Organizational Sign On & Contact

Use this form to sign your organization as a supporter of the Unified Policy Agenda for the Campaign for a Trauma-informed Virginia. 
Your organization will be listed here: https://vakids.org/trauma-informed-va

The full text of the Unified Agenda is posted below and will be posted on this website during 2019. 

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* 1. Organization

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* 2. Please share website if possible

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* 3. Contact Name

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* 4. Contact Email

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* 5. Unified Policy Agenda -- Campaign for a Trauma-informed Virginia

Research shows us that we can prevent and counteract adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by designing our systems to better serve our children. We know that 19% of children in Virginia have experienced two or more ACEs. These ACEs can affect the physiological development of the child and can shape their physical and mental health throughout their lifetime. Responsive relationships with caregivers, and strong communities, can buffer the effects of ACEs.

A Vision for Virginia

Building off increasing awareness of trauma-informed approaches, and policy opportunities such as the Behavioral Health Redesign and Family First Prevention Services Act which will incentivize trauma-informed practices, we believe that Virginia is poised to define, align, apply and assess trauma-informed care across all child-serving systems. Coming from various perspectives and backgrounds we see how trauma can impact families across generations, in every socio-economic background, and in all communities. We see the need for prevention of exposure to trauma, as well as approaches for children, parents, caregivers, and communities.

Define the elements of trauma-informed approaches across sectors to inform policy and practice for professionals, advocates, policymakers and communities.

Apply trauma-informed policies and practices across sectors by establishing a continuum of trauma-informed practices for organizations and individuals.

Align trauma-informed initiatives across systems to maximize opportunities for federal funding, including the Family First Prevention Services Act and Medicaid.

Assess the reach and impact of trauma-informed services by collecting relevant data and using this information to help agencies implement policy change and prepare communities to respond and implement.

Please respond: "Yes, I agree." 

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* 6. During the 2019 General Assembly Session we will advocate for these proposals that will help advance a trauma-informed Virginia. These proposals represent trauma-informed approaches in education, health care, mental health, child welfare and community-level prevention.

Education: Increase support staff in schools such as counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses to help schools recognize and respond to trauma and implement trauma-informed interventions.
These student support positions help to create a positive and supportive school climate, help implement positive behavioral interventions and supports, and help respond to behaviors through treatment and referral to other community-based resources.  

Improve the ratio of school counselors to students in PreK-12th grade to 1 to 250 students.
Amend the standards of accreditation so that school counselors spend a minimum of 80% of time providing direct counseling services.

Education: Provide training in trauma recognition and trauma-informed approaches to all school personnel.
a.     Require School Resource Officers to have background training in trauma-informed care.

3.       Child Welfare: Support the initial steps to implement the federal Family First Prevention Services Act by increasing evidence-based and trauma-informed services to prevent children from being placed in foster care.

a.       The Family First Prevention Services Act is the first transformation of the child welfare system in nearly 40 years and provides an opportunity to invest in prevention through evidence-based and trauma-informed services. To support implementation, we must increase evidence-based services for children at-risk of entering foster care and their families and caregivers.

4. Mental Health: Improve access to children’s mental health crisis services through the continued implementation of STEP-VA

Increase funding for community-based children’s mobile crisis stabilization services and improve access to regional crisis stabilization units for children and adolescents. Developing a robust continuum of crisis services in partnership with community services boards, reduces costly and potentially traumatic in-patient hospitalizations and out of home placements.

5.  Health Care: Improve integration of mental health services in primary care through the establishment of a pediatric mental health access program in Virginia. 

Provide state financial support to scale up the Virginia Mental Health Access Project (VMHAP) that will improve primary care providers’ ability to address pediatric mental health needs through care coordination and behavioral health consultation services. 

6.       Community- Level Prevention: Help parents and caregivers understand their role as a “buffer” -- preventing exposure to, and mitigating the impact of, various forms of childhood trauma. Expand efforts to support parents and caregivers in their role as their child’s first teacher such as home visitation intended to educate parents on children’s health and development.

7.       Community- Level Prevention: Provide support for communities to build trauma-informed networks.

a.       Provide additional funding to the Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT) to increase the number of grants supporting trauma-informed communities.  FACT currently has resources to fund two community networks out of the 15 communities where networks exist. Additional state resources could be leveraged by the private funds raised by FACT.

Please respond: "Yes, I agree." 

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