Series of events and trainings offered statewide

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney on Wednesday signed a proclamation declaring May 2022 as Trauma Awareness Month to recognize efforts of trauma-informed practices across the State of Delaware. 

View proclamation signing video on Governor Carney’s YouTube Channel.

“Trauma Awareness Month is an opportunity for all of us to engage with our community and learn how to prevent and interrupt cycles of trauma, especially for our children,” said Governor Carney. “A lot has changed since we first recognized Trauma Awareness Month in 2018, and we continue to deal with the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on all of us. But we have a lot of great work happening across our state to address these experiences in an effort to improve lives for Delaware children and families. We thank Trauma Matters Delaware and the many organizations, state agencies, and individuals who are working hard to make Delaware a more trauma-informed state.”

This year, Trauma Awareness Month includes a series of educational webinars and recognition of the Compassionate Champion Awards recipients. Trauma Awareness Month is co-sponsored by the Family Services Cabinet Council (FSCC) and Trauma Matters Delaware (TMD). 

“It might not sound like it as a first impression, but Trauma Awareness Month is actually about good news,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “We’ve learned so much —from brain science and long-term studies, and from listening to each other. Knowing now, as we do, that every contact with a child can leave a mark – for good or for ill – all of us can be part of positive experiences for children that provide a buffer against long-lasting impacts of trauma.”

The Family Services Cabinet Council and TMD are highlighting a variety of virtual events throughout May, including facilitated webinars each week for Delawareans to learn about the current state of trauma in Delaware and trauma-related topics. 

• May 11, 2022 – TMD’s Coffee and Conversations Event – 12:30 p.m. –  public webinar
• May 12, 2022 – Trauma-informed leadership Presentation – 12:00 p.m. – public webinar
• May 18, 2022 – Resilience & Self-Care Panel Discussion –  12:30 p.m.  – public webinar
• May 25, 2022 – TMD’s Community Healing Event – Additional information will be shared on the TMD event calendar

The FSCC and TMD encourage Delaware community organizations to add their own Trauma Awareness Month events to the TMD event calendar. To have events published on TMD’s Trauma Awareness Month calendar, please complete this form.

“While I am excited to experience my first Trauma Awareness Month with everyone across the state, I am equally as thrilled to have our young people and individuals that work with our youth and teens own the spotlight this May,” said Erin Mitchell, Executive Director of Trauma Matters Delaware. “After a tough two years, we have a responsibility to respond to the changing needs of our youth. At Trauma Matters Delaware, our vision is that all people can feel safe, grow beyond adversity and thrive.”

On October 17, 2018, Governor John Carney signed Executive Order 24 to make Delaware a trauma-informed state and to address the impact of trauma at different points in a person’s life. The Executive Order also charged the FSCC with promoting May as “Trauma Awareness Month,” and publicizing events throughout the state. 

For more information about Trauma Awareness Month events and registration, visit traumamattersdelaware.org/trauma-awareness-month. 

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Nomination forms accepted through April 29

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced the 2022 Compassionate Champion Awards nomination form is now available. The Compassionate Champion Awards recognize individuals, organizations, and educational institutions across the State of Delaware that provide trauma-informed services in a manner consistent with the Delaware Developmental Framework for Trauma-Informed Care.  

The nomination period closes at 5:00 p.m. on April 29, 2022. Winners and a recognition event will be announced at a later date.

Click here to access the nomination form.

“From students to families to workers, we’ve all been impacted by the pandemic in some way, and we must continue to address the impact of this trauma,” said Governor Carney. “That’s why we are recognizing the important work of those who continue to serve their neighbors through a trauma-informed approach so that we can continue to heal. I encourage Delawareans and organizations to submit nomination forms, and I look forward to recognizing the incredible work taking place across Delaware.”

The Compassionate Champion Award highlights individuals or teams in government, non-profit and private organizations, first responder professions, educational institutions, healthcare professionals, and other agencies that have taken steps toward providing services in a manner consistent with trauma-informed care. 

The award categories include:

• Government – Agency, division, team, workgroup, or individuals of State of Delaware, county, or municipal governmental agencies/organizations.
• Community Organizations – Non-profit or for-profit organizations providing support services to individuals, families, and communities. For example, this category includes faith-based organizations, organizations serving individuals with disabilities, homeless services, veteran services, elderly, and crisis intervention.
• First Responders – Organizations such as fire, law enforcement, Victim Services and EMT.
• Education (P-20) – Universities, colleges, school districts, schools, early childhood centers, daycare centers, and other educational institutions.
• Health Care – Includes agencies, providers, hospitals, or individuals providing trauma-informed care to service recipients.
• Other – Organizations that may not fit within the categories above.

