Early Childhood Trauma-Informed Care in Times of War
A Family-Orientated Approach
This manual has been based on the consultation sessions that the authors delivered to Ukrainian Early Child Intervention (ECI) Centers since the invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine in February 2022. In direct response, ARQ International, the international department of ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre (ARQ), has rolled out a capacity development programme to support ECI professionals in developing specialised psychotrauma and self-care skills for the ultimate benefit of Ukrainian children and families.
Share knowledge and expertise on trauma-informed care
Based on the wide experience of ARQ Centrum ’45 in supporting people with complex psychotrauma, ARQ delivered several face-to-face and online modules on Trauma-informed Care (TIC) for ECI professionals. These sessions were held weekly or bi-weekly and later more irregularly. The aim was not only to support the professionals working at ECI centres in different regions of Ukraine but also to share knowledge and expertise on providing TIC.
The authors of this manual work with traumatised populations, children, and families in or outside conflict areas. For this manual, they used the materials selected and/or developed (e.g., PowerPoint presentations). It is also based on their clinical and scientific expertise and experiences with training in (post)conflict regions.
The overall objective of this manual is to support healthcare professionals (including nonspecialists) in strengthening the resilience of children, families, and communities by providing family-oriented, trauma-informed care. The manual is also intended to spread knowledge and expertise among colleagues.