In October 2018, Governor Carney signed Executive Order 24, making Delaware a trauma-informed state.
The Executive Order directs the Family Services Cabinet Council to develop tools for training state employees and community partners on the impact of exposure to ACEs, to promote ACE awareness, and to improve services and interventions for children and families exposed to trauma.
What we’re doing
In November 2019, Governor Carney 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.
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.
- 2023 Trauma Informed Care Report
- Learn more about Trauma Awareness Month
- Learn more about Compassionate Champion Awards
Compassionate Champions
Learn why trauma-informed care is important from some of the 2019 Compassionate Champion Award Winners. These awards recognizing champions of trauma work in Delaware.
The purpose of trauma-informed care:
- to create an environment where people are respectful, competent, sensitive and culturally aware;
- to implement evidence based trauma-informed principles and approaches that address the effects
associated with trauma; - to develop a common language and framework for dialogue and discussion to enhance communication and progress;
- to assess the implementation of basic principles of trauma-informed approaches in various settings;
- to increase the effectiveness of all services and assistance; and
- to ensure that the educational community does no harm.