Trauma-informed Interviewing Techniques
Training Attorneys Working with Children
Under the United States’ Zero Tolerance Policy, thousands of children were separated from their loving caregivers upon arrival at the US border. News agencies, legal and medical professionals estimate that thousands more families were separated prior to the implementation of the policy. Forced separation from a primary caregiver, at any age, is considered a major trauma with lasting negative health effects for children and their families.
THE GAP
Hundreds of lawyers and physicians have volunteered their services to the victims of family separation but the resources available to support these professionals are scarce and often inaccessible to busy professionals in need of practical advice and emotional support.
OUR APPROACH
Through a series of short video interviews with lawyers and physicians who have years of experience working with separated families, we are creating a compact “toolkit” to offer these professionals efficiently delivered, just-in-time support that will leave them with the strategies and coping skills they need to do this heroic humanitarian work.
DISSEMINATION
The toolkit is openly available below for lawyers and physicians who may be considering volunteer work of this nature. It will also be disseminated through multiple professional and charitable organizations working with these professional volunteers.
IMPACT EVALUATION
We are committed to understanding the effectiveness of all our health education interventions. We will collect survey feedback and conduct in-depth focus group sessions with learners to examine how our trauma-informed training content can better prepare those on the front lines working to protect vulnerable children.
