Family Services Cabinet Council launches Compassionate Champion Award, Trauma Awareness Month Planning

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced two new initiatives from the Family Services Cabinet Council to implement Executive Order 24, which launched efforts to make Delaware a trauma-informed state. The Family Services Cabinet Council – a cabinet-level group reestablished by Governor Carney in February 2017 to coordinate public and private services for Delaware families – will promote Trauma Awareness Month throughout Delaware during May 2019 and launch the Compassionate Champion Award, a recognition program for champions of this work.

“We need to do everything we can to support children and families in Delaware who are affected by trauma in their lives,” said Governor Carney. “Delaware has many dedicated, boots-on-the-ground workers and organizations that are practicing trauma-informed care and helping Delawareans get the services they need. We are committed to working together to support, promote, and recognize more of these efforts to help build stronger, healthier and more trauma-informed communities across our state.”

Learn more about the Family Services Cabinet Council: de.gov/fscc

The Compassionate Champion Award is a new trauma-informed care recognition program to highlight outstanding achievement by individuals and organizations that provide trauma-informed services.

This award will recognize individuals or teams in government, non-profit and private organizations, first responder professions, education, and other agencies that have taken steps toward providing services in a manner consistent with trauma-informed care criteria in the Delaware Developmental Framework for Trauma Informed Care, a document that outlines best practices for trauma-informed care. The Framework was adapted from the Missouri Model of trauma-informed care, and was produced in collaboration by the Family Services Cabinet Council ACEs Subcommittee and the Compassionate Connections Partnership.

The Compassionate Champion Award nomination form is now available, and the deadline to apply is April 1, 2019. Nominations may also be submitted by downloading the application  found on the Compassionate Champion Award webpage and emailing the form to fscc@delaware.gov, or mailing it to Compassionate Champion Award, Office of the Governor – Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, 12th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801.

“The Children’s Department is pleased to be on the frontline of Delaware’s efforts to become a trauma-informed state,” said Josette Manning, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families. “Adverse childhood experiences can have life altering impacts if they are not recognized and addressed properly. The Compassionate Champion Award will help recognize the important work that is being done every day in Delaware to help increase awareness and mitigate the impact of trauma on our children, families and communities.”

“We must support our educators by providing the training and resources they need to be better informed about of the effects of trauma on students,” said Dr. Susan Bunting, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. “Recent state-sponsored professional development has offered educators the chance to learn more about the research around childhood trauma and the effect of toxic stress on brain development. Our hope is that such training will translate into their more effectively supporting those who have been impacted by trauma.”

“Awareness of trauma is a critical step in supporting and promoting recovery for Delawareans, young people and adults, who have experienced trauma in their lives,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, a board-certified family physician and Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. “At the Department of Health and Social Services, we have trained 1,000 employees who have the greatest level of direct client contact in the trauma-informed approach. A workforce that understands what trauma is, how it affects people across their lifespans, and the most effective ways to assess and meet our clients’ needs will help us build resilience among the people we serve so they learn to thrive in their communities.”

The Family Services Cabinet Council also invites members of the public to participate in planning for Trauma Awareness Month happening this May. Organizations and individuals involved with trauma-informed care are encouraged to submit event ideas for Trauma Awareness Month, and information for trauma-related events already scheduled in May, using an online form.

Events submitted before March 15, 2019 will be reviewed and added to a digital calendar that is shared with the public prior to Trauma Awareness Month to promote trainings, workshops and other events.

Members of the public who would like to be involved with Trauma Awareness Month planning are invited to attend the Trauma Awareness Month Steering Group’s public meetings on February 20, and March 20, 2019. The meeting details will be listed on Delaware’s public meeting calendar.

In October 2018, Governor Carney signed Executive Order 24, making Delaware a trauma-informed state and providing direction for the Family Services Cabinet Council to help mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and build resilience in children, adults and communities.

Find more information about the Family Services Cabinet Council, the Compassionate Champion Award, and Trauma Awareness Month here: de.gov/fscc

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