In 2015, Michigan was selected as one of 3 states by the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to participate in the Defending Childhood State Policy Initiative, the intent ofwhich was to address the significant impact of violence and trauma on our nation’s children. Michigan worked with national experts to develop a strategic plan to identify, assess and treat children who had experienced trauma, with the goals being to improve the outcomes for children and youth and develop sustainable policies and programs.
From this original mobilization emerged a core teamwork group consisting of representatives from the Governor’s office and the Michigan Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, whose charge it was to identify ways that communities, like Jackson, could work together to ensure that children touched by trauma and toxic stress would be able to thrive in their environments.
An environment scan of 75 organizations was conducted, in which Family Services and Children’s Aid (FSCA) was included. A subgroup was then identified and who subsequently met as a more refined collaborative. More surveys took place from which several groups emerged as already being in one of development stages: beginning, intermediate and advanced. FSCA was identified as “ADVANCED” and was to become a champion in the Jackson Community.
It was from here, in 2015, that the Trauma-Informed Community Collaborative (TICC) was begun.
FSCA was able to secure funding in order to enhance trauma awareness in the Jackson Community and the mission of the TICC was established: to promote evidenced based practices and models that would apply to targeted professionals, to include: educators, health professionals, mental health clinicians, law enforcement, etc.
A core group was selected as the TICC’s Leadership Team and consisted representatives from the following child-serving agencies:
A three Year Plan was developed and Targets were identified. These were to (1) increase attendance at trauma-focused trainings and (2) to increase the understanding of the physical and emotional impact of trauma on individuals, particularly children. The TICC met quarterly for over three years.
By the end of Year Three of the TICC’s Action Plan, over 4800 individuals in the Jackson had received trauma training. The attendance at the Quarterly TICC meetings had waned and funding for the provision of free community trainings had been exhausted. The TICC Leadership made the decision to reorganize, with the focus being on the provision of resource development and coordination. The Collaborative was renamed the Trauma Leadership Network or TSN.