Vermont Statutes Title 33 Sec. 3401
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 33 Sec. 3401
- Childhood adversity: means experiences that may be traumatic to children and youths during the first 18 years of life, such as experiencing violence or other emotionally disturbing exposures in their homes or communities. See
- following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
- Justice: when applied to a person, other than a Justice of the Supreme Court, shall mean a justice of the peace for the county for which he or she is elected or appointed. See
- Resilience: means the ability to respond to, withstand, and recover from serious hardship with coping skills and a combination of protective factors, including a strong community, family support, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and social and emotional competence of children. See
- Toxic stress: means strong, frequent, or prolonged experience of adversity without adequate support. See
- Trauma-informed: means a type of program, organization, or system that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved in a system; responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and seeks actively to resist retraumatization and build resilience among the population served. See
§ 3401. Principles for Vermont’s trauma-informed system of care
The General Assembly adopts the following principles with regard to strengthening Vermont’s response to trauma and toxic stress during childhood:
(1) Childhood trauma affects all aspects of society. Each of Vermont’s systems addressing trauma, particularly social services; health care, including mental health; education; child care; and the justice system, shall collaborate to address the causes and symptoms of childhood trauma and to build resilience.
(2) Addressing trauma in Vermont requires building resilience in those individuals already affected and preventing childhood trauma within the next generation.
(3) Early childhood adversity is common and can be prevented. When adversity is not prevented, early intervention is essential to ameliorate the impacts of adversity. A statewide, community-based, interconnected, public health and social service approach is necessary to address this effectively. This model shall include training for local leaders to facilitate a cultural change around the prevention and treatment of childhood trauma.
(4) Service systems shall be integrated at the local and regional levels to maximize resources and simplify how systems respond to individual and family needs. All programs and services shall be evidence-informed and research-based, adhering to best practices in addressing trauma and promoting resilience. (Added 2017, No. 43, § 2.)