Pathways to Resilience defines healing-centered, trauma-responsive networks of care as a group of cross-sector organizations that collaborate and coordinate to connect children and families to services and supports to prevent, treat, and heal from the harmful consequences of trauma and toxic stress. Members of a network of care may vary across communities but could include government agencies, health care providers, educators, and community organizations. These entities have a shared goal of mitigating the negative effects of trauma and adversity, developing and strengthening positive relationships, and helping families navigate systems of care through a “no wrong door approach.”

On July 19th, 2023, Pathways to Resilience hosted a Learning Network session with county leaders from California and Ohio to discuss how they are developing and sustaining trauma-responsive networks of care to prevent and address the impacts of adversity and trauma in their communities. Artie Padilla from the Central Valley Community Foundation, Susan Holt from the County of Fresno Department of Behavioral Health, and Tristyn Ball from the Montgomery County, Ohio Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board discussed the following key elements and lessons learned from their work building networks of care.

Elevate community voice to ensure networks of care meet community needs.

Community input should drive the establishment and decision-making of a network of care. To understand community needs and assets, government and community organizations can host listening sessions, conduct needs assessments, and establish youth advisory groups. The speakers emphasized the importance of leveraging the expertise of community members early and often. Artie Padilla shared that his organization has used The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership tool to go from conducting community outreach to building true community power and voice.

Build and strengthen relationships with a wide range of cross-sector partners.

Strong, cross-sector relationships are key to building an effective network of care. Partnering with community-based organizations, faith-based entities, and local government agencies can allow for upstream interventions and outreach to individuals who interact with services in a variety of ways. For example, Montgomery County has engaged libraries and food banks to help link people to services. Establishing relationships with private sector and philanthropic partners may also open additional funding opportunities for the network of care.

Establish a leadership structure and leverage the strengths of member organizations.

Whether through an advisory board or a leadership team composed of individuals with decision-making power at member organizations, having a leadership structure creates accountability and allows for effective collaboration. Communities should also consider how to leverage the strengths of different organizations within the network. Montgomery County is planning to create workgroups to ensure that members can meaningfully engage in projects that are relevant to them, while Fresno County has developed a website to illustrate the relationships between community-based organizations and map organizations working within different neighborhoods.

Ensure sustainability through effective planning

Strategic planning can help to sustain networks of care and improve coordination between organizations. Montgomery County intentionally selected implementation sites that were well positioned to intervene early and address youth trauma. They are also developing an online app with local resources to ensure that information can be accessed for years to come. Member organizations in Fresno County’s network have worked to align their initiatives and braid and blend funding to achieve economic, social, and educational goals in their community. Speakers also emphasized the importance of documenting processes and procedures, engaging in mindful transition planning, and distributing the workload among multiple champions to reduce burnout.

Session Resources

    Watch the full Pathways Learning Network session below. Pathways to Resilience will continue to amplify strategies for promoting healing and resilience in the education sector and share resources to provide guidance to states seeking to implement similar approaches.