Resources for Evaluating Trauma- and Violence-Informed Practice
Acknowledgements
The Knowledge Hub is an initiative of the Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children at Western University. The Knowledge Hub actively supports projects across Canada funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada that use trauma- and violence-informed approaches to promote the health and wellbeing related to preventing and addressing family violence. This support includes:
- Facilitating a national community of practice (CoP) for members of projects funded through the investment to share and enhance learning regarding trauma- and violence-informed research and practice.
- Coordinating knowledge mobilization activities for projects and the broader community through live events, written resources, and videos.
Trauma- and violence-informed approaches are at the heart of all work conducted by the Knowledge Hub and are central to each project brought together into the CoP. This includes the research methods, practices, intervention and prevention efforts carried out by the projects, the research methods and practices of the Knowledge Hub, and the activities of the CoP, including regular meetings and gatherings of CoP and Knowledge Hub team members. Learn more at learningtoendabuse.ca
We are grateful to Christen Kong of Access Alliance and Kara Brisson-Boivin of Media Smarts for their contributions and review of this document.
Knowledge Hub Contributors:
•Katreena Scott, Academic Director, CREVAWC
•Anna-Lee Straatman, Project Manager
•Sabry Adel Saadi, Implementation Coordinator
•Jessica Webb, Implementation Coordinator
Suggested citation
Knowledge Hub (2024). Resources for evaluating trauma-and violence-informed practice. London, ON: Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children, Western University. ISBN: 978-1-988412-75-7
Graphic Design: Ravinder Hans, Editorial Assistant, CREVAWC, Western University
French Translation: Sylvie Rodrigue
Financial contribution from Public Health Agency of Canada
Introduction
The Knowledge Hub at the Centre for Research & Education on Violence against Women & Children at Western University with financial contributions from the Public Health Agency of Canada (2022-2026) facilitates a trauma-informed community of practice. This community of practice is implementing and evaluating trauma-and violence-informed interventions to prevent and address family violence across the lifespan.
Trauma- and violence-informed principles have emerged as credible frameworks for delivering programming to address the needs of those who have experienced trauma or violence. These approaches prioritize safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural humility (SAMHSA, 2014). However, the development and publication of evaluation tools related to trauma and violence-informed care and practices is still in its infancy (Thirkle, 2021).
Resource Overview
This resource provides an overview of over twenty qualitative and quantitative evaluation tools designed to measure trauma-and violence-informed practices of individuals and /or organizations. These tools were meticulously selected through a comprehensive search of academic literature, grey literature, and websites. The literature search spanned from 2010 to 2023, and included websites that did not provide dates of publication. These tools have been specifically designed to support individuals and organizations in assessing trauma- and violence-informed (TVI) practices at various stages:
• Organizational readiness to become trauma-and violence-informed
• Individual preparedness (staff, teams, etc.) to become trauma-and violence-informed
• Individual performance utilizing trauma-and violence-informed practice and principles
• Client perceptions of service received related to trauma-and violence-informed principles.
Who is this Resource For?
Youth over 18 years of age receiving treatment
Health care workers
Nurses
Organizations
Serving children and families, youth, people experiencing homelessness
Domestic violence program participants
Counseling clients
Shelter residents
Schools
STBBI services
Substance use disorder health clinics
Parent-infant mental health
Community-based organizations
Harm reduction organizations
Frontline child welfare workers
Human care services
Sexual health organizations
Social services
Health care services
Organizations looking to become trauma-informed
Youth
Description of Tools
Several tools for assessing organizational readiness and capacity have been designed by organizations in the process of becoming trauma-informed. While these tools are tailored to the specific needs of these organizations, they are shared with the broader community for possible adaptation for other organizations as well. One example from a member of the Trauma-informed Community of Practice is the Your Starting Point Story Readiness Assessment Tool developed for the Building Connections project. It can be used to evaluate how ready an organization is to engage in a community-based intervention project, with a focus on collaboration, safety, and competency identification. Some tools rely on checklist or Likert scales for evaluation of items, others offer frameworks for assessing and reflecting on readiness to change. For example, the Trauma-Informed Care Screening Tool developed by Trauma-Informed Oregon identifies 4 phases of organizational change (Trauma Aware; Trauma Sensitive, Trauma Responsive, and Trauma-informed) with items related to these phases to assess actions that have been started or completed in the process of becoming a trauma-informed organization.
