Citation

Kalergis KI, Anderson D. Child Abuse Negl. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

5100 Buffalo Pass, Austin, TX 78745, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104266

PMID

31735368

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Child abuse organizations are keenly aware of the impact helping abused and neglected children has on the people who do that work. In their efforts to address this issue, they look to their colleagues for recommendations on what works. Of particular value is testimony from those who have used evidence-informed programs to mitigate the impact on staff, so services to children do not suffer.

OBJECTIVE, PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING, RESULTS: The Resiliency Project provided that evidence-informed program, one that was developed for and by the child abuse field in 2009. With funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, The University of Texas at Austin team of researchers, educators and practitioners developed the Organizational Resiliency Model (ORM) specifically for the child abuse field. The model draws from research on strengths individuals who are resilient have, and offers strategies for organizations to use to build resiliency in their staff. The ORM was piloted with 24 leaders from the field, including children's advocacy centers (CACs); court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs; and government-based child welfare agencies. This article reviews the research basis for the ORM and new research supporting the model, and offers lessons learned through structured interviews with 10 child abuse leaders who piloted the ORM and continue to use it ten years later.

CONCLUSIONS: Using the ORM, based on evidence available at the time, supported by new research and attested to by child abuse leaders who have sustained the model in their organizations, can promote a healthy and resilient workforce.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Language: en

Keywords

Healthy workplaces; Organizational resilience; Organizational resilience strategies; Organizational resiliency model; Trauma-informed organizations