‘Focus’ is an online change management tool developed by Emerging Minds to support organisations to build their trauma responsiveness.
Focus enables a whole-of-system view across the Funder, Organisation, Practitioner, and Child and Family. It supports organisations to understand their progress along their trauma responsive journey. Focus empowers quality improvement and allows organisations to monitor their progress over time.
Organisations can develop a Change Team consisting of:
- organisational executives
- service managers
- practitioners
- other staff.
Contact us
As Emerging Minds Focus is a prototype, we would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have. Should you have any questions or feedback concerning functionality, please contact: focus@emergingminds.com.au
Other feedback or questions can be directed to Steph Mudie at DHS EIRD: stephanie.mudie2@sa.gov.au
This diagram illustrates the process for implementing the Trauma Responsive System Framework.
Focus process for print (PDF 81.9 KB)
Change Team
The change process will be led by your organisation’s Change Team. This is a small group of staff with a commitment to trauma responsiveness and continuous improvement, endorsed by their organisation to support the process.
Each Change Team is has a project lead called a 'Facilitator', and is supported by a Trauma Responsive Champion.
Qualities of Change Team members
Passionate advocates within their local service for trauma responsive initiatives. They want to see systems that uphold kindness, honesty, and support all involved.
Keen to contribute their knowledge and experience to help shape and develop trauma-responsive practice.
Effective communicators, creative and trustworthy, establishing a safe environment where all members can speak honestly.
Ready to contribute shared learnings at the Trauma Responsive Champions Network, a DHS-facilitated network of organisational representatives that meets regularly to support a more trauma-responsive system.
Trauma Responsive Champion
A Trauma Responsive Champion is appointed by your organisation. Each Champion is connected to the Trauma Responsive Champions Network. DHS coordinates and supports regular meetings of the Champions Network.
Organisational Surveys
Focus uses results from two surveys to measure your organisation’s level of trauma responsiveness, to guide your organisation’s Action Plan and to capture your organisation’s process on the Trauma Responsive System Framework:
- A survey sent to all relevant staff in your organisation
- A survey completed by your Change Team.
Both surveys must be populated to analyse your results and progress to the next stage.
Developing an Action Plan
Focus supports the Change Team to develop a customised Trauma Responsive Action Plan guided by the survey responses. The Action Plan identifies areas of trauma responsiveness that are on track, and those requiring future development.
Focus will provide links to relevant resources to encourage deeper reflection amongst the Change Team to compliment their work.
Enacting ‘Our Healing Approach’ — Priority 2
Focus will support the Child and Family Support System (CFSS) in enacting the key initiatives from ‘Our Healing Approach’ – Priority 2:
- Communities of Practice events facilitated by the Early Intervention Research Directorate
- Common Elements
- Yaitya Mingkamingka Purrutiapinthi / Aboriginal Trauma Healing
- Trauma Responsive System Framework.
Focus will support a whole-of-system approach as organisations engage with these initiatives. It will identify areas where actions from one initiative contribute to another.
Trauma Responsive System Framework
The Trauma Responsive System Framework is a foundational document that guides the Child and Family Support System (CFSS) to build trauma responsiveness.
Make sure you read the Trauma Responsive System Framework and keep a copy handy when participating in Focus.
Trauma Responsive System Framework (Department of Human Services)
Emerging Minds Child protection and intensive family support learning pathway
This learning pathway is a series of online courses designed to support the journey toward strengthening trauma responsiveness within intensive family support services.
Resources in this pathway are designed for a broader audience so you may notice the term ‘social and emotional wellbeing’ used in place of ‘trauma responsiveness’.
Child protection and intensive family support learning pathway (Emerging Minds)
Emerging Minds Child and family partnerships toolkit
This toolkit supports your organisation’s engagement with children, families, and communities, to understand their experiences within your service context, and to contribute to the continuous improvement of your service.
Child and family partnerships toolkit (Emerging Minds)
Emerging Minds Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children toolkit
This toolkit discusses ways in which non-Indigenous practitioners and services can develop genuine connections with First Nations peoples to create the best conditions for effective and respectful service delivery.
Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children toolkit (Emerging Minds)
Common Elements Practice Guides
The Common Elements Approach will support CFSS practitioners to nurture family healing and to avoid further traumatisation through the use of 10 evidence-informed and relationship-based practices. This approach enriches our skilled workforce to ensure they feel valued, supported and inspired to provide CFSS families the best possible service.
The ‘Common Elements’ Practice Guides (Department of Human Services)
Yaitya Mingkamingka Purrutiapinthi training / Aboriginal Trauma Healing
This training provides staff with an understanding of the very difficult history Aboriginal families have lived and the real impact grief, loss and trauma can have on individuals, families and communities. It encourages self-reflection and increased awareness to address cultural bias and racism.
Yaitya Mingkamingka Purrutiapinthi training (Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations)
Logging in
Access to Emerging Minds Focus is restricted to Child and Family Support System-funded services.
Trauma Responsive Champions must register their interest with Emerging Minds, who will send login information.
Change Team members will be invited to access Focus by their organisation’s Trauma Responsive Champion(s).
Implementation support
Sean Lappin (Connected Self) - email seanlappin@connectedself.com.au
Steph Mudie (EIRD) - email stephanie.mudie2@sa.gov.au
Technical support
On this page:
- Benefits of engaging with Emerging Minds 'Focus'
- The Trauma Responsive System Framework adopts a systems approach — what does this mean?
- The steps involved to use 'Focus'
- What is the Model?
- What is a Trauma Responsive Change Team?
- What is a ‘Facilitator’?
- Action Planning
- How many Actions should I assign?
- Where is the Funder Level in my Assessment page?
- Terminology used in Focus
- How often should I send out Organisational Surveys?
