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Trauma-informed care

Healing childhood trauma through comprehensive care

Childhood trauma and its lifelong impact 

At SOS Children’s Villages, we believe that every child deserves to grow up safe, loved, protected and educated.  

Unfortunately, millions of children around the world experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)—traumatic events like violence, abuse, neglect, poverty or family separation that derail healthy development and future well-being. 

When children experience trauma without a trusted, loving adult to provide proper support, their bodies trigger a toxic stress response. This constant “fight or flight” mode disrupts healthy brain development, learning abilities and can even lead to long-term physical health problems.  

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that at least five of the top 10 leading causes of deaths—heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes and suicide—are associated with ACEs. And, globally, 60% of adults have experienced at least one ACE.  

Meaning: ACEs are a global health crisis and serious public health concern. 

Learn how childhood trauma shapes adult health

SOS Children’s Villages’ trauma-informed care approach 

Trauma-informed care recognizes the life-changing impact of trauma on children, young people and families and creates the safe, supportive and empowering environments individuals need to process and recover from trauma. 

SOS Children’s Villages professional, trained staff implements trauma-informed care throughout our programs by:  

— Recognizing trauma responses: We rewrite the narrative from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”, recognizing changes in children’s behavior as trauma responses and not “bad behavior.”  

— Creating safe spaces: We carefully curate safe physical and emotional spaces to promote children’s healing and prevent further trauma. 

— Equipping individuals: We believe that children and young people’s voices and autonomy should be respected. Following trauma-informed care principles, our staff promotes self-determination in children and young people’s recovery. 

— Building resilience: Through trusted relationships and evidence-based interventions, we help children develop the coping skills they need to withstand future stressors. 

Learn about the impact of loving relationships

 

How you can help children heal from trauma 

Research continues to show that trauma-informed care works: children improve academically, build stronger relationships and develop better long-term physical, emotional and mental health. And when children grow into healthy adults, they build resilient communities and pass down the same loving care they received to their own children. 

When you support SOS, you’re not only investing in a child’s current healing—you’re working to end a global health crisis by breaking cycles of abuse, poverty and family separation.  

Are you ready to transform a child’s story and rewrite the narrative of a whole community with trauma-informed care?

Help a child heal

Learn more about childhood trauma 

Whether healing from trauma, supporting a loved one, seeking parenting advice or working professionally with survivors, discover the evidence-based research and guidance you need to understand trauma’s impact, support recovery and build resilience. 

Explore trauma resources