The Sanctuary Model of Trauma Informed Care

Presbyterian Children’s Village has embraced the Sanctuary Model of Trauma Informed Care as an effective framework for implementing its mission to promote the healing of the spirits of children and families broken by violence, neglect, addiction, poverty, mental illness, racism and other serious societal problems.

News Releases

Presbyterian Children's Village Invites Community to Join Sanctuary Accreditation Celebration!
May 17, 2011

Sanctuary Certified! - Article on the PCV Facebook Page
June 23, 2011

Pictured with the Certification Plaque: Joanne Wolf, Vice President of Programs; Darlene Hewett, President and CEO; Amy Brinkley, Senior Director of Residential Programs; Todd Etchison, Sanctuary Institute

Background for the Sanctuary Model

Presbyterian Children’s Village (PCV) operates a state-licensed Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) located in Rosemont, Pa. PCV is licensed under the Office of Mental Health 3800 regulations. In 2006, The Department of Public Welfare in Pennsylvania issued a statement urging child residential treatment providers to reduce or eliminate the use of restraints. Across the state, 12 forums were held at which providers were asked for their recommendations on building a restraint-free system. The number one request was for training specifically in the area of trauma informed care. As a result, the state allocated funding for 29 sites (including 19 residential facilities) to implement the Sanctuary Model of Trauma Informed Care, a “promising practice” model developed by Sandra Bloom, a nationally-known expert on trauma-informed care. PCV was awarded a grant to be part of the 3 -year state funded implementation of the Sanctuary Model of Trauma Informed care.

Components of the Sanctuary Model

The goal of the Sanctuary Model of Trauma informed care is to improve the outcomes for children and youth who have experienced the damaging effects of interpersonal violence, abuse and trauma. The Sanctuary model promotes organizational change to create a healing treatment environment that not only recognizes but also treats the impact of trauma on the lives of children in placement. Preliminary data have shown that agencies that have adopted the Sanctuary Model have been able to:

1. Decrease the use of restraints
2. Decrease staff turnover
3. Improve the outcomes for children and youth

The Sanctuary model is based on 7 commitments; staff and residents alike are trained and expected to adhere to the commitment to:

1. Non-Violence
2. Social Responsibility
3. Shared Governance
4. Emotional Intelligence
5. Social Learning
6. Growth and Change
7. Open Communication

History of PCV implementation

Implementation of the Sanctuary model is a 3-year process that began for PCV in February 2008 with a 5-day training for five Senior staff including the Vice President for Programs, the Residential Director, the Facility Director, the School Coordinator and a Cottage Life Supervisor. Currently PCV is in the third year of the 3-year process and will have the certification site visit in February 2011. The Sanctuary model has 192 standards of care with which agencies need to comply in order to become certified as a Sanctuary agency. PCV has a Core Team comprised of staff from all departments which meets two times a month to review implementation.

Highlights for 2010

• 75% of existing staff have been trained in the Sanctuary Model
• The training department has incorporated the Sanctuary Model trainings in Orientation Training for new staff
• PCV is part of a state funded program to disseminate Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to residential treatment programs