The Trauma-and Violence-Informed Care Toolkit developed by the Canadian Public Health Association and the Centre for Sexuality offers reflection tools for the organization and individual service providers to consider where they are at in the path to becoming trauma-informed, as well as suggestions for evaluation methods.
Other tools such as ARTIC (Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care) may be useful to the projects funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Preventing and Addressing Family Violence: The Health Perspective investment. Some of these projects deliver programming to increase the capacity of professionals/service providers to provide safe and effective support to survivors or those at risk of family violence, and are required to report on the following indicators in their annual reports:
• % of professionals/service providers reporting satisfaction with the training, resources and/or supports
• % of professionals/service providers reporting changes in knowledge and/or skills
• % of professionals/service providers reporting changes in behaviour (ie., changes in their programming or policy work).
It is important to note however, that not all tools have been developed and tested with diverse populations, as is the case of the ARTIC, so may have limited applicability with diverse populations.
Three scales have been identified which were developed to measure service user’s perceptions of trauma-informed care received in various health and social service settings. The Trauma-Informed Practice Scale (Goodman, Sullivan et al., 2016) was developed to measure the degree to which domestic violence programs are using trauma-informed practices from survivors’ perspectives.
Conclusion
Although not exhaustive, this document offers a comprehensive compendium of existing tools for professionals, organizations, and researchers seeking to evaluate trauma-informed care, practice, and organizations. We do not offer an evaluation of the tools, however, some recent review articles have highlighted that the development and validation of trauma and violence-informed evaluation tools is very much in its infancy, and that further validation is required (Thirkle et al, 2021; Purtle, 2020). A scoping review conducted by Wathen et al (2021) of tools to measure trauma and violence-informed principles and practices among service providers found that most measures identified in their review focused primarily on the principles of knowledge and safety. The authors concluded that if one was to attempt to measure the full range of TVI principles that it would be necessary to adapt and or combine one or two measures (Wathen et al, 2020). A systematic review of trauma-informed organizational interventions that include staff training found that evaluations were unsophisticated in design and were inconsistent in use of assessment measurements (Purtle, 2020).
Trauma-informed, and trauma-and violence-informed principles and frameworks have received increasing attention and uptake in recent years. The development of evaluation measures to assess organizational readiness for change, knowledge, skills, and adherence to these principles is relatively new. The measures identified in this document may represent a starting point for researchers who are implementing trauma-informed evaluation projects.
In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize that adopting trauma-informed practices is not a one-time implementation but an ongoing process. Being trauma-informed is not merely about integrating specific tools or strategies; instead, it is an ongoing commitment to understanding and responding to the impact of trauma.
The realization that trauma-informed care or practice is an unending process is paramount. It goes beyond the initial steps of implementation and necessitates a sustained effort to create an environment that fosters safety, trust, choice, and empowerment for individuals who have experienced trauma, and acknowledges the roles of culture, gender, racism, and historical trauma. Readers should be aware that there is no endpoint to this journey; rather, it is a dynamic and evolving approach to ensure that practices remain sensitive to the diverse needs of those affected by trauma.
It's important to dispel the misconception that merely adopting a set of policies and procedures, training and practice, automatically renders an organization or individual trauma-informed. Instead, the emphasis should be on the ongoing cultivation of a trauma-informed mindset and the integration of evolving knowledge and insights. This understanding ensures that practitioners remain vigilant, responsive, and adaptable to the ever-changing landscape of trauma research and the unique experiences of those they serve.
How to Use This Resource
Organization and Navigation
• The selected tools are organized in alphabetical order for ease of reference.
• Each entry provides comprehensive information, including the tool's:
o Purpose
o Intended audience
o Availability
o Brief description and
o References for further exploration.
• To enhance accessibility, we have also included many of these resources when available.
Sections
The resource guide is organized into three sections:
1) Resources and tools for establishing and evaluating organizational capacity to be trauma- and violence-informed: This section is dedicated to tools that help organizations assess their readiness and capacity to embrace trauma-informed practices.
2) Evaluation tools to assess abilities and propensities of service providers to be trauma- and violence-informed: Here, we provide tools that focus on the competence and readiness of service providers to deliver trauma-informed care.
3) Tools to be administered to service users to evaluate the degree that the services they received were trauma- and violence-informed: This section is dedicated to instruments that allow service users to provide feedback on their experiences with trauma-informed services.
