separate but linked practices, designed to ensure that children and families are connected to the most appropriate services to meet their unique needs. The primary focus of this chapter is to provide practitioners, administrators, policy makers, and other professionals with a concrete understanding of screening practices and how they can be implemented and sustained effectively within a child-serving system. Further, this chapter will highlight the relevance of using a complex trauma framework when conducting a trauma-informed screening and understanding the needs of systems-involved youth. This will also lead to a brief overview of some key issues to keep in mind when linking screening to trauma-informed assessment with youth impacted by complex trauma. The current chapter begins by providing an overview of trauma-informed screening for children and adolescents, including definitions and rationale and describing the essential components of trauma-informed screening, including creating a structured process, establishing emotional safety, family engagement, addressing secondary traumatic stress, cultural and developmental considerations, and data-driven decision-making. The authors will then link the trauma-informed screening practices with a complex trauma framework and outline some of the key elements of a trauma-informed assessment process. Finally, the authors will outline several implementation strategies designed to ensure that screening practices are sustained effectively over time and within the given system.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chadwick Center for Children and Families, Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Lisa Conradi

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Cassandra Kisiel & Linzy M. Pinkerton

Authors
  1. Lisa Conradi
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  2. Cassandra Kisiel
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  3. Linzy M. Pinkerton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa Conradi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Ernestine Briggs

  2. School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Javonda Williams

  3. Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School/Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Michelle Clayton MD, MPH, FAAP

  4. The UP Institute, CEO, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Stacie LeBlanc JD, MEd

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden Ph.D

  6. Owner/Principle Consultant & Trainer, Russell Consulting Specialists, LLC, Vancouver, Washington, USA

    Amy Russell

  7. Executive Director, Arthur D. Curtis Children's Justice Center http://www.clark.wa.gov/cjc

    Amy Russell

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Conradi, L., Kisiel, C., Pinkerton, L.M. (2022). Linking Trauma-Informed Screening and Assessment Practices Across Child-Serving Systems. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_273

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