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SW 542: Trauma and Human Rights: Home

This research guide is a resource students can use in completing their Milestone assignment of constructing a Trauma-Informed Program Assessment.

Introduction

Your assignment is broken down into three (3) parts.

  • Part 1: TI-HR Program Assessment
  • Part 2: Trauma-informed approaches & DEIA in practice
  • Part 3: Ethical Practice Reflection & Assessment Recommendations
This guide will specifically help in researching information for Part 1.
The focus of the first part of your paper will be a written assessment of your perspective on how the trauma-informed and human rights persepctive is operationalized within the organization/agency. It involves three different sections, as is evidenced by the main columns from left to right.

Trauma-Informed and Human Rights Assessment

Describe the agency or program that you have assessed, the client/patient/student population that is served and the nature of social work practice in this setting.

  • Using professional literature, describe the nature of the issues faced by the target population of individuals who utilize services from the type of agency or program you are assessing.
  • Pay particular attention to the interrelationship between trauma and human rights in this population.

Please select one of the following four trauma informed organizational tools to assess your identified program, agency, or organization from a trauma-informed lens. This assessment tool will be used to guide your thinking for the assignment and referenced throughout.


Please use the probes within Creating Cultures of Trauma-Informed Care (pp. 7-12) to discuss the extent to which your identified program, agency, or organization promotes experiences of the trauma-informed values and principles:

  • Safety: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings ensure the physical and emotional safety of consumers and staff?
    • GIve examples of how the agency or program ensures physical and emotional safety.
  • Trustworthiness: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings maximize trustworthiness by making the tasks involved in service delivery clear by ensuring consistence in practice, and by maintaining boundaries that are appropriate to the program? 
    • Give examples of how the agency or program establishes task clarity, consistency and interpersonal boundaries. 
  • Choice: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings maximize consumer experiences of choice and control?
    • Give examples of how you see the agency maximizing consumer choice and control.
  • Collaboration: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings maximize collaboration and sharing of power between staff and consumers?
    • Give examples of how you see the agency maximizing collaboration and sharing power.
  • Empowerment: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings prioritize consumer empowerment and growth?
    • Give examples of how the agency or program prioritizes empowerment and skill-building

** Both Drs. Roger Fallot/Maxine Harris (2001) and SAMHSA (2014; 2023) have provided guidance around specific trauma-informed values/principles that characterize organizational climate: shared perceptions of the work and service environment.**


Please review the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations) and describe:

  • To what extent do the program's activities and settings protect client/students' human rights?
  • To what extent do the program's activities and settings protect staff human rights?

Creating Cultures of Trauma-Informed Care

Please use the probes within Creating Cultures of Trauma-Informed Care (pp. 7-12) to discuss the extent to which your identified program, agency, or organization promotes experiences of the trauma-informed values and principles:

  • Safety: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings ensure the physical and emotional safety of consumers and staff?
    • GIve examples of how the agency or program ensures physical and emotional safety.
  • Trustworthiness: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings maximize trustworthiness by making the tasks involved in service delivery clear by ensuring consistence in practice, and by maintaining boundaries that are appropriate to the program? 
    • Give examples of how the agency or program establishes task clarity, consistency and interpersonal boundaries. 
  • Choice: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings maximize consumer experiences of choice and control?
    • Give examples of how you see the agency maximizing consumer choice and control.
  • Collaboration: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings maximize collaboration and sharing of power between staff and consumers?
    • Give examples of how you see the agency maximizing collaboration and sharing power.
  • Empowerment: To what extent do the program’s activities and settings prioritize consumer empowerment and growth?
    • Give examples of how the agency or program prioritizes empowerment and skill-building

** Both Drs. Roger Fallot/Maxine Harris (2001) and SAMHSA (2014; 2023) have provided guidance around specific trauma-informed values/principles that characterize organizational climate: shared perceptions of the work and service environment.**

 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Please review the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations) and describe:

  • To what extent do the program's activities and settings protect client/students' human rights?
  • To what extent do the program's activities and settings protect staff human rights?

How to Contact Me

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Bryan J. Sajecki
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Contact:
523 Lockwood Library
University at Buffalo North Campus
(716) 645-1798
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