Toward trauma-aware organisations and workforces
The responsibility of creating a Trauma-Aware Port Phillip involves everyone in our community, including our workforce and organisations.
Being trauma-aware means understanding trauma, and how it affects our workforce and service users. It means we are starting to notice how our organisational spaces, policies and procedures might be triggering, re-traumatizing or shaming.
Becoming trauma-informed means we are changing our organisations and the ways we work to better support our community. For organisations with histories of harmful policies, this can seem overwhelming. Be mindful of this and recognise what you can achieve within your power and be compassionate with yourself.
Benefits of trauma-informed approaches
| Group | Benefits |
| Service users | Reduction in trauma symptoms, behavioural issues and crisis; improved engagement; improved retention in programs and services. |
| Service users and providers | Improved overall mental wellbeing, mutual respect, enhanced sense of safety. |
| Service providers | Reduction in fatigue and burnout related to secondary trauma, reduction in injuries, improved morale, lower staff turnover, greater collaboration within and across systems. |
A trauma-informed approach should be implemented vertically and horizontally. This means within our organisations, vertically, and across our organisations’ referral networks, horizontally.
Within an organisation
Vertical trauma-informed approach
Being a trauma-aware organisation means different areas of our organisation need attention. This includes policies, structures, systems and procedures; governance, management and leadership; service provision; treatment and education of staff; the physical environment; and involvement of people with lived and living experience.
Across organisations
Horizontal trauma-informed approaches
The 4 Rs of Trauma-Informed Organisations:
- Realise the widespread impact of trauma and potential paths for recovery.
- Recognise the signs and symptoms of trauma in service users, staff and the community.
- Respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices.
- Resist triggering and re-traumatization.
This can look like:
- Maximising choice, flexibility, autonomy, and transparency for staff and service users.
- Avoiding controlling and rigid approaches.
- Providing staff the education and support necessary to recognise and respond to the impacts of trauma
- Addressing the barriers trauma can create to accessing services.
- Encouraging collaborative referral networks of trauma-informed organisations and service providers.
