Take action: Make trauma-informed resources available in our communities!
Alex Gross
Written by Hallie Riggs, MSW, LCSW, CSW-PIP, Clinical Director of the Simply Smiles Children’s Village
I recently joined a national trauma-informed organization called the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice. The Campaign's goal is to educate Congress about what science has taught us about trauma, and to make them aware of the trauma-informed resources present and lacking in our communities. This is an imperative for children who are growing up on the Cheyenne River Reservation without adequate support to heal from traumatic experiences.
In order to ensure that kids have access to counselors, doctors, teachers, and other helpers who understand how to best treat the effects of trauma, we must implore Congress to create legislation that recognizes the importance of trauma-informed policy.
Recently, I reached out to South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson to ask him to consider joining the bipartisan House Trauma-Informed Care Caucus. The Caucus' goal is to identify opportunities to tether trauma-informed care efforts to federal legislation and operations. Sending him the email was a fleeting moment, but the impact of getting involved has stayed with me all week.
At a time when so many of us feel helpless, stuck, and separated from the kids we care about, what an opportunity to do something tangible, together, for kids everywhere.
The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice has to be a national effort because childhood trauma is a national problem. Bigger than that, it's universal. It is present in every community, town, city, state, and country. It is present in the absence of a pandemic, and child welfare experts know that it is exacerbated in the presence of one.
So, if you're up to it, here's my invitation to you: Send an email to your congressional delegation and encourage them to join the House Trauma-Informed Care Caucus. Get involved!
What an amazing notion, that during a time when our unbelievably dedicated Simply Smiles community is unable to come together in person, we have the opportunity to speak collectively on behalf of the kids we know and the kids we don't. Because every child deserves to feel safe.