Review of evidence on interventions dealing with childhood trauma

Title: Approaches targeting outcomes for children exposed to trauma arising from abuse and neglect – Evidence, practice and implications
Authors: Parenting Research Centre and the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health
Published: 2014

While there are many approaches targeting the effects of childhood trauma, few have been evaluated and, at the time of publication, fewer than 10 approaches were supported by research. As a result, Australian organisations are choosing approaches that do not have strong evidence of effectiveness.

These are some of the major findings of the report Approaches targeting outcomes for children exposed to trauma arising from abuse and neglect – Evidence, practice and implications. This report summarises the developing international evidence base for approaches to supporting children exposed to trauma associated with child abuse and neglect. It also explores implications for Australian policymakers, services and professionals aiming to meet the needs of these children.

The report provides an analysis of the evidence for programs, service models and systems of care that aim to prevent or treat trauma in children exposed to abuse or neglect. The report also describes the results of a survey of almost 300 professionals working in child and family support services across Australia. This survey measured awareness and use of evidence-based approaches in childhood trauma.

Further, the report describes the findings from in-depth interviews with organisational leaders and senior managers in Australian social services. These findings address factors that influence the uptake of evidence-based approaches to childhood trauma resulting from abuse and neglect.

Learn more

• Download the report (PDF, 3.39MB)
• Appendices (PDF, 2.32MB)
• Read the Evidence Summary