About the Campaign

Phase I

• Grow support for the Campaign’s federal policy vision to prevent and address trauma and build resilience
• Increase awareness of trauma science and the benefits that manifest from implementing trauma-preventive and trauma-informed policy
• Empower constituents nationwide with tools and support to initiate and sustain meaningful, regular communication with their congressional offices
• Ensure all congressional offices have at least one constituent as a “go-to” person who is in regular communication with the staff lead on trauma for the office
• Catalog a staff contact on this topic for each congressional office.
• Remain responsive to rapidly-changing circumstances by finding new opportunities to advance trauma-informed and resilience-building provisions, as was done with successful engagement around the CARES and HEROES Acts

Phase II

• Increase the membership of the House Trauma-Informed Caucus
• Educate Congress about the comprehensive policy vision to prevent and address childhood trauma and build resilience
• Identify a bipartisan and bicameral group of congressional champions for the federal policy vision
• Work in support of federal policies and appropriations in Congress that are aligned with the Campaign’s federal policy vision

CTIPP’s National Trauma Campaign envisions that the early phases of this Campaign will serve as the foundation for additional, future Campaign efforts, building on the substantial and growing amount of activity to prevent and address trauma and build resilience that is already occurring in communities and states throughout the country.

This grassroots campaign depends on individuals, organizations and coalitions taking collective, coordinated action. There are two ways to be a part of this Campaign: become an individual and/or organizational Campaign Member or become a Local Liaison.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a report finding that the costs associated with only a few Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and a few of their related negative behavioral and health outcomes in the United States exceed $700 billion per year.

In response to this WHO report, along with an expansive body of evidence, studies, and publications examining the impacts of trauma and adversity, the grassroots National Trauma Campaign (the Campaign), an initiative of the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP), was launched to engage congressional offices and other federal leaders in supporting policies, programs, legislation, and appropriations that prevent and respond to trauma as well as build resilience.

Creating buy-in, fostering collaboration and authentic constituent participation, building and sustaining trust, and cultivating community ownership of advancing the trauma-informed movement comprise Campaign cornerstones. To amplify diverse stakeholders’ voices nationwide, the Campaign will continue to collaborate with communities to craft a comprehensive vision for a trauma-informed society. The Campaign will partner with and mobilize Local Liaisons and Regional Leaders to maximize our outreach efforts, to dynamically attend to the unique constellations of needs that emerge within each community, and to assure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are centered in our work.

Under the first phase of this multi-part, multi-year campaign, launched in February 2020, community leaders, advocates, and practitioners across the country are being asked to initiate and maintain a regular line of communication with the members of their congressional delegation and their staff. For those who sign up to be Local Liaisons for the Campaign, this means connecting with the offices of one U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators.

The Campaign’s first call to action is to grow the membership of the bipartisan House Trauma-Informed Care Caucus (Caucus) by asking every member of the U.S. House of Representatives to join the Caucus. In a letter to their fellow House members, Caucus Co-Chairmen, Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI), indicated that, “the Caucus’ goal is to identify opportunities to embed trauma-informed care (TIC) efforts within federal legislation and operations.”

When COVID-19 hit, the Campaign pivoted to direct its focus on being responsive to a rapidly-changing world, and the Campaign successfully mobilized its network around leveraging funds made available through the CARES Act to be used to advance trauma-informed approaches and helped get trauma-informed supports inserted into the HEROES Act.

Future phases of the Campaign will be organized around a policy vision paper that will outline a comprehensive legislative approach for preventing trauma and childhood trauma, providing trauma-informed treatment for those who have experienced and are living with the adverse effects of trauma, and building resilience among all individuals, communities, and systems in the United States. Campaign participants will be asked to communicate the policy vision and join in advocacy efforts in support of achieving the vision.

The Campaign will continue to announce calls to action and support regular outreach with action toolkits to support the objectives listed above. Click here to view the advocacy tools the Campaign has created to make advocacy and engagement with policymakers easy.