Any individual, community partner, first responder, educational institution, state agency or other organization providing services to Delaware’s citizens within the State of Delaware is eligible for nomination. Applicants may nominate themselves or another individual or organization. 

Click here to nominate yourself, an individual, or an organization by April 29 at 5:00 p.m.

In 2018, the Family Services Cabinet Council implemented Executive Order #24, which launched efforts to make Delaware a trauma-informed state. As part of this initiative, Delaware is committed to ensuring all environments that serve children and adults in the state are working to embody practices of trauma-informed care. 

Based on the Delaware Developmental Framework for Trauma-Informed Care, trauma-informed care includes:

• Creating respectful, sensitive, and culturally competent environments;
• Implementing evidence-based trauma-informed principles and practices that address the effects associated with trauma;
• Developing a common language and framework for dialogue and discussion to enhance communication and progress along the continuum of trauma-informed care; and
• Increasing the effectiveness and responsiveness of all services and assistance provided to Delawareans, especially children and adults who have experienced traumatic circumstances.

Click here for the list of 2021 Compassionate Champion Award winners.

Watch the 2021 Compassionate Champion Awards Ceremony.

Questions about the 2022 Compassionate Champion Award can be directed to fscc@delaware.gov.

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Plan highlights accomplishments, sets benchmarks for state agencies

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Wednesday released the Family Services Cabinet Council’s Trauma-Informed Care Progress Report and Action Plan for State of Delaware agencies. The plan serves as a progress report of each agency’s work to implement Executive Order #24, which tasked the Family Services Cabinet Council to lead efforts to make Delaware a trauma-informed state.

Click to view Trauma-Informed Care Progress Report and Action Plan.

“We need to do everything we can to support children and families in Delaware who are affected by trauma, and to continue to create trauma-informed communities across the state,” said Governor Carney. “Over the last year, Delaware took steps to train our state workers and collaborated with partners to promote and share the importance of trauma-informed care. Thank you to all of our partners on trauma-informed care, and to our state workers, for the progress you’ve made to better serve Delaware families. We will continue these efforts to help mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences and build resilience in children, adults and communities.”

Using the Delaware Developmental Framework for Trauma-Informed Care, a document that outlines best practices for trauma-informed care, each state agency set benchmarks for their departments to reach by December 2019 and by June 2020 in order to become trauma-informed. The Framework was adapted from the Missouri Model of trauma-informed care, and it was produced in collaboration by the Family Services Cabinet Council ACEs Subcommittee and the Compassionate Connections Partnership.

Governor Carney also announced two public community discussions on the State of Delaware’s efforts to become trauma-informed:

• Monday, November 25, 2019, 6:30 p.m. – First State Community Action Agency in Georgetown
• Thursday, December 12, 2019, 6:30 p.m. – Delaware Technical Community College – George Campus in Wilmington

Speakers will discuss progress on implementing Executive Order #24 and the statewide plan to make Delaware a trauma-informed state. The Family Services Cabinet Council members will then take questions and suggestions from members of the public.

 

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION – GEORGETOWN

WHAT:               Governor Carney and the Family Services Cabinet Council will hold a community discussion on trauma-informed care.

WHO:                  Governor John Carney

Josette Manning, Secretary, Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families

Cerron Cade, Secretary, Delaware Department of Labor

Anas Ben Addi, Director, Delaware State Housing Authority

Detective Joey Melvin, Georgetown Police Department

Members of the Family Services Cabinet Council

WHEN:                Monday, November 25, 2019

6:30 p.m.

WHERE:             First State Community Action Agency

308 N Railroad Ave

Georgetown, DE 19947

 

 

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION – WILMINGTON

WHAT:               Governor Carney and the Family Services Cabinet Council will hold a community discussion on trauma-informed care.

WHO:                  Governor John Carney

Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services

Dr. Susan Bunting, Secretary, Delaware Department of Education

Claire DeMatteis, Commissioner, Delaware Department of Correction

Members of the Family Services Cabinet Council

WHEN:              Thursday, December 12, 2019

6:30 p.m.

 

WHERE:            Delaware Technical Community College – George Campus

300 N Orange Street

Wilmington, DE 19801

 

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Social service agencies will partner with law enforcement to prevent gun violence

WILMINGTON, Del. – State of Delaware social service agencies will partner with law enforcement to prevent gun violence in the City of Wilmington under a Group Violence Intervention (GVI) project announced by state and city leaders on Tuesday.

