Texas Department of Family Services Trauma Informed Care Training

How to access this program?

Visit https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Training/Trauma_Informed_Care/default.asp to enroll in this training for free.

What is the program? 

The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) recognizes the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse and neglect. The need to address trauma is an important component of effective service delivery. The impact of trauma is experienced by children, families, caregivers, and the social service providers who serve them. This curriculum is a basic introduction to topics related to trauma informed care.  

The objectives of this training are to: 

1. Learn about trauma, secondary trauma, and healing from trauma 
2. Understand how trauma impacts the brain, child development, and life functioning. 
3. Learn how toxic stress and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impact health and outcomes. 
4. Discuss trauma and disproportionality.  
5. Understand how trauma affects children, adults, caregivers, and child welfare professionals. 
6. Learn ways to prevent and address secondary traumatic stress. 
7. Discuss practical strategies for applying trauma-informed knowledge and care. 
8. Understand the importance of relationships 

Who is the program for? 

This training is for child welfare system caregivers, professionals, advocates, stakeholders, and members of the public who are interested in learning about the impact of trauma. 

How is this program implemented? 

The training can be accessed online and is available in both English and Spanish. The training is estimated to take two hours.  

What is the practice that is supported? 

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) a trauma informed approach in general is the ability for all parties to recognize and respond to the impacts of trauma on children, staff, caregivers, and service providers. Given the impacts and prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) like experiencing violence, schools play an important role in providing systems of support for children who have experienced trauma. The purpose of a trauma informed approach is to create a school-wide environment that addresses the needs of students, staff, administrators, and families who may be at-risk of experiencing symptoms related to trauma.   

What outcomes does the practice produce? 

• Improve student behavior and attendance 
• Improve student attitudes towards teaching, learning, and school climate 
• Increase school staff knowledge about addressing trauma and  
• Decrease trauma related symptoms in students 

What is the evidence? 

Tabone, J. K., Rishel, C. W., Hartnett, H. P., & Szafran, K. F. (2020). Examining the effectiveness of early intervention to create trauma-informed school environments. Children and Youth Services Review, 113, 104998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104998 

In this study, evaluators analyzed the effectiveness of a trauma informed early intervention program aimed at reducing the symptoms of trauma among elementary aged students. Classrooms receiving the intervention program and classrooms in the control group (94 total classes) were compared using a baseline observation before implementation and a follow-up observation at the end of the school year. The results of the study showed that classes receiving the trauma-informed intervention had a significant increase in emotional support by the end of the school year while the control groups had no increase in the same domain. Classes receiving the intervention also saw improvement in instructional support and classroom organization while the control groups saw a decline or no change in both of those domains.  

McIntyre, E. M., Baker, C. N., & Overstreet, S. (2019). Evaluating foundational professional development training for trauma-informed approaches in schools. Psychological Services, 16, 95–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000312 

This study examined the extent of knowledge growth of teachers after attending a 2-day foundational professional development training on trauma-informed approaches within their school settings. Using a pre and posttest design, the results showed that teacher’s knowledge of trauma-informed approaches increased significantly after the training. The results showed that 70% of the 183 teachers in the study had mastered the content after the training compared to 20% before the training. The results also showed that knowledge growth in training was also positively associated with a teacher’s acceptability of trauma-informed approaches and their perception of systems fit. 

Dorado, J., Martinez, M., McArthur, L., & Leibovitz, T. (2016). Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS): A Whole-School, Multi-level, Prevention and Intervention Program for Creating Trauma-Informed, Safe and Supportive Schools. School Mental Health, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9177-0 

Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a tiered trauma-informed program at elementary and middle school campuses. The evaluation examined the change in knowledge for teachers and staff, student engagement, and the impact of intensive treatments for students referred. The results showed that after educator training and the trauma-informed program being on campus for at least one school year, educators’ knowledge in five domains increased, including how to help traumatized children learn in school. Student engagement also improved which was shown by an increase in the percentage of time students were on task and a decrease in student misbehavior. That results also showed that students receiving intensive interventions had significant improvements in their ability to adjust to trauma. 

What are the costs associated with implementing this program? 

This training is provided by the Texas Department of Child and Family protection for free.  

What resources are helpful for understanding this program? 

• DFPS Trauma-Informed Care Training: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Training/Trauma_Informed_Care/default.asp

Any training or interventions from this list should be used in accordance with established staff development standards and adopted professional development policies of the Local Education Agency (LEA) per §21.451 and §21.4515 of the Texas Education Code (TEC), as well as the LEA’s grief and trauma-informed care policy and procedures in accordance with §38.036 and §38.351. While this training satisfies the statutory training requirements of §38.036, it is best practice for staff to receive ongoing training which may include job embedded professional development, coaching and annual training opportunities.  

Rating: Research-Informed 

Secondary components: Early Mental Health Prevention and Intervention; Positive, Safe, and Supportive School Climates