Section 1:
Resources and tools for establishing and evaluating organizational capacity to be trauma- and violence-informed
1.1. NCTSN TIOA (National Child Traumatic Stress Network Trauma-informed Organization Assessment)
Purpose
Intended for organisations serving children and families to measure where an organisation is at a given point in time.
Intended Audience
Organizations serving children and families
Brief Description
Takes 30-45 minutes to complete. Items assessed using a Likert rating scale.
Assesses 9 domains including:
1) Trauma Screening
2) Assessment, Care Planning and Treatment
3) Workforce Development
4) Strengthening Resilience and Protective Factors
5) Addressing Parent/Caregiver Trauma
6) Continuity of Care and Cross-System Collaboration
7) Addressing, Minimizing, and Treating Secondary Traumatic Stress
8) Partnering with Youth and Families
9) Addressing the Intersections of Culture, Race, and Trauma.
References
National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2020).
NCTSN Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment | The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Trauma_informed_organizational_assessment_information_packet.pdf (nctsn.org)
Availability
Free and available online. Contact TIOA@nctsn.org
1.2. National Health Care for the Homeless Council Trauma-Informed Organization Assessment Toolkit
Purpose
To assist health care and homeless serving agencies to assess and implement trauma-informed practices.
Intended Audience
Health care settings and organizations serving people experiencing homelessness
Brief Description
An assessment tool based on trauma-informed principles.
Four components:
- Consumer survey
- Staff Survey
- Observation
- Policies & Procedures Review.
References
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
Conducting the NHCHC’s Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment - National Health Care for the Homeless Council
Availability
NHCHC-TIO-Assessment-Manual.pdf
Links to surveys and checklists available at:
Conducting the NHCHC’s Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment - National Health Care for the Homeless Council
1.3. Organizational Trauma‐Informed Practices Measure (O‐TIPs)
Purpose
A tool that can be self-administered by staff across different types of human services organisations to assess the extent to which the organisation is implementing TIPs. Can be used at various timepoints to assess change over time.
Intended Audience
Developed and tested with health care workers
Brief Description
The final 31-item tool consists of three domains and eight subscales:
1) Supporting Staff Development:
• Training and education (1 item with 6 subitems)
• Staff knowledge, awareness, and understanding (1 item with 6 subitems)
• Staff supervision, support, and self-care (5 items)
2) Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment:
• Establishing a safe physical environment (5 items)
• Staff communication and interaction (5 items)
• Communication and interaction with clients (6 items)
3) Organizational Policies and Commitment:
• Organizational policies (4 items)
• Agency commitment and endorsement (4 items)
References
Manian, N., Rog, D., Lieberman, L. Kerr, E. (2021) The organizational trauma-informed practices tool (O-TIPs): Development and preliminary validation. Journal of Community Psychology, 50 (1). doi:
10.1002/jcop.22628
Availability
See pages 12-15 in PDF.
1.4. TICOMETER
Purpose
A brief assessment tool that can measure trauma-informed care (TIC) in health and human service organizations at a single point in time or repeatedly, as well as determine training needs. To be completed by staff members online.
Intended Audience
Health and human service organizations
Brief Description
35 items assessing 5 domains:
• Building trauma-informed knowledge and skills
• Establishing trusting relationships
• Respecting service users
• Fostering trauma-informed service delivery
• Promoting trauma-informed policies and procedures.
References
Bassuk, E. L., Unick, G. J., Paquette, K., & Richard, M. K. (2017). Developing an instrument to measure organizational trauma-informed care in human services: The TICOMETER. Psychology of Violence, 7(1), 150–157. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000030
American Institutes for Research (2016).
Availability
Available for purchase from: TICOMETER: Measures Levels of Trauma-Informed Care - C4 Innovations (c4innovates.com)
1.5. Trauma-and Violence-Informed Care Toolkit
Purpose
Offers 3 tools:
1. Provider Self-reflection tool
2. Organizational Assessment tool
3. TVIC Monitoring and Evaluation tool
Intended Audience
Health and social service organizations, particularly those that provide sexual health, harm reduction or STBBI services
Brief Description
1. Provider self-reflection tool – offers resources for education and focuses questions on
i) knowledge and attitudes;
ii) skills and practice;
iii) personal feelings and experiences;
iv) action and intentions.
2. Organizational Assessment Tool – helps to identify how your organization understands TVIC principles; set realistic areas for improvement and evaluate your progress.
