Five Essential Elements of Trauma Informed Care
Overview
TIO’s Standards for Trauma Informed Care are grouped under Five Essential Elements:
- Organizational Commitment
- Training and Education
- Policy, Procedure, Practice Review
- Feedback and Quality Assurance
- Culture and Climate
Each standard or element can be rated on a scale for 1 to 5, where 1 equals “Organization is unaware of the need for this standard” and 5 equals “Standard is sustainably in place and monitoring for continuous quality improvement occurs regularly.”
Systematically assessing TIC implementation accomplishes two things. First, it documents the extent to which the organization is trauma-informed, and clearly identifies systemic strengths, weaknesses, and gaps. Second, it helps the organization decide on overall goals, and identify and prioritize specific practice changes to make.
Interactive Graphic of the Five Essential Elements of Trauma Informed Care
Click on an item to see its definition.
![circle with arrows denoting common interrelation of all five Essential Elements of TIC](/wp-content/uploads/five-essentials-circle-arrows.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Agency Commitment - Demonstrate organizational support for TIC through dedicated funding, time, and resources](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-agency-commitment-text.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Agency Commitment icon](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-agency-commitment-icon.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Education and Training text - Demonstrate a TI developmental educational plan with competencies and skills](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-education-training-text-1.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Education and Training icon](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-education-training-icon.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Climate and Culture text - Weave TIC in physical and social spaces people work in through language, protocols, behaviors, and the climate that holds the community together](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-climate-culture-text.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Climate and Culture icon](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-climate-culture-icon.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Feedback Processes - Demonstrate inclusive and effective feedback practices that solicit how people experience the organization](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-feedback-processes-text.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Feedback Processes icon](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-feedback-processes-icon.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Policy and Procedure Review text - Recognize the limitation of regulatory bodies, handle misalignment with TI values, and advocate for system change](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-policy-procedure-text.png)
![Five Essential Elements: Policy and Procedure Review icon](/wp-content/uploads/five-essential-elements-policy-procedure-icon.png)