For more information about what data is available for request, click here.
About
When the Office of Violence Prevention was established, promoting a trauma informed and healing approach in Los Angeles County was central to our founding mission and strategic plan. On this page, you will be able to find information on trauma informed care, the services we offer, along with helpful resources and educational materials.
Trauma Informed Care
What is trauma?
While there is no fixed definition, very simply trauma is a person’s response to something (an experience, a sensation, an event) that is distressing, disturbing, or life-threatening.
Violence in Los Angeles County is pervasive. Two key indicators for violence, deaths and medical visits, show how widespread violence in the County really is. Suicide and homicide are two of the top five causes of premature death. During 2020, over 1,500 county residents lost their lives to homicide (n=693) or suicide (n=829). Between 2016 and 2020, each year county residents made over 30,000 emergency department visits for assaults and over 6,000 visits for suicide attempts.
Violence leaves a wake of trauma in its path. This trauma has long lasting impacts for individuals, families, and communities. It shows up in our schools, workplace, libraries, and parks. 64% of adults in LA County report at least one adverse childhood experience and approximately 31% of children residing in Los Angeles County have reported experiencing two or more ACEs.
Given that trauma is so common, now more than ever it is important that we all learn and invest in trauma informed care. A trauma informed approach helps us to lead with empathy, to engage with each other from a perspective that acknowledges trauma’s presence in our lives. Training increases our awareness of how trauma shows up in people, its impacts, and the best way to support each other in healing. By investing in trauma informed approaches, we can reduce re-traumatization, increase community connection, and build a violence free future.
Vision
To build a Trauma Informed and Healing Centered Los Angeles County, where people approach each other from a place that is rooted in an understanding of trauma, oppression, and healing; where we ask first “Where is this person coming from? What happened to them that might make them act like this?” instead of “What is wrong with this person?”
Acknowledgements
The Office of Violence Prevention would like to acknowledge the following, all of whom have provided guidance and influence on our Trauma Informed Care Initiative efforts. We are grateful for the resources that they have created.
