Description: This resource from Rose Brooks Center (the largest domestic violence agency in Missouri, USA) is a sample of key practices in 10 areas used to "engage staff, build strength, collective resilience, and at the same time improve services for survivors" (pg. 1).
The headings for the key practices are as follows:
1- Hiring process
Organised and thoughtful hiring process
Staff onboarding and new hire training
2- Staff/employee performance evaluation
3- Support to address trauma exposure (secondary trauma)
Staff wellness
Organisational response to vicarious trauma
Flexibility/work-life balance
4- Compensation
Salary
Leave time
Benefits
5- Staff development
Meaningful and challenging development plans
Training
6- Leadership strategies
Integrate staff retention into agency policy, formal practices, and resource development
Staff involvement and feedback to inform staff retention strategies
Leadership conducts annual evaluation of factors impacting staff retention, quality of services, and sustained agency operations
7- Workplace environment and culture
Space
Employee feedback/input
8- Communication
Management transparency
9- Organisation staff meetings
10- Clear mission and values
Sense of purpose in the workplace
What's the evidence base for this resource: This resource is a sample of Rose Brooks Center's policies and procedures, and does not provide any evidence itself. However, the agency is recognised by accrediting bodies as adhering to best practice standards and has won awards for its services.
Potential uses and limitations: This resource is a useful high-level map of organisational strategies to enhance employee support/engagement and address vicarious trauma. It does not provide detailed guidance for any particular issue, but may serve as inspiration or generate ideas on organisational and workplace strategies.
Where it comes from: This resource was presented as a handout within the webinar 'Strategies to Enhance Employee Resilience and Engagement within Survivor-Serving Organizations' hosted by Futures Without Violence in May 2020. Rose Brooks Center's Chief Operating Officer was one of three presenters in the webinar.
Rose Brooks Center is the largest domestic violence agency in the American state of Missouri. The agency has 100 employees and reaches approximately 15,000 individuals annually.
Description: Presentation of a PhD study (slides and notes in pdf format) into the relationships between Job Demands (e.g. workload), Job Satisfaction, Job Control, Organisational and External Support (e.g. effective supervision, family networks), and Burnout.
The research was via a survey with 167 Forensic Interviewers whose role is to interview children that have made disclosures of abuse.
See p39 of the document for the summary.
Key points:
Burnout and Job-Satisfaction can co-exist, however higher levels of Job Satisfaction predict lower Burnout.
The higher level of Job Control, the higher the level of Job Satisfaction.
The more support (both external and organisational), the less Burnout is reported.
What's the evidence base for this resource: The study was accepted for a PhD dissertation through West Chester University, Graduate Social Work Dept.
Potential uses and limitation: Specific focus on forensic interviewers in North Eastern States of USA. While the findings are useful, the study is not intended to prescribe detailed interventions that can be implemented.
Where it comes from: PhD Candidate, Christina M. Chiarelli-Helminiak. West Chester University, Graduate Social Work Dept.
Description
Written for women working in anti-violence fields (e.g. domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault). Uses a strong gender lens and the specific challenges for women workers in these fields.
What's the evidence base for this resource
Based on the author's 8 months of consultations with expert workers in the sector, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Family Violence. The author was contracted by the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children in London, Ontario, The University of Western Ontario, to produce this report for the Family Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada.
Potential uses and limitations
The resource is intended for women workers in anti-violence work. Some of the content is also quite specific to the Canadian context. Also note that the publication date is 2001.
Covers topics ranging from individual self-care practices, to organisational strategies. The uniquely feminist perspective, with an emphasis on gender and social justice, sets this apart from many other trauma related resources. The section on organisational strategies includes sections on:
Feminist Philosophy
Social Justice
Organizational Structure
Staffing
Human Resources Policies and Practices
Training
Administrative and Support Staff
Hiring
Orientation and Training
Personal Relationships of Staff
Supervision
Retreats and Celebrations
Exiting Gracefully
Where it comes from
Published by National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Canada. Some of the content does apply specifically to the Canadian context.
Description: Fear based models of PTSD have dominated research and clinical approaches to PTSD since the 1990s. The role of overwhelming horror, injustice, embitterment and shame emerge as alternative pathways to traumatic stress injury and the role of such emotions in addition to exposure to ‘life threat’. This session will provide attendees with an overview of research in moral injury which aims to expand treatments for PTSD to better address role of these forms of traumatic stress injury.
What's the evidence base for this resource: Professor Zachary Steel is a recognized academic researcher at the University of New South Wales. We have a high degree of confidence in the information presented.
Does not provide any advice on how this could be addressed at an organisational/primary prevention level.
Where it comes from: Recorded as part of WorkSafe Tasmania PTSD: "Mental Health Matters" Conference, 14th October 2019
Content Warning: These videos address issues relating to post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. Please be aware that presentations may contain content and imagery that may be confronting or cause distress.
Description: The (US based) Resiliency Project engaged researchers, educators, and
practitioners from the child abuse field in a collaborative effort to
develop, implement, and evaluate an organisationally based program to
build resiliency in staff and volunteers. Twelve service organisations participated in the project.
Key to the project were the pilot "resiliency coaches" who evaluated all training and technical assistance products related to the organisational program model.
The model identified 5 key themes- self-knowledge and insight, sense of hope, healthy coping, strong relationships, and personal perspective and meaning- that can be promoted in the culture of organisations.
What's the evidence base for this resource: Evaluation conducted by the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at the University of Texas School of Social Work.
Potential uses and limitation: It includes
examples of specific interventions implemented under the categories of
Policy, Supervisory Technique, and Competency-based Training. There are a range of training and reflection exercises that could be useful in supervision contexts. Suggested practice examples range from personal reflections, through to policies that promote staff well being.
Where it comes from: Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) in the Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work
Description: Australian qualitative study with 16 EMD workers, identifying core themes related to Operational Stress and Vicarious Trauma, Organisational Stress, and Post-Traumatic Growth.
What's the evidence base for this resource: Academic research article published in peer reviewed journal.
Potential uses and limitations: Identifies specific organisational and operational factors that can contribute to vicarious trauma.
See attached diagram showing causes and impacts of Operational stress, organisational stress and post-traumatic growth factors.
Highlights the importance of workers being treated respectfully and their work being valued by leadership.
Specific focus on Emergency Medical Dispatch workers. Small scale study (n=16), findings may not be generalizable.
Where it comes from: Journal of Loss and Trauma. The full article has been made available via the US VTT website.
The CPSU gratefully acknowledges the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, for allowing us to reproduce. in whole, the Supervision Guidelines for a Vicarious Trauma-Informed Organization. This article was prepared by the Office for Victims of Crime.