Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker (Center), Naomi Goldstein (R), and Elizabeth Hudson (L)
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The signature issue of Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker—advancing trauma-informed policy and practice in the state—began early in Governor Scott Walker’s first term (2011-2014) and continues to grow. She leads the statewide collaborative “Fostering Futures” (see attached fact sheet) that has an ambitious aim: “to improve child and family well-being by integrating trauma-informed culture, policies and practices (safety, self-regulation and relationships) at the child/family/community and systems levels to address the epidemic of toxic childhood stress.” Wisconsin tracks advancements in this work on its map of the state, which shows nearly every county participating in trauma-informed activities and programs.
Late last month, Walker was in Washington, DC in conjunction with the National Governors Association Winter Meeting and spent the day at the headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and on Capitol Hill meeting with the offices of several members of Congress. Elizabeth Hudson, head of the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, participated in the HHS meeting. Kimberly Konkel with the HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Helga Luest were involved in organizing the meeting.
Here is a summary of some of the points made in the HHS meeting:
—The trauma-informed care (TIC) culture shift is happening in rural, urban, and tribal communities throughout the state of Wisconsin.
—TIC is the "glue" that brings agencies together." We need to see more partnering—state to state, city to city, community to community, and agency to agency. States should be working together to ensure that TIC is really happening in human services and in the right way.
—The Menominee tribe is committed to embedding practices across the community; the main focus has been in tribal services, health services and school services.
—"Everyone needs to be trauma informed and understand what that means -- from the bus driver, to the lunch aide, to the school administrator, and even the governor."
—In Waupaca County, Wisconsin where they have been working on TIC, when people at the county -- the workers were asked about what could be improved and one solution was really simple -- they wanted the automated phone system to go away and to talk with real people again. Sometimes little changes make a big difference.
— Wisconsin is working with other states through the MARC project including the states of Alaska, Illinois, Montana, and Washington State and the cities of Philadelphia, Tarpon Springs, and Kansas City.
—"It doesn't matter where you sit—this is bigger than that."
HHS officials who participated in the meeting included: Naomi Goldstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) and Acting Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families; Elizabeth Carr, Associate Director for Tribal Affairs, HHS Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) Tribal Affairs; and Darin Donato, Senior Policy Analyst Division for At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health, and Community Resilience (ABC), Office of Policy and Planning (OPP), Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
First ladies in other states have been active on early childhood issues including Diana Rauner, President of Ounce of Prevention Fund and spouse of Illinois Governor Rauner, and Tennessee First Lady, Crissy Haslam, is a leader in her state on trauma-related policies. At the HHS meeting, it was noted that Melania Trump has expressed an interest in raising the visibility of bullying as she develops her role as First Lady.
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