Trauma-informed care is a term you hear a lot in the healthcare, social services and education space but what does it actually mean? 

Professor Deb Loxton, Emma Byrnes and  Dr Melissa Harris from the HMRI Women’s Health Research Program are conducting a study to reach consensus on a clear definition.  

Professor Loxton says, “We did a scoping project to find out what needs to be researched in terms of violence against women. Trauma-informed care came up repeatedly. Not everyone agrees on what it is. Another thing that came up was telehealth access for rural women seeking trauma-informed care so we’ve designed a study to look at both of these things.” 

The study, titled, ‘Unpacking Trauma Informed Care’, has two parts; a victim-survivor survey and a health and social welfare survey.  

Professor Loxton says that half of women in their 20s have experienced sexual violence and one in three women has experienced some form of violence, whether it be sexual, family, intimate partner or violence they experienced as a child or in the community. 

“It’s so common and it crosses all boundaries – socio-economic, urban, rural and age.  

“Every third or fourth woman you meet has experienced some form of violence which they may or may not disclose. This is why people need to check their judgement.  

“This is also why we need a succinct, clear definition of the essential elements of what trauma informed care is so we can then provide consistent training across services that address this. Many services are already doing a brilliant job with trauma-informed care, we want to recognize those essential elements that make these services so successful to assist with those services that might be struggling in this area. 

“Ideally to offer a trauma-informed service, you will need to meet certain criteria. 

“Women who have experienced violence are more likely to have chronic diseases and mental health issues. 

“When these women access services – from the GP right through to Centrelink or even employment services – there needs to be a system-based approach to understanding the ways trauma can manifest,” says Professor Loxton. 

 Beyond identifying a clear definition of trauma-informed care, the study is also aiming to understand the feasibility of offering it via telehealth to women living in regional Australia.  

Study manager Emma Byrnes says, “The ultimate goal is to develop recommendations to improve existing policies that support trauma-informed health care provision, using a consensus-based stakeholder consultation process.” 
 
Want to get in involved? The criteria for both parts of the study are as follows: 

Victim-survivors 

• Women who are aged over 18 years 
• Who have ever experienced violence or abuse; 
• Who live in regional Australia; and 
• Who have accessed mental health care (in person or telehealth). 

Take the victim-survivors survey here. 
 
Health and social welfare professionals (including but not limited to GPs, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, refuge workers, etc)  

• They must work in Australia; and 
• Must have provided care to women who have experienced violence or abuse in the past ten years.  

Take the health and social welfare professionals survey here.