3. TVIC Monitoring and Evaluation Tool identifies a number of approaches for evaluation including walkthrough, assessing client perspectives, client behaviours and outcomes, staff knowledge and attitudes, staff safety, and empowerment.
References
Canadian Public Health Association & Centre for Sexuality. (2020). Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care Toolkit for reducing stigma related to sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs).
Availability
Available at: STBBI-TVIC-toolkit_e.pdf (cpha.ca)
Also available in French: STBBI-TVIC-toolkit_f.pdf (cpha.ca)
1.6. Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Tool
Purpose
This tool was created to assist organizations, systems, and agencies in implementing trauma-informed care and tracking their progress.
Intended Audience
Organizations looking to become trauma-informed
Brief Description
Identifies 5 key elements required for sustainable infrastructure:
1. Organizational Commitment
2. Culture and Climate
3. Training and Education
4. Policy, Procedure, and Practice Review
5. Feedback and Quality Assurance.
References
TIO | Trauma Informed Care Implementation Tool (traumainformedoregon.org)
PSU/TIO Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Assessment Instrument, v1.2 (2023)
Availability
TIO-Trauma-Informed-Care-Fidelity-Assessment-Instrument-V1.2.pdf (traumainformedoregon.org)
1.7. Trauma-Informed Care Organizational Assessment
Purpose
A tool for organizations to assess their implementation of trauma -informed care in many domains.
Intended Audience
Youth serving organizations
Brief Description
Using a Likert scale measures:
• trauma-informed care values
• administrative support
• organizational structure
• trauma screening and assessment
• behaviour management
• clinical treatment practices
• restraint and seclusion reduction
• workforce development and
• monitoring trauma-informed initiatives.
References
Traumatic Stress Institute. Trauma-Informed Care Organizational Assessment | Traumatic Stress Institute - Klingberg Family Centers
Availability
Trauma-Informed-Care-Org-Self-Assessment-Final.pdf (traumaticstressinstitute.org)
1.8. Trauma-Informed Care Screening Tool
Purpose
This tool has been created to assist organizations implementing TIC. You can begin by circling the actions that have either been started or completed in the organization. From there, users are encouraged to use it in whatever ways make the most sense for their organization.
Intended Audience
Organizations looking to become trauma-informed
Brief Description
Identifies 4 sequential phases:
1. Trauma Aware
2. Trauma Sensitive
3. Trauma Responsive
4. Trauma-informed.
References
Trauma Informed Oregon. (2018). Trauma informed care screening tool. Portland, OR: Trauma Informed Oregon. Screening-Tool-and-Guidelines-Letter-Size-12-12-18.pdf (traumainformedoregon.org)
Availability
TIO | Trauma Informed Care Screening Tool (traumainformedoregon.org)
1.9. Trauma-Informed Organizational Capacity Scale (TIC Scale)
Purpose
An agency wide assessment. Organizations can use the TIC Scale to:
• Determine their baseline for organization-wide trauma-informed care
• Target strategic planning and professional development activities
• Monitor change over time and
• Assess whether improvements in organizational trauma-informed care influence success for service users.
Intended Audience
Health and human service organizations; to be completed by all staff at all levels of the organization
Brief Description
35 items across 5 domains:
1) Build trauma-Informed knowledge and skills
2) Establish trusting relationships
3) Respect service users
4) Foster trauma-informed service delivery
5) Promote trauma-informed procedures and policies.
References
Trauma-Informed Organizational Capacity Scale | American Institutes for Research (air.org)
2016 trauma-informed-organizational-capacity-scale.pdf (air.org)
Availability
Administered online, available from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) which provides a comprehensive analysis of results tailored to each organization or system. Takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
1.10. Trauma-Informed Practice Organizational Checklist
Purpose
A checklist tool to be used as a starting point for organizations in the implementation of trauma-informed practice.
Intended Audience
Mental health and addictions organizations. Can be used by program administrators, program evaluators, and staff to evaluate trauma-informed principles.
Brief Description
The checklist tool offers the opportunity for discussion and a reflection on the ability of an organization to provide the best available trauma-informed services.