Governor John Carney joined Wilmington Mayor Michael Purzycki, Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Wilmington Police Chief Robert Tracy, and Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Secretary Kara Walker to announce their shared commitment to launching the evidence-based GVI strategy in Wilmington.   

Evidence shows that gun violence is concentrated among a small number of people at very high risk for both victimization and violent offending. The GVI strategy is intended to help these high-risk individuals avoid involvement in the criminal justice system, keep them safe, stabilize their lives, and create accountability for violence. DHSS, the Delaware Department of Correction, and the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families are among the agencies that will provide intervention services under the partnership.

“For any city to be successful, it needs to be safe,” said Governor John Carney. “Under the leadership of Mayor Purzycki and Chief Tracy, we’ve seen a significant reduction in gun violence in our city. But – as there are in all cities – there are still communities that are disproportionately impacted by gun violence in their neighborhoods. Those shootings traumatize children and families, and tear apart entire communities. We know that this gun violence is concentrated among a small group of people who are at very high risk for offending – but also at a very high risk for being victims of gun violence. We believe we can make a real difference if we are able to reach those at highest risk, and help them avoid involvement in the criminal justice system, keep them safe, and stabilize their lives. Thank you to Mayor Purzycki, Chief Tracy, Attorney General Jennings, Professor David Kennedy and many others for their partnership on this important work.”

“Wilmington is making significant gains regarding public safety,” said Wilmington Mayor Michael Purzycki. “We are a safer City today because we are policing the City differently, and that difference is largely because of the trust that has been built between the police department and our citizens. Chief Tracy has introduced new and effective layers to our policing methods in Wilmington and today we add another layer that can continue to improve lives and further reduce crime. My thanks to the Governor, to the Health and Social Services Secretary and to our criminal justice leaders for embracing this effort and to David Kennedy, Chief Tracy and former Chief Cummings who are deeply invested in making sure this initiative works for all of us.”

“This is a new day in Wilmington’s efforts to curtail violence in our neighborhoods,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “Through this initiative, we are recognizing the social and economic dynamics that so often drive violent crime, and we are disrupting those dynamics at their source. This program has shown remarkable promise in sharply reducing group violence and I am committed to its missions: protecting public safety, addressing the causes of anger and hopelessness that exist in our most underserved communities, and providing meaningful alternatives to those who would build a better life for themselves.”

The intergovernmental initiative will bring together state-level social service agencies with the Wilmington Police Department, the Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and community leaders in an effort to further and more significantly reduce homicide and shooting incidents in Wilmington. Intervention will be based on frontline knowledge, and real-time data on violence and individuals who face the highest risk of violence.

The GVI work will be led by Bobby Cummings, the former Wilmington Police Chief who has been appointed Director of Group Violence at the Department of Health and Social Services. The National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College, led by Professor David Kennedy, will provide technical assistance.

“Over the past several years, the Wilmington Police Department has embraced a range of proven, evidence-based policing strategies, with focused deterrence being key,” said Wilmington Police Chief Robert J. Tracy. “Implementing Group Violence Intervention – the next phase of our layered, comprehensive approach – carries the promise of achieving continued reductions in violent crime, while simultaneously offering support and wraparound services to those who embrace an alternative to engaging in gun violence.”

“We’re extremely excited to be working with Delaware and Wilmington to prevent homicide and gun violence,” said David Kennedy, Director of the National Network for Safe Communities at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “We’ve known and worked with Chief Tracy for years, and the commitment of the Governor’s Office puts Delaware amongst a small but growing number of states making an executive commitment to evidence-based public safety approaches. This work saves lives, keeps people out of the justice system, and builds trust between police and communities. We’re honored to be part of it.”

“As leaders, we all have a responsibility to alter the cycle of poverty, trauma and violence in order to keep individuals and families safe and healthy,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. “The newly appointed Director of Group Violence Intervention in the Department of Health and Social Services will have the resources and the staffing support to meet the social services needs of the small number of people in Wilmington who are at a very high risk for both victimization and for violent offending.”

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First Lady also announces first Compassionate Champion Award winners  

DOVER, Del. – At a kickoff event for Trauma Awareness Month in Delaware, First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney today announced the launch of a new, growing statewide partnership for trauma-informed care to help elevate stories of the work of leaders in trauma-informed practices and approaches across the state called Trauma Informed Delaware. The goal of the statewide public-private-nonprofit coalition is to coordinate a sustainable system that advances resilience through community-based awareness, trauma prevention, and early intervention.

