In a high-needs school, social workers play a critical role in helping students with different needs. The work they perform within such school systems can cause them to become fatigued or experience burnout. Their exposure to students going through trauma and the lack of proper mechanisms to address trauma for such workers make the work even more challenging. This research proposal will address the issues of designing trauma practices in a high-demand school system for the improved well-being of social workers. By being mindful of the challenges faced by social workers, a proper intervention will be created to support social workers in their role while establishing a nurturing and resilient learning environment.
Plan for Conducting a Needs Assessment
Before implementing a trauma-informed policy within a school, there’s a need to know the unique problems in the community. Conducting a needs assessment will be crucial in getting a clear picture of the current state of issues facing school social workers. The first step in this process will be to engage different stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the problems they face. The teachers, support staff and social workers will receive surveys, which represent the diversity within the school community. Doing this will help to gain a better understanding of the areas related to trauma that require improvement.
There will also be focus groups where the participants will speak about their experiences and offer suggestions on ways to integrate trauma-informed practices. This qualitative data will be useful in providing a broader overview of the school culture. There will also be interviews with stakeholders that will provide a general overview of the issues causing stress and the critical needs required by social workers. A deeper assessment of the resources relating to trauma care within the school will be performed, which reviews the already established programs. An analysis of the data to be collected will be performed to determine the patterns and areas that need consensus.
Literature Review
The literature on trauma practices within educational institutions offers a better understanding of the importance of such inventions, especially within a high-needs school system. Understanding the effects of trauma on the students and the experts who serve them is critical in the creation of an environment that is best for healing and growth. The findings by Vissing et al., (2021) have shown that trauma can have a major impact on the behavioral and emotional functioning of students. Children exposed to negative experiences are highly likely to have mental issues that may impact their academic performance. The social workers attending to their needs are ultimately impacted by their trauma, and this can lead them to experience burnout that may cause them not to be at their best.
The research by Sedillo-Hamann (2022) shows that the implementation of trauma practices geared towards the creation of a supportive environment will help to recognize the widespread nature of the trauma and thereby respond to the issues with empathy. The implementation of such care doesn’t just help to improve the mental wellness of the students but also acts as a protective factor that addresses the occurrence of burnout. Studies by Kilgore (2021) have also shown that comprehensive training and development are critical components of a functional trauma-based practice. Training initiatives mainly involve practical strategies that respond to trauma in a broad context. There’s also the need to cultivate an organizational culture that supports social workers going through stress and burnout while on duty.
Findings from Szczygiel, et, al (2021). have also shown how trauma-informed practices can be dynamic, pointing to the need for constant evaluation. By making the trauma practices flexible, it’s easier to tell the strengths of a school and tailor interventions that address the challenges that may arise. Before the implementation of a trauma-informed practice, it’s important to acknowledge the impact of trauma on the student population. Additionally, the practices to be implemented should be culturally competent and recognize the respect for diversity among students (Lewis, et.al, 2019). Doing so will make the interventions effective for everyone within the school system.
A Highlight of the Different Phases of Implementation
Phase 1. Educating All Stakeholders
The first step to implementing a trauma-informed practice is providing school staff and social workers with the skills necessary to launch the practice. This can be done by hosting a workshop that highlights the basic principles of trauma and how it affects students. During these sessions, members present will be provided with educational materials they can refer to during the implementation of the trauma practices.
Phase 2. Integrating the practice into the school culture
Based on the information gathered during training, phase 2 will focus more on engraining the practices into the school culture. In this phase, the school can establish a task force that includes school staff, social workers and key stakeholders. Their primary role will be to check the areas that need improvement and create protocols that integrate such practices.
Phase 3. Structures for Better Support
The journey to creating a trauma-informed school is a continuous process, and the third phase will focus on ensuring improvements in the implemented practices. Through the implementation of a feedback mechanism like surveys, the school staff and social workers can share information about their experiences. Their experience will be beneficial in making adjustments to the trauma practices.
Phase 4. The Need for a Cross Cultural Theme
In all the different phases of the policy implementation, there will be a focus on ensuring that the implemented trauma policies respect the diverse backgrounds of staff and students. This is key in creating an intervention that includes strategies which address the unique challenges faced by students of diverse backgrounds. In the different phases, engagement with the school leadership is critical as all affected parties will help in creating protocols that support the integration of practices that fit into the broader school culture.
The Plan for Measuring Outcomes of the Project
Quantitative Measures
A survey on wellness will be given to social workers, teachers and other staff members of the school. This will help to gauge their level of stress and burnout. The surveys will employ tools like the Maslach Burnout Inventory to measure the well-being of all individuals over time. Regularly checking social workers who don’t report to work can offer a qualitative indicator of the program’s impact. A decline in absenteeism reflects an improvement in job satisfaction and the well-being of the workers. The students’ performance and behavior will be analyzed to identify whether improvements can be made after implementing trauma-related practices.
Qualitative Measures
Conducting interviews with social workers and school staff is a qualitative approach that will offer deeper insights into trauma-informed practices. The use of open-ended questions will provide the participants with better insights into changes they should expect. An analysis of the narratives by social workers on their experience before and after their intervention is crucial in gaining a better insight into the program’s impact.
Implementation of a Question and Answer Session
The implementation of a feedback session in the different stages of the intervention provides for real-time adjustments. The sessions could be informal conversations or short surveys that allow for constant feedback for continuous improvement. The created task force will be crucial in determining whether the interventions proposed are effective. Their feedback based on first-hand accounts will offer qualitative feedback for the program outcome.
Data Synthesis and Analysis
A comparison of the pre- and post-intervention information is critical in determining its effectiveness. A different statistical analysis, including chi-square tests will be used on the data to help gauge noticeable changes in the well-being indicators. A thematic analysis including interview transcripts will also be employed to identify recurring patterns.
Iterative Adoption
Taking into account that the outcomes may change with time, the plan provides for continued monitoring of the qualitative and quantitative data. This will ensure that its responsiveness changes with the needs of the school community.
Conclusion
This proposal has provided an in-depth approach to implementing trauma-based best practices in high needs school to promote the wellness of social workers. By effectively addressing the problems social workers face and understanding the impact of burnout, the intervention highlighted will help to create a more supportive environment for the workers. The approach for effective implementation involves training and cultural competence, with the program’s success measured in a plan comprising of qualitative inputs from stakeholders and quantitative indicators of well-being. By creating a culture of scare, the intervention will create a foundation to ensure improved outcomes for students and social workers.
References
Lewis, M. & King, D. (2019, Jan.). Teaching self-care: The utilization of self-care in social work practicum to prevent compassion fatigue, burnout and vicarious trauma. Behavior in the Social Environment. 29(1), pp.96-106.
Szczygiel, R, & Emery-Fertitta, A., (2021). Field placement termination during Covid 19: Lessons on forced termination, parallel process, and shared trauma. Journal of Social Work Education. 57 (sup1): 137-148. doi:10.1080/10437797.2021.1932649
Kilgore, C. (2021, October). Talking About Trauma: Experiences With Implementing Trauma-Informed Care. Caring for the Ages, 22(7), 16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carage.2021.07.012
Vissing, Y., Solloway, M., & Koury, S. (2021, September 1). Building Trauma Informed Schools: A Survey of Teachers’ Knowledge, Skills and Needs. World Studies in Education, 22(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.7459/wse/22.1.02
Full Citation: Sedillo-Hamann, D. (2022, February 19). Trauma-Informed Restorative Justice Practices in Schools: An Opportunity for School Social Workers. Children & Schools, 44(2), 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdac004
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