Considers the following 8 areas of organizational practice:
1. Overall Policy and Program Mandate
2. Leadership
3. Hiring Practices
4. Training for Staff
5. Support and Supervision of Staff
6. Screening and Assessment
7. Policies and Procedures
8. Monitoring and Evaluation
References
TIP Project Team and TIP Advisory Committee. (2013). Trauma-Informed Practice Guide. BC Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use Planning Council.Availability
Free and available online. 2013_TIP-Guide.pdf (cewh.ca)
1.11. Trauma-Informed Workplace Assessment
Purpose
For individuals to assess how and if the workplace is trauma-informed.
Intended Audience
Individuals working in organizations
Brief Description
Uses a Likert scale 0 to 4 to assess how trauma-informed principles are experienced within an organization.
References
Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute. Trauma-Informed Workplace Assessment - Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (ctrinstitute.com)
Availability
Available online: Workplace Assessment 2021 - Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (ctrinstitute.com)
Upon completion of assessment a report is provided.
1.12. Your Starting Point Story Readiness Assessment Tool (YSPS)
Purpose
YSPS has two main uses:
1) For those wishing to form a partnership with a community-based project to ensure that:
a) there is awareness of a need in the community for the intervention
b) the project has the necessary competencies (or consider whether the researcher/program developer is able to provide additional resources and/or fill in for missing competencies)
c) the project has appropriate collaborations within the community (or consider whether the researcher/program developer is able to support or facilitate additional collaborations) and
d) safety of all those involved will be the highest priority.
2) Staff members can use the YSPS to learn about their own project and help it grow.
Intended Audience
Community-based organizations with which you plan to implement a Building Connections project. Can be adapted for use with other projects.
Brief Description
YSPS consists of 25 total components, based on four key principles:
a) awareness of IPV and a need for an intervention
b) existing competencies related to trauma-informed practice and evaluation
c) collaborations with community services and supports and
d) systems of safety in place.
References
Andrews, N., Motz, M., Pepler, D. J. (2020). Developing and testing a readiness tool for interpersonal violence prevention partnerships with community-based projects. Journal of Community Psychology, 48 (6), 1715-1731. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22361
Availability
See pages 24-38 in PDF
Section 2:
Evaluation tools to assess abilities and propensities of service providers to be trauma- and violence-informed
2.1. ARTIC (Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care)
Purpose
Measure staff attitudes and beliefs towards trauma-informed care in schools, health care and human services. Can be used as a screening tool to determine for prospective personnel to determine if they have attitudes that would support a trauma-informed culture.
Intended Audience
Schools, health, human care services. Has been used to measure nurses’ attitudes to TIC: substance use disorder health clinics, parent-infant mental health. May not be a good fit with diverse ethno-racial groups.
Brief Description
ARTIC-45 includes 5 core and 2 supplementary scales: (a) underlying causes of problem behavior and symptoms, (b) responses to problem behavior and symptoms, (c) on-the-job behavior, (d) self-efficacy at work, (e) reactions to the work, (f) personal support of TIC, and (g) system-wide support for TIC.
• ARTIC-35 excludes the 2 supplementary scales
• ARTIC-10 includes content from the core scales
• ARTIC-45 takes 10-12 minutes to complete
• ARTIC-35 takes 8-10 minutes to complete
• ARTIC-10 takes 2-3 minutes to complete.
References
Baker, C., Brown, S., Wilcox, P.D., Overstreet, S., Arora, P. (2015) Development and psychometric evaluation of the attitudes related to trauma-informed care (ARTIC) Scale. School Mental Health, 8, 61-76. DOI: 10.1007/s12310-015-9161-0
Baker, C. N., Brown, S. M., Overstreet, S., Wilcox, P. D., & New Orleans Trauma-Informed Schools Learning Collaborative. (2021). Validation of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care Scale (ARTIC). Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 13(5), 505–513. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000989
Mendez, A., Bosk, E., Keller, A., Williams-Butler, A., Hardan, T., Ruisard, D., MacKenzie, M. (2023). Expanding the trauma-informed care measurement toolkit: An evaluation of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC-45) Scale with SUD workers in PIMH. Behavioural Science, 13 (6)
https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13060471
Stokes, Y., Jean-Daniel, J., Squires, J. (2020). Using the ARTIC-35 to measure nurses’ attitudes related to trauma-informed care. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 28 (1) DOI: 10.1891/JNM-D-18-00073
Availability
Versions exist for school and human health settings, online and pencil paper versions. Information on acquiring the ARTIC including scoring directions can be found at The ARTIC Scale | Traumatic Stress Institute - Klingberg Family Centers
2.2. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Trauma-Informed Practice
Purpose
This validated tool will allow organizations to identify gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice among staff to subsequently begin developing pointed strategies to achieve a culture of trauma-informed practice.
