IN THE PROFESSION trauma of that experience . 1 In 2015 , The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges ( NCJFCJ ) issued a resolution urging juvenile courts to be traumainformed in their community connections , practices , policy , educational training , administration , therapeutic services and judicial leadership . 2 Juvenile Court staff and its leadership are in the unique position to identify and improve interactions with children and youth who suffer from and have been exposed to traumatic stress and experiences .
In light of the NCJFCJ resolution , the Fulton County Juvenile Court invited the NCJFCJ to conduct a trauma assessment of our Court to further understand the opportunities and barriers to becoming a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive court , and to adopt practices that are sensitive to child and family trauma . Through the implementation of a universal precaution model , the Court wants to transform the culture and physical environment of our Court to be traumainformed and trauma-responsive and better serve children , families , and our employees .
What Is Trauma and a Trauma-Informed Court ?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) describes trauma as the result of “ an event , series of events , or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual ’ s functioning and mental , physical , social , emotional , or spiritual well-being . 3
The types of cases that make up the majority of our juvenile court ’ s case load are dependency , delinquency , and children in need of supervision ( CHINS ); though the number of victims of potential traumatic experiences who appear before the court are unknown , research has shown that millions of children in the U . S . are exposed to violence as victims of abuse and other violence , witnesses to intimate partner violence or witnesses to violence in their neighborhoods . 4 According to research , such exposure results in children traumatized having an increased risk of school failure and significantly greater risk in developing aggressive and disruptive behaviors , alcohol and illegal drug use , repeated victimization and diagnosis of behavioral health disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ). 5 As everyone continues to live with the COVID-19 pandemic , the work of our Court becoming traumaresponsive is necessary now more than ever .
A trauma-informed court is one in which the judge and other stakeholders recognize that the children and families appearing before them may have personally experienced traumatic life events of varying severity , are cognizant that the stress of the courtroom environment may impact trauma survivors , and take action to minimize trauma and re-traumatization . 6 When judges make even small changes toward that acknowledgment , it can make the proceedings more efficient and avoids potentially re-traumatizing individuals who have already experienced trauma .
Nationally , Juvenile Courts have advanced their understanding of how trauma impacts one ’ s development and how it influences human function and behaviors . As courts , there is an increased need to look beyond “ the what ” ( the act or action of delinquency or dependency ) that has brought the youth before the court , but rather a light must be shined on “ the why ” of the act or action . The why may be found in the assessment for traumatic injury or experience which when appropriately addressed reduces the likelihood of reoccurrence .
Prior to the trauma assessment , Fulton County Juvenile Court engaged in ongoing efforts to create policies , procedures , and practices that collaborated with trauma focused services , coordinated , and monitored services that are evidence-based effective treatments , and implemented environmental changes that aid in reducing the risk to exacerbate existing trauma of those who became court involved . Some of those efforts included trauma awareness trainings , improving the physical environment of the Court , and conducting hearings virtually and utilizing
As everyone continues to live with the COVID--19 pandemic , the work of our Court becoming trauma-responsive is necessary now more than ever .
time-certain calendaring ( a best practice and considered one of the cornerstones of effective case flow management and the creation of a trauma-informed system ). The court had also been engaged in collaborative training opportunities with Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocate ( CASA ) program to improve the knowledge and expertise of staff on how adversity and trauma impact youth , children , and their families . CASA has been utilizing the Sanctuary Model to become a trauma-informed organization , and certain court personnel have participated in those efforts over the past few years . While Fulton County Juvenile Court was making strides towards being more trauma-informed and trauma-aware , the Court decided to engage an outside organization to conduct an assessment to get another opinion on how and where the Court can improve its trauma awareness .
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