Rating Tool

This rating tool will ask you about practices that support staff resilience and well-being. This is an opportunity to reflect on your organization and its current practices. For each item in the rating tool, select to what extent your organization implements that practice. The majority of items have the same three-point scale that you can use to assess your level of implementation: (1) not at all, (2) somewhat, (3) very much. Here are some general guidelines on how to select the best response:

Not at all: You should select “not at all” if you are not currently implementing the practice. In some cases, you may have thought about or discussed implementing it; you should select “not at all” if you have not started to implement it yet. In other cases, you may have done it in the past; you should select “not at all” if you are not currently implementing the practice.
Somewhat: You should select “somewhat” if you sometimes implement the practice or if it is only implemented with some staff, but not all. If you partially implement it, you should also select “somewhat.”
Very much: You should select “very much” if your organization has fully implemented the practice. If your organization has mostly implemented it or has implemented it with most staff, you should select “very much.”

Note that there are a few items in this rating tool that don’t use the three-point scale but instead ask for a “yes” or “no” response. In terms of assessing your organization on a particular practice, a “yes” response suggests that your organization fully implements this practice, while a “no” response indicates that your organization doesn’t implement this practice or it doesn’t apply to your organization.

Step 1 of 14

1. To what extent does your organization have clear practices in place to create and sustain physical safety?

Explanation

It is important to assure that staff feel safe while in the workplace, when entering and exiting the workplace, and/or when conducting work in the community.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

2. To what extent does your organization provide training on how to manage dangerous situations or threats from clients or families?

Explanation

Staff should be clear on what to do if there is a dangerous situation at work and how to access the needed assistance if something dangerous should occur. They should also feel competent on what to do to defuse or de-escalate situations when appropriate.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

3. To what extent does your organization have clear practices in place to create and sustain organizational psychological safety?

Organizational psychological safety

Refers to an individual's perception that he/she will not face humiliation for voicing their concerns or be punished for a mistake at work.

Explanation

In order for individual to feel safe within the organization, they need to feel that it is okay to speak up and share when they are being impacted by the work, when there are concerns with how the organization is responding to trauma exposure in the workplace, or when they make a mistake or are uncertain as to how to proceed with a client. As part of this, organizations should address stigma that may be associated with acknowledging the impacts of the work and help-seeking behavior.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

4. To what extent does the organization have clear practices in place to create and sustain individual psychological safety?

Individual psychological safety

Refers to the degree to which an individual feels that the work itself is a threat to their well-being.

Explanation

It is normal to be impacted by trauma exposure when working with clients who have experienced trauma. Organizations need to normalize these reactions, and work with individual staff to ensure that they are getting the support that will ensure their well-being while doing this work.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

5. To what extent does your organization clearly define and communicate that STS is an occupational hazard and not an individual issue?

Explanation

The organization should communicate clearly that STS is a hazard due to the nature of the work. While all staff are expected to be impacted by this exposure, the organization conveys an understanding that individual responses to STS will vary in nature and severity.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

6. To what extent does the organization have easily accessible support in place for staff to address the cumulative impacts of trauma exposure at work?

Explanation

It is the organization’s responsibility to support and promote positive coping and training on coping skills (especially for new staff).
It should be clear to all staff, regardless of their role or how long they have been with the organization, what support is available to them to address STS.
The organization should ensure that the support is helpful, culturally appropriate, and easily accessible.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

7. To what extent are the use of supports to address the cumulative impact of trauma exposure normalized in your organization?

Explanation

Leaders can normalize the use of supports, such as peer support and employee assistance programs (EAP), by encouraging staff to utilize these supports as a routine part of the work and acting as a role model (such as sharing about a time when the leader used peer support and/or EAP services to cope with STS).

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

8. To what extent does the organization have easily accessible support in place for staff when a critical incident occurs?

Explanation

The organization should have a protocol and specific practices that are utilized when a critical incident happens. This includes:
- defining what constitutes a critical incident;
- how to access these supports in a timely manner; and
- how to access both immediate support as well as longer-term support.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

9. To what extent is the use of support to address critical incidents normalized in your organization?

Explanation

The organization should normalize that making use of crisis supports is a sign of strength and self-awareness rather than a sign of weakness.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

10. To what extent does the organization recognize that there may be different needs for staff to address STS depending on their role in the organization as well as their background?

Explanation

The organization acknowledges that different roles within the CAC may need different types of support. For instance, those conducting forensic interviews are in a position where they have to suppress emotions while hearing graphic details of the traumatic event(s) and often do not see the child healing from the trauma. In addition, the timing of when the support is needed might be different since clinical supervision may not be in place for forensic interviewers in the same way it is for mental health clinicians; forensic interviewers may need more immediate processing given the graphic nature of their work. Thus, the needs for processing need to be considered differently.
In addition, the organization recognizes that individuals come from diverse backgrounds and that their cultural experiences as well as any personal trauma history might impact what they need to be supported when trauma exposure happens in the workplace.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

11. To what extent does the organization have guidelines that strongly discourage staff from sharing graphic trauma details with one another both during formal meetings and informal connections?

Explanation

To manage the amount of trauma exposure that staff are exposed to, it is important to set clear guidelines around not sharing graphic trauma details about cases when it is unnecessary.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

12. To what extent does the organization work to manage trauma inputs and ensure that there is not unnecessary reiteration or review of case details?

Explanation

This could apply in meetings, but also around case reviews and files or any other situation where information is shared. It is important to consider the reason why information needs to be shared or reviewed by multiple people and if there are ways to decrease that exposure.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

13. To what extent does the organization support staff to have clear breaks from the work, such as having coverage when on vacation, not having expectations for working during off time, and ensuring that on-call work is limited?

Explanation

In order to feel safe and protected at work, there needs to be a culture in the organization that encourages staff to take time off and be able to take a break from the work. There should be policies in place, but it must also be something that is not just on paper but is role-modeled and supported throughout the organization.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

14. To what extent are staff regularly asked for input about individual and organizational psychological safety, physical safety, and organizational support around STS?

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

14a. To what extent is this input acted upon?

Explanation

This may include both formal surveys, but also regular informal check-ins to ensure that the organization is promoting safety for the workforce and that the support they are providing is meeting the needs of the current workforce.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

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Creating and Sustaining a Safe and Supportive Culture

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Organizational psychological safety

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Individual psychological safety

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