Abstract:
Current research suggests that `creating a trauma-informed culture in and of itself could help staff and
clients make better recoveries than has previously been possible’. To the extent that the large numbers
of people who experience trauma-related problems access a range of diverse services (ie not only those
of health and mental health) it is critical that the full range of service delivery introduces the trauma-
informed principles which are supported and advocated in this research. There are now numerous service-models, the majority developed in the United States, which are trauma-informed as well as trauma-specific. Many of these are not only `applicable, replicable, and appropriate for use in public sector service settings’, but are specifically tailored to complex trauma. The guidelines which follow reference some of this material for the Australian context, while recognising that all protocols are living documents which will themselves evolve as part of the process of implementation.