The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been the leader among federal agencies in developing trauma-informed and resilience-building policies and practices. SAMHSA has played an important role in raising awareness in other federal agencies of ACEs and how to incorporate the research findings into policies and programs.  One example is SAMHSA’s leadership is in its involvement in the Federal Partners Committee on Women & Trauma, an active interagency collaboration including 13 federal departments. 

In July, 2014 the agency released SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach, which introduces a concept of trauma and "offers a framework for how an organization, system, service sector can become trauma-informed.” It includes definitions of trauma, of trauma-informed approaches, and guidance on principles and implementation of trauma-informed approaches. SAMHSA also has released “TIP (Treatment Improvement Protocol) 57: Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services,” for behavioral health professionals.

The SAMHSA-funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is jointly coordinated by UCLA and Duke University. Created in 2000, NCTSN has the mission “to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States.” The vision for NCTSN is to raise awareness of the impact of child traumatic stress; to create trauma-informed programs; and to ensure that there is a comprehensive trauma-informed continuum of care across systems (e.g., health, mental health, education, law enforcement). NCTSN awards grants to a wide variety of organizations—trauma centers, universities, medical centers, etc.—to support these goals. 

SAMHSA also supports two centers that provide training and technical assistance on trauma-informed practices:

—   The National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC) provides technical assistance and training to a wide range of agencies and organizations on becoming trauma-informed. 

—   The GAINS Center offers training that helps educate criminal justice professionals about the impact of trauma and how to develop trauma-informed responses. The Center recognizes that the majority of individuals who have been involved in the justice system have experienced significant trauma. Criminal justice professionals who are trained in trauma-informed practices are better able to prevent “re-traumatization” of individuals and reduce violence and recidivism. 

SAMHSA is also involved in supporting the development of trauma-informed communities, convening a meeting of activists in May 2015 to document lessons learned. Through the STAR Center, SAMHSA has supported the launch of a Washington, DC, trauma-informed initiative this year.