Prince George’s County, Md. (Oct. 30, 2023) – A community-wide intervention is bringing increased awareness and responsiveness to trauma and its impact on children and families in Prince George’s County. Already underway, the project is posed to provide critical training to 1,600 child and family-serving professionals in the county between now and fall of 2024.

‘Transforming Prince George’s County Through Trauma-Informed Care’ is a year-long program led by Calverton-based adoption and family well-being organization, Paths for Families (formerly Adoptions Together). It is designed to create systemic change in care through comprehensive training and coaching to deepen the understanding of primary and secondary traumatic experiences for clients, professionals and the organizations that serve them.

The project is made possible through earmarked federal funding secured by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown during his tenure as the U.S. representative for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, with instrumental support from Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin.

“I was honored to have contributed to securing the essential funding for this project, not only in my former capacity as a Member of Congress, but also as an adoptive parent,” said Attorney General Brown. “Watching my child grow into adulthood, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of a robust support network.”

“Maryland has committed to becoming a trauma-informed state, and we are honored to receive this funding to deliver critical education as part of that process,” said Paths for Families’ Chief Executive Officer Janice Goldwater.

“Supporting front-line professionals with this specific, holistic training will not only allow them to better meet the needs of those who have experienced trauma, but also help to reduce the impacts of secondary trauma and make employment more sustainable,” added Paths for Families’ Chief Program Officer and lead on the project, Lisa Dominguez.

Training cohorts will consist of professionals committed to becoming more trauma-informed, trauma-responsive, and resilience building in their practice, and include three primary areas of focus:

• Part 1: Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care
• Part 2: Trauma, Community, and the Workplace
• Part 3: Trauma, Systemic Change, and Collective Healing

The program will consist of:

• Three 3-hour training sessions delivered to cohorts no larger than 40 participants each.
• Coaching phase for each cohort including three 2-hour sessions to deepen knowledge and integrate the information into their own daily practice.
• Trauma-Informed Care Conference slated for July 31, 2024, which will bring together local and national experts, and highlight the promising practices and strategies for creating and sustaining a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive network of care in Prince George’s County.

The initiative also includes an evaluation and measurement of effectiveness facilitated by Bowie State University.

The Prince George’s County Department of Social Services, members of the Prince George’s County Homeless Service Partnership, the Local Behavioral Health Authority have already signed on to provide training to their staff supporting service delivery, along with workforce recruitment and retention. Paths for Families is inviting other child and family serving agencies in Prince George’s County who may be interested in participating to learn more at this link.

About Paths for Families

Paths for Families is an adoption and family wellbeing organization that partners with individuals and communities dedicated to the lifelong work of building and sustaining families. For more than 30 years, we’ve been here for expectant parents exploring adoption, birth parents, prospective and current adoptive families, children in need of adoption, people who were adopted, and professionals in the community. With the understanding that every path is unique, we enhance and support the wellbeing of children and families through placement services, counseling, and training. With a focus on nurturing positive and restorative experiences, we bring dedicated, technical expertise and trauma-informed, evidence-based practices to the communities we serve. On a systemic level, we share our training with professionals in child welfare and the broader community to build more trauma-responsive systems of care. We treat everyone with the understanding, kindness, and respect we believe all humans deserve. This is the compass that guides us in our work, putting human dignity and ethical practices at the forefront of everything we do for children, families, and their communities so they can genuinely feel they are not alone on this journey.

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