Philadelphia ACE Task Force Workforce Development Work Group Meeting

The Workforce Development Work Group met on Wednesday, March 16^th, 2016 at the United Way Building in Philadelphia. The group began with a reflection about the last full Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF) meeting and were excited about future opportunities for impactful work throughout the city and region. Following this discussion, the group discussed some current projects of the Work Group, including the development of focus groups with teachers in the School District of Philadelphia and the trauma-informed training resource guide. After a brief update about status of the focus group planning, group members discussed possible directions for data collection including: reaching out to neighboring school districts that have implemented trauma-informed practices, gathering input from teachers who have not engaged in TIC to understand their challenges and barriers, and understanding what it takes to advocate for this particular training to be prioritized. The group also had feedback about the trauma-informed training resource guide and suggested that once the guide is posted online, it includes information about how to use the guide, is clear about the target audience of the trainings, and highlights local, in-person, free trainings. Further, the group was clear that the information included in the document must be double-checked with the training organizations to ensure that the PATF posts correct data.

The group then went on to discuss potential new projects including: an event that focuses on integrating training in trauma-informed practice into higher education and potential opportunities to develop materials on how organizations, companies, and agencies can become trauma-informed workplaces. The group had very positive reactions to both possibilities and were excited about the prospect of hearing employer perspectives and their need for a workforce that has training in trauma-informed care. They agreed that this could be an innovative way to encourage decision makers in higher education to incorporate this information into their curricula. The group will continue to discuss and plan for this work.