Intended Audience
Health care professionals working primarily with children
Brief Description
21 item scale to assess staff knowledge, attitudes and practice related to trauma-informed care, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree. See Shier and Turpin (2017) for a further summary of the conceptualization of factors and scale item.
References
King S, Chen KD, Chokshi B. Becoming Trauma Informed: Validating a Tool to Assess Health Professional's Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice. Pediatr Qual Saf. 2019 Sep 9;4(5):e215. doi: 10.1097/pq9.0000000000000215. PMID: 31745518; PMCID: PMC6831052.
Availability
See page 43 in PDF
2.3. Trauma-Informed Belief Scale (TIBS)
Purpose
To assess the beliefs about trauma-informed care of child welfare carers.
The scale can be used as an efficient and practical way for welfare agencies and clinicians to assess the need for TIC training, the benefits of TIC training, and matching youth with carers.
Intended Audience
Frontline child welfare workers
Brief Description
13-items using a Likert scale to assess the need for TIC training, benefits of TIC training and matching youth with carers. Likert Scale: (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree)
The TIBS covers 3 main areas:
1. Knowledge of the psychological and medical impact of ACE
2. Evidence-based interventions for ACE
3. Carer self-awareness and self-care.
References
Beehag,N., Dryer, R., McGrath , A. et al (2023) Design and development of the trauma informed care beliefs scale-brief. Children and Youth Services Review, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107087
Availability
See page 45 in PDF
2.4. Trauma-Informed Care Belief Measure Version 3.2
Purpose
Assess staff attitudes favourable to trauma-informed care.
Intended Audience
Support workers in agencies
Brief Description
19 items, 5-point Likert scale assess level of agreement with statements that may or may not support trauma-informed care.
References
Traumatic Stress Institute TSI Measures Related to Trauma-Informed Care | Traumatic Stress Institute - Klingberg Family Centers
Availability
Trauma-Informed-Belief-Measure-Final-3.2-5-12.pdf (traumaticstressinstitute.org)
2.5. Trauma-Informed Climate Scale (TICS)
Purpose
The TICS is composed of 34 items that measure staff’s psychological perceptions of the work environment. The TICS-10 is best utilized in trauma-informed training and implementation projects to identify your agency’s strengths and limitations along the five values of TIC.
Intended Audience
Staff in service organizations
Brief Description
The scale is based on a 5-point Likert rating with scores ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). The instrument contains five scales (safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment).
The TICS-10 is a simple, easy to administer tool to assess staff perceptions of safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment within the service environment.
References
Hales, T., Kusmaul, N., Nochajski, T.
(2017) Exploring the Dimensionality of Trauma-Informed Care: Implications for Theory and Practice, Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 41:3, 317-325, DOI: 10.1080/23303131.2016.1268988
Hales,T., Kusmaul,N., Sundborg, S., Nochajski, T. (2019) The Trauma-Informed Climate Scale-10 (TICS-10): A Reduced Measure of Staff Perceptions of the Service Environment. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 43:5, 443-453, DOI: 10.1080/23303131.2019.1671928
Availability
See page 48 in PDF
2.6. Trauma-Informed Practice Scales – Supervision Version (TIPS-SV)
Purpose
Based on the TIP Scale developed by Goodman, 2016 but used by staff to evaluate their supervisors adherence to trauma-informed supervision.
Intended Audience
Staff evaluation of supervisors
Brief Description
Uses the same items as the TIP scale administered to service users but replaces the word “staff” with “supervisor.”
References
Ryan M. Cook, Stefanie A. Wind & Heather J. Fye (2023) Development of the Trauma-Informed Practice Scales – Supervision Version (TIPS-SV), Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 56:1, 13-32, DOI: 10.1080/07481756.2022.2034480
Availability
See pages 50-51 in PDF
2.7. Trauma-Informed Self-Care – Revised (TISC-R)
Purpose
A measure for child welfare case managers to assess, monitor, and improve trauma-informed self-care practices to help workers who face high stress environments.