“Trauma-informed care is a pre-requisite to any effective strength-based strategy,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Progress starts when a critical mass of people learn and listen, when we recognize – down to our bone marrow – that these are our children, our veterans, our neighbors, and that we are all in this building-the-future business together. Thank you to the all of the people who have been leading trauma-informed work for many years, and to everyone who will be participating in Trauma Awareness Month events.”

“Trauma-informed care is real,” said Tony Allen, Executive Vice President and Provost at Delaware State University, which hosted Wednesday’s kickoff event. “When it is present, it goes to the very heart of practitioners knowing both their clients and themselves, and having a clear belief in the power of Ubuntu – I am because WE are. That is not a warm and fuzzy principle or an interesting catch phrase. It is a guiding principle for anyone of us – teachers, social workers, therapists, law enforcement officers, health care professionals — who work with fellow citizens who face unending challenges that place their mental, physical or spiritual health in peril. At Delaware State University, we are committed to building a cadre of healing professionals across any number of disciplines that understand Ubuntu and put it into practice in everything they do for their profession and their community.”

“Our educators know first-hand that factors outside of the classroom impact how their students learn inside of the classroom, we have been hearing this for years. The creation of this statewide partnership and Trauma Awareness Month are an important first step towards making Delaware trauma-informed,” said Stephanie Ingram, President of the Delaware State Education Association. “We are thankful to have the support of Governor Carney and Secretary Bunting in facing these challenges and helping our students find pathways to resilience.”

Trauma Informed Delaware at www.traumainformedde.org will support streamlined requests for trainings, host collaborative convening opportunities, promote partners and events from across the state, and offer those supports and other forms of assistance through promotion of and advocacy for:

• Access to quality behavioral and integrated health care.
• Strength-based services for youth and adults.
• Education for providers and the community.

Wednesday’s kickoff event was coordinated by Governor Carney’s Family Services Cabinet Council, which was charged with promoting Trauma Awareness Month as part of the Governor’s Executive Order 24. The Council also created an online calendar to share information with state employees, community partners, and members of the public on educational and professional development opportunities related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and building resilience.

“At the Children’s Department, we know that many of our clients come to us with a history of trauma,” said Josette Manning, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families. “We also know that our staff, tasked with helping the most vulnerable children, also suffer trauma. Today, we all came together as a community to learn how we can become more trauma informed to better serve our children and families and how to take care of each other as we do it. We are looking forward to a month of activities focused on building resilience both inside and outside of our Department.”

“During the past year, more than 1,000 Department of Health and Social Services employees with the greatest level of direct client contact have been trained in a trauma-informed approach,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, and a board-certified family physician. “We are building a workforce that understands what trauma is, how it affects people across their lifespans, and the most effective ways that we can assess and meet our clients’ needs. Having a trauma-informed workforce is a critical step in supporting and promoting recovery for our clients who have experienced trauma so they can build resilience and learn to thrive in their communities.”

“Toxic stress in childhood can have a profound and lasting impact on the lifelong health and well-being of a child, well into adulthood. Early intervention is key to reducing this risk,” said Lee Pachter, DO, Medical Director, General Pediatrics at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. “Nemours is pleased to be part of a state-wide initiative bringing together experts in the field to help give our kids the resources they need to mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).”

During the day-long symposium at Delaware State University, the First Lady also announced the Compassionate Champion Award winners and presented a proclamation from Governor Carney. The honorees are:

• Stephanie Sklodowski from Christiana Care and Christiana School District’s Newark High School Wellness Center.

• Wilmington University College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Psychology Department.

• Renée Beaman, Director of the Division of State Service Centers in the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS).

• Division of State Services Centers in DHSS.

• Georgetown Police Department.

• Shue-Medill Middle School.

• Smyrna School District.

• Mount Pleasant Elementary School.

• Wendy Turner from Brandywine School District.

• Ryan Palmer from Caesar Rodney School District.

• Collaborative Partnership to promote trauma-informed care approaches, including United Way of Delaware, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Education and the Wilmington Community Advisory Council.

The symposium featured an interactive panel moderated by DHSS Secretary Walker and breakout sessions on the neuroscience of stress, navigating trauma with boys of color, mindfulness and a screening of the film, “Broken Places.” Keynote speakers Heather Forbes, LCSW and author of “Help for Billy,” talked about understanding challenging and difficult behaviors, and Dr. Abdul-Malik Muhammad, Ed.D, a trauma-informed care leader in Delaware, addressed the collective power to heal.

The event was sponsored by the Delaware State Education Association, made possible through a grant from National Education Association, and co-sponsored by Trauma Matters Delaware, Nemours, Wilmington University and Delaware State University.

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