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Trauma Informed Organizational NC

Trauma Informed Organizational NC

Tools & Resources for Trauma-informed Organizational Policies and Practices

  • About
    • About TIONC
    • The Logic Model
    • Primary Prevention of IPV
    • NCCADV
  • Guiding Framework
    • Guiding Framework
    • Guiding Framework Application Questions
  • Resources
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Guiding Framework Application Questions

The following are questions to think about when developing trauma informed policies and practices for your organization.

  • What does safety in the workplace look like? What does safety NOT look like? 
  • How does the organization consider physical and psychological safety in the workplace?
  • What safety concerns is the organization dealing with that seems most present? 
  • What do folks need in order to strengthen safety, physical and psychological safety, in the workplace?
  • What happens when staff have differing ideas and/or needs around safety? Examples could include differing needs around light sensitivities, food needs, social and cultural differences, etc. How do you negotiate this? 
  • What does safety at work look like for everyone who works at the organization? Do staff feel like they can talk about their own personal safety needs in group spaces?
  • Do staff have access to private spaces for meetings and supervision? 
  • How do organizations build trust with their workers and with the community served? 
  • How is trust maintained? Why is trust important? 
  • What are some examples of trust building in our organization that can be expanded on? 
  • How are decisions made in the organization? How transparent is the process to all staff? 
  • Do staff have decision-making power or are they able to influence the way policies are created? Have they been genuinely consulted or included in the process? 
  • How does the organization ensure that all staff have sufficient information to contribute to decision making? 
  • What are the unintended consequences of this policy? 
  • Do staff have access to non-judgmental spaces where they can access support? What kinds of peer supports can staff access in the organization (formal or informal)? Do staff have access to trauma-informed supervision?
  • Does this policy enhance opportunities for staff accessing support with one another? Does this policy increase isolation for staff? 
  • Does this policy help to level power at the organization? 
  • What are the unintended consequences of this policy?
  • How are staff able to contribute to decisions that affect their work lives? 
  • Do staff have sufficient information to contribute to agency wide decision making? 
  • How are staff’s strengths built upon at work? 
  • What does empowerment look like for the service population and for the staff?
  • How does historical trauma impact your work? How does this organization seek to not do further harm in this area? 
  • What commitments has the agency made to work towards equity? 
  • Does the agency have a clear analysis of how intimate partner violence and oppression intersect? 
  • What policies and practices are in place that Does the agency have gender-neutral restrooms? 
  • Does this policy leave out any groups of people? 
  • How are the benefits offered by the organization reflect the lived experiences of the workers? 
  • What are the unintended consequences of this policy?
  • How does the organization handle change in general? Or how has the organization previously handled an organizational change (for example, changes made during the COVID-19 Pandemic or other changes due to a natural disaster)? 
    • What are the lessons learned from these experiences? How can these lessons inform future changes? 
  • Who is responsible for ensuring that changes or adaptations occur? How is information passed along to staff? 
  • If time permits, how are staff able to weigh in on changes? 

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Trauma Informed Organizations NC is a project of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV)
3710 University Drive, Suite 140
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 956-9124

This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number, 5 NUS4CE002307-03-00, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.

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