Care4Trauma proposes training in gender perspective and Trauma Informed Care for justice professionals and more information on the procedures

European project presents its results with a policy recommendations report

The European project Care4Trauma has recently presented its results, among which is a document of Policy recommendations, based on the analysis of legislation related to gender-based violence in Spain and access to rights for victims of this crime, as well as the analysis of documentation (guides, protocols, plans…).

With this analysis, the project assesses whether the Trauma Informed Care (TIC) perspective is incorporated in the provision of services; online surveys and interviews with key informants, in order to explore the perception of professionals from the health, social and judicial system in relation to the adoption of TIC in the bodies, services and institutions where they carry out their activity; and the conclusions of focus groups with professionals from services working in direct care with victims of gender-based violence and/or their children, with the aim of collecting proposals for improvement in order to favour the implementation of TIC.

Main recommendations

The recommendations report highlights the main barriers to access to justice for women survivors:

• Lack of training in gender perspective and the principles of TIC among judicial operators.
• The lack of information available to women victims of gender-based violence on judicial procedures and the shortage of intercultural mediation professionals available to support victims of gender-based violence from diverse backgrounds and cultural contexts.

In this regard, the report makes proposals in different areas such as the judicial system and health and social care.

For the judicial system, this includes mandatory specialised training for legal professionals and public defenders, as well as for judges, in TIC care, or the creation of inter-institutional supervision spaces in which professionals from the judicial system can participate and where they can reflect on the effect of trauma on victims and the impact on judicial processes. Other recommendations are improving the information available to women survivors, for example through the creation of a manual of legal processes for victims of gender-based violence, with a trauma-focused approach and an intersectional perspective.

In the health and social care field, the report contains proposals to be taken into account by public administrations and services and organisations offering support to survivors. It includes the design of services in accordance with the universal principles of TIC, calling for closer collaboration between professionals and policy makers to ensure a direct response to the needs of victims. In addition, it calls for universalising internal procedures and policies that incorporate these principles, increasing the resources available to maintain quality care and providing specialised training for professionals. The report also highlights the importance of preventing secondary trauma by monitoring and supporting professionals, considering their ongoing exposure to trauma and implementing measures to improve their working conditions and psychological well-being.