The policy of the agency should include a set of features for promoting trauma-informed care. As a human service professional, I would suggest that the first key component that should be included in the policy is empowerment. Butler et al. (2019) indicate that continuous empowerment and advocacy for vulnerable and traumatized clients should guide the policy’s objectives and evaluation. The concept of empowerment means that the client should be informed about their individual strengths, which can improve the treatment process and outcomes. Therefore, the policy needs to include a plan for empowering clients through the use of specific strategies encouraging accomplishment and positive progress.
The second essential component is safety, which ensures that the policy’s goals include safeguarding the clients against bullying, abuse, and neglect. The feature requires the agency to create an environment emphasizing physical and emotional safety to protect the victims of abuse and violence (Quiros, 2020). The policy should enforce the agency’s quality improvement and safety committees to address physical issues, such as equipment malfunctions or poor access to crisis services (Yatchmenoff et al., 2017). Emotional safety can be achieved by introducing the policy requirement for monitoring the staff’s professional competence involving a non-judgmental attitude, respect for privacy, and awareness of cultural diversity.
The last component is collaboration with clients and their families. Engaging trauma survivors in organizational planning and treatment can help them become a part of the shared experience within the agency’s complex system. The component can help human service professionals establish rapport, build trust, prevent non-compliance with the proposed treatment, and understand the micro-world of the client (Quiros, 2020). Collaboration might also increase the agency’s trustworthiness and strengthen the empowerment component by providing the freedom of choice. Thus, trauma survivors should be able to choose between several treatment options or interventions to regain power and restore confidence.
References
Butler, L. D., Critelli, F. M., & Carello, J. (Eds.). (2019). Trauma and human rights: Integrating approaches to addressing human suffering. Palgrave Macmillan.
Quiros, L. (2020). Incorporating diversity and inclusion into trauma-informed social work: Transformational leadership. Taylor & Francis.
Yatchmenoff, D. K., Sundbord, S. A., & Davis, M. A. (2017). Implementing trauma-informed care: Recommendations on the process. Advances in Social Work, 18(1). Web.