Intended Audience
Child welfare workers
Brief Description
10 items, with the following subscales:
1. Utilizing organizational resources
2. Organizational practices
3. Professional self-care practices.
References
Salloum, A., Choi, M.J., Smith Stover, C. (2018) Development of a trauma-informed self-care measure with child welfare workers. Child and Youth Services Review, 93, 108-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.07.008
Availability
See page 53 in PDF
Section 3:
Tools to be administered to service users to evaluate the degree that the services they received were trauma- and violence-informed
3.1. TIC Grade
Purpose
Based on the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care Principles of TIC to assess the patient or client perception of the TIC provided in settings that serve adolescents and emerging adults.
Intended Audience
Youth over 18 years of age receiving treatment
Brief Description
20 item grade measure:
• The first section consists of five items asking about how staff “seem to keep trauma in mind”
• The second section of the measure consists of 11 items, highlighting elements of the six key principles of a trauma-informed approach
• The questionnaire items related to trauma-informed practices (TIPs) and principles were rated as not at all (−2), somewhat (−1), you can’t tell (0), a little bit (+1), and very much so (+2)
• There is a final item in this section that asks the respondent to assign an overall letter grade (ranging from A = excellent to F = failing, unacceptable) as a global appraisal of how well the agency/provider is providing TIC. Last, there is a space asking the respondents to provide comments to help the organization improve their TIC.
References
Boucher, N., Darling-Fisher, C., Sinko, L., Beck, D., Granner, J., Seng, J. (2023) Psychometric evaluation of the TIC Grade, a self-report measure to assess youth perceptions of the quality of trauma-informed care they received. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 28 (4) 319-325.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390320953896
Sinko L, Beck D, Seng J. Developing the TIC Grade: A Youth Self-Report Measure of Perceptions of Trauma-Informed Care. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. 2022;28(6):455-463.
doi:10.1177/1078390320970652
Availability
Contact Laura Sinko – laura.sinko@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
3.2. Trauma-Informed Organizational Environment Scale
Purpose
A survey to determine the effects of trauma-informed organizational dynamics (safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment) on service user intrapersonal development outcomes.
Intended Audience
Service users seeking support or treatment for concurrent disorders
Brief Description
Developed from a qualitative study.
Items using a 6-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree.
References
Shier, M.L., Turpin, A. (2021). Trauma-informed organizational dynamics and client outcomes in concurrent disorder treatment. Research on Social Work Practice, 32 (1) https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315211013908
Availability
See page 57 in PDF
3.3. Trauma-Informed Practice Scale (TIP)
Purpose
To measure the degree to which DV programs are using trauma-informed practices from survivors’ perspectives. The TIP Scales were intentionally created to be used easily by community programs so that they can (a) identify areas of relative strength and weakness, (b) improve their practices, (c) demonstrate to funders and other key stakeholders that they are incorporating TI principles, and (d) begin to understand the ways in which TI practice is related to survivor outcomes.
Intended Audience
Domestic violence program participants, shelter residents, and counselling clients
Brief Description
Comprised of 6 sub-scales:
1. Environment of Agency and Mutual Respect (Agency; 9 items)
2. Access to Information on Trauma (Information; 5 items)
3. Opportunities for Connection (Connection; 3 items)
4. Emphasis on Strengths (Strengths; 3 items)
5. Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusivity (Inclusivity; 8 items)
6. Support for Parenting (Parenting; 5 items)
References
Goodman, L., Sullivan, C., Serrata, J., Perilla, J., Wilson, J., Fauci, J. DiGiovanni, C. (2016).
Development and validation of the trauma-informed practice scales. Journal of Community Psychology, 44 (6) 747-764. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21799
A Guide for Using the Trauma-informed Practice Scales. tips_using_tips_sullivan_goodman_2015.pdf (unm.edu)
Availability
See pages 59-61 in PDF
References
Andrews, N., Motz, M., Pepler, D. J. (2020). Developing and testing a readiness tool for interpersonal violence prevention partnerships with community-based projects. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(6), 1715-1731. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22361
Goodman, L., Sullivan, C., Serrata, J., Perilla, J., Wilson, J.M., Fauci, J.E., Di Giovanni, C. (2016). Development and validation of the trauma- informed practice scales. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(6). 747-767.
Purtle, J. (2020). Systematic Review of Evaluations of Trauma-Informed Organizational Interventions That Include Staff Trainings. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(4), 725-740. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018791304
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. sma14-4884.pdf (samhsa.gov)
Wathen, C. N., Schmitt, B., & MacGregor, J. C. D (2023). Measuring Trauma- (and Violence-) Informed Care: A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(1), 261-277. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211029399
