What is an Innovation Lab?
An innovation lab is collaborative process to find, test, and spread solutions to social challenges.
What need is the Trauma-Informed Approaches Innovation Lab seeking to meet?
The purpose of this initiative is to assess the needs and opportunities for a collaborative effort that will align and enhance trauma-informed work across Minnesota in ways that are both evidence-based and practice-based. In Minnesota, there is broad buy-in for trauma-informed care across multiple sectors. Despite this buy-in, there remains a pressing need for:
- understanding who, both individuals and programs, are doing “trauma informed” programming
- a consistent definition of trauma informed care
- an understanding of how to integrate and align trauma-informed care across existing networks of care
- implementation that effectively puts trauma informed approaches into practice
The proposed initiative will build upon mental health theory and technical knowledge of trauma-informed care to support adaptive application that effectively integrates trauma-informed approaches into the cultures of our organizations and communities.
What are we doing?
In the spring of 2014, the Lab will conduct surveys and interviews to map the landscape of trauma-informed work across Minnesota, in all fields and communities. In the summer, we will host at least 2 gatherings involving people practicing trauma-informed approaches in the Twin Cities and Greater MN to reflect together on the findings of the data, identify what will be most useful in linking and enhancing this work and to better develop /tell the story of Minnesota as a leader in trauma-informed approaches.
Who is behind this?
The coordinating team for the Lab includes Dave Ellis (Dave Ellis Consulting, LLC), Karina Forrest-Perkins (Minnesota Communities Caring for Children/Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota), Kirsten Johnson (Wilder Foundation), Michael Bischoff (Social Innovation Lab), Jane Kretzmann (University of Minnesota), and Gary Oftedahl (Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement).
For those in Minnesota, does your work intentionally draw upon trauma-informed approaches? If so, the Trauma-Informed Approaches Innovation Lab would like to learn from and with you. Please complete this online survey before May 15, sharing the trauma-informed work you are doing and what you are learning. You are also invited to a community conversation on June 4 to reflect with other trauma-informed practitioners on ways we could support each other and align our work.
We are also willing to share our findings with those who are interested.
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