Sonoma County Human Services integrates ACES science training in New Employee Orientation (NEO)

Leslie Weaver 2/28/1910:23 AM

On January 30, 2019 the County of Sonoma took a significant step towards becoming a more trauma informed organization by delivering a 1 hour over-view of ACES science to newly hired staff. With this framework now embedded in NEO training we hope to give staff a solid foundation on the key concepts behind trauma informed care. We are re-focusing our efforts towards educating all staff on the link between toxic stress and health outcomes and behavior. This training is the result of collaboration between a group of inspired and passionate individuals from several different divisions within the Human Services Department called the ACES Champions. The group is dedicated to building a solid foundation of key concepts needed for a trauma informed and resilience building approach in assisting Sonoma County's indigent and underprivileged populations.

Add Comment

Comments (3)

Newest · Oldest · Popular

Leslie WeaverMember

Hi Connie,

Thank you so much for your interest. Unfortunately because we developed the orientation material directly from Dr. Anda and Dr. Felliti’s curriculum we are unable to share at this time due to our licensing agreement with them. However, the County is in the process of adapting a new curriculum and presentation for the next NEO class and we are exploring alternatives to the current material. I will post on ACES Connection when we update our material and if you are still interested I would be more than happy to share.

3/1/192:52 PM

Karen ClemmerMember

Connie Vaccarezza posted:
Hi,,
Would Sonoma be willing to share their new hire ACES orientation with other counties?

Hi Connie,
Great question!!
While we await a response, I wanted to share some thoughts and connections.

The Public Health Field Nurses in Sonoma County are using the ACEs screening tool with their home visiting clients which has opened up opportunities for meaningful conversations, including about healing, self-care and interrupting the intergenerational transference of ACEs. My understanding is that eventually they would like to publish their findings.

You may want to check out the Sonoma County [CA] ACEs Connection to see what they have been working on. If you click on the hyperlink, and then open their page and scroll down, you will find "Blog Directory" which has lots of useful information. Additionally, you may want to check out El Dorado County [CA] ACEs Connection and their 2-Year Workplan attached is their 2-Year Action Plan Workbook.

*Please note - ACEs Connection members are encouraged to join any of the (sub) communities - such as the Sonoma County or El Dorado County groups!
More soon, I hope!
Karen