- Who can see my data in Focus?
- What kind of assistance can we expect?
- How can I share my feedback?
Benefits of engaging with Emerging Minds 'Focus'
- Helps activate the Trauma Responsive System Framework within your organisation
- Helps your organisation identify trauma-responsive strategies already in place and areas that may benefit from further development
- Helps your Change Team make data-informed decisions
- Supports further learning through evidence-informed training and resources. For example:
- Emerging Minds resources
- Common Elements practice guides
- Yaitya Mingkamingka Purrutiapinthi training.
- Generates a customised Action Plan that can be shared with leadership for authorisation and shared accountability
- Collates the change journey.
The Trauma Responsive System Framework adopts a systems approach – what does this mean?
Trauma responsiveness is a system-wide effort. What funders do affects what organisations do. What organisations do affects how practitioners engage with, and support, children and families. For the CFSS to be strong and resilient everyone must enact the principles of the framework.
The steps involved to use 'Focus'
- Form your Change Team
- Send your Organisational Survey to staff
- Change Team completes survey
- Results are analysed
- Priorities are set
- Actions assigned
- Action Plan developed
- Explore Actions
- Support Actions
- Inform Actions
- Action Plan is reviewed.
At this point the organisation may start the process again from step 1, or they may return to Step 7 (Action Plan developed).
What is the Model?
The model illustrates the six principles needed during implementation of a trauma-responsive system. If any principle is not represented, the entire system will not work effectively.
The model is depicted as a series of concentric circles.
The centre of the model is the child.
Surrounding the child are rings representing family, community, practitioner and funder.
The outer ring of the circle is made up of the six principles:
- peer and community support
- collaboration
- empowerment and self-determination
- know yourself and learn
- safety
- trustworthiness.
What is a Trauma Responsive Change Team?
The Change Team is a small group of staff with a commitment to trauma responsiveness and continuous improvement. The Change Team leads the organisation's change process and meets regularly to review progress on the Action Plan.
Each Change Team is has a project lead called a 'Facilitator', and is supported by a Trauma Responsive Champion.
What is a ‘Facilitator’?
A Facilitator is a member of the organisational Change Team and the project lead. Their activities may include:
- developing a proficiency in 'Focus'
- initiating the surveys (organisational and Change Team)
- populating and managing the Action Plan.
Action Planning
Once Change Teams have identified priorities based on survey data, they can consider existing actions that sit in Focus or create their own. The following process guides their action planning:
1. Exploring > 2. Supporting > 3. Informing
- Exploring Actions generate conversations to help organisations consider where there at, what they are doing well and what they can do to improve
- Supporting Actions are the changes made in response to these conversations of Exploring Actions to create more a trauma responsive system
- Informing Actions are the feedback mechanisms to ensure that meaningful change is created.
How many Actions should I assign?
Your organisations trauma responsive journey will take time, all organisations will be at a different starting point. Wherever you start is okay, and any change you commit to is a good thing no matter how small. This is an ongoing process of reflection, action, and improvement.
Where is the Funder Level in my Assessment page?
Participating organisations in the CFSS will respond to the Organisational, Practitioner, and Child and Family Levels, and the Early Intervention Research Directorate (DHS) will respond to the Funder Level.
Terminology used in Focus
Emerging Minds resources refer to “mental health” and “social and emotional wellbeing”. These terms relate to trauma responsive practice as:
- Trauma can have a profound effect on the social and emotional wellbeing and mental health outcomes of children, parents, families, and communities
- The impact of trauma can be lifelong as well as intergenerational
- By supporting people in their social and emotional wellbeing, we can directly contribute to trauma healing.
How often should I send out Organisational Surveys?
This is at your organisation’s discretion. At a minimum, an annual Organisational Survey is advised to monitor change over time.
Who can see my data in Focus?
Identifiable and other qualitative data entered by Change Teams is not accessible by Emerging Minds or DHS.
Organisational data from Focus is only accessible to the Facilitator and Change Team, including:
- who is on a Change Team
- who is assigned to Actions
- de-identified results from the Organisational Survey
- Change Team Survey results
- internal communications by the Change Team
- Action Plan content:
- Activities/steps to complete this Action
- Barriers and facilitators to completion
- Resources needed internally/externally
- Who needs to be involved?
Shared learning across organisations is encouraged, but it is at the discretion of each organisation to share what they are comfortable with.
Emerging Minds only have access to metrics (quantitative summary data on organisations’ use of the tool), such as:
- number of users, unique monthly logins
- who the Facilitator is
- page clicks (i.e., Assessment, Action Plan, Progress)
- number of Ratings
- clicks on links (to analyse relevance of included resources)
- number of Actions assigned/completed
- number of Progress Updates
- Focus registration of interest responses.
Emerging Minds are hoping that this data can support their evaluation of the tool’s functionality, user experience and its ability to support organisational change.
Data privacy and ownership is important. Any concerns related to data can be directed to focus@emergingminds.com.au.
What kind of assistance can we expect?
When engaging in trauma responsive capacity building using Focus, Organisations can
expect the following assistance:
- Technical support from Emerging Minds if required
- Support from the Trauma Responsive Champions/Facilitators to share ideas and overcome any issues that may arise across agencies
- Individualised support for each agency to analyse their survey results, create actions and activate these actions from an independent consultant, as well as an EIRD representative, if required
- Support on an ‘as-needs’ basis as you work through the process.
How can I share my feedback?
As Emerging Minds Focus is a prototype, we would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have.
Should you have any questions or feedback concerning functionality, please contact: focus@emergingminds.com.au
Other feedback or questions can be directed to Steph Mudie at DHS EIRD:
stephanie.mudie2@sa.gov.au