Kentucky School for the Blind and Deaf - Trauma Informed Care Project

During the time period specified above, the UK Center on Trauma and Children (CTAC) will provide a range of services to the Kentucky Department of Education to benefit the Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD)/Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB). The ultimate goal of the project is to increase the capacity of the organization as a whole, and the workforce in particular to provide trauma-informed care, and to provide education and care to students in an environment that is physically and psychologically safe. To this end, the following activities will be performed under the direction of Ginny Sprang, Ph.D. (PI). 1. Two organizational trauma assessments (KSD and KSB) to determine organizational strengths and opportunities for growth regarding trauma-informed service delivery. Each assessment will include a survey(s), interviews with key personnel and leaders, focus groups and a review of primary documents. The findings of these assessments will be used to inform the provision of subsequent training. 2. Five trainings on Trauma Informed Care tailored to the needs of KSD and KSB targeting teachers, professionals, staff and administrators. The exact configuration of invitees will be determined in collaboration with KDE, and KSD and KSB. These trainings will occur at a location selected by KDE and/or KSB/KSD. 3. Follow up consultation via conference calls or on-site consultation post-training to assist in the implementation of trauma-informed practices and strategies. Due to the compressed timeline, 3 consultation sessions are included in this proposal. 4. UK CTAC will contract with interpreters/disability consultants on issues specific to training delivery with these special populations to ensure that the trainings meet the needs of the attendees. 5. UK CTAC will coordinate and collaborate with KDE representative to ensure the deliverables are consistent with the needs of KSD and KSB, and the overall goals of this initiative.