Trauma-informed care ‘failing to meet expectations’

Trauma-informed care (TIC), which considers the abuse and neglect experienced by looked-after children, is widely used in social work and is expected to lead to effective support.

But this practice “is rarely leading to treatments shown to reduce trauma, which was the original purpose,” according to the Early Intervention Foundation, which has published a study on TIC that includes a survey of social workers.

“Our study observed that trauma-informed care led to evidence-based treatments in only two instances,” says the EIF.

“More often, TIC activities were offered alongside social work practices that had a less established evidence base.”

The EIF warns that most methods of TIC have not not “undergone rigorous evaluation and so the specific benefits for children and families remain largely unknown”.

A lack of a single model of TIC, is another concern raised. This is leading to “little consistency in how these activities” are being delivered, says the EIF.

In addition, there is an overlap in support between TIC and other social work practice. For example, TIC schemes which focus on strengths to better engage with families “did not represent a significant departure from standard social work practices”, said the EIF.

This is leading to social workers relying on untested approaches and being “over optimistic” about what they can achieve in supporting children with experience of trauma.

NEW report 📝

In this study, we consider how trauma-informed care principles have been adopted by children’s social care teams to improve the quality of their service.

Thanks go to @whatworksCSC for their support 🤝https://t.co/kzSQQn7pA4 pic.twitter.com/9QDrSr1Tx8

— Early Intervention Foundation (@TheEIFoundation) January 20, 2022

Social workers from 58 children’s social care teams were surveyed by the EIF, including in-depth interviews with 12 social workers and children’s services directors.

“The expansion of TIC has far outpaced its evaluation and work is urgently needed to clarify the specific contribution of these approaches, so that we can be sure that the money being invested in these approaches is being used to best effect,” said EIF director of policy and practice Donna Molloy.

She added: “The growing focus on doing more to reduce and mitigate experiences of trauma across a range of public services is to be welcomed, but it is important we respond in the right way. We owe maltreated children access to treatments with the strongest evidence of reducing the impact of trauma and improving their overall wellbeing.”