Trauma-Informed Workforce Initiative Evaluation
Highlights
- Staff who work in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-funded centers that house children who have immigrated to the U.S. without their parents, referred to as unaccompanied children (UC), are ill-equipped to deal with trauma-related behaviors among these
- Abt conducted a needs assessment to inform the content for the Trauma-Informed UC Workforce Initiative.
- Abt is finalizing the project evaluation plan.
Staff who work in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-funded centers that house children who have immigrated without their parents are ill-equipped to deal with these children’s trauma-related behaviors. High staff turnover compounds the problem of insufficient training. In 2021, the ORR contracted with Duke University and Abt Global to develop, implement, and evaluate the Trauma-Informed UC Workforce Initiative for all staff in ORR’s Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program. The initiative aims to improve trauma-informed knowledge and approaches among ORR staff. Abt is responsible for conducting a needs assessment to inform the consultation, technical assistance, and curriculum and to evaluate the program.
In January and February of 2022, Abt conducted a needs assessment through interviews with 14 ORR UC Program staff at different levels at multiple U.S. sites. The goal was to inform the development of an initiative to enable the trauma-informed workforce to improve how they help the children in their care. Abt is currently refining the evaluation plan.
The results of the needs assessment will inform the curriculum design and content.