Haruv institute - Leading Principles in Trauma-Informed Child Representation

level factors). Context-informed intervention is crucial in order to map the risk and resilience factors of the specific child and their family and design the interventions accordingly. Just as professionals must map the risk factors of all known or possible areas of child abuse, they must also map the resilience factors. By doing so, we can identify and locate supportive adults or supportive communities (e.g., teachers, family members, and significant figures in the religious community to which the child belongs) whom the child trusts and relies on. Besides the possibility that these factors will envelop and support the child during the proceeding, it is possible they may promote the child’s positive worldview by emphasizing the benevolent intentions of those in their environment. – Idea for practice: Ask the child “With whom do you feel safe?” and recruit these people so that they can support the child at critical moments during the legal proceedings. • Highlighting strengths: Children who are dealing with trauma may have difficulty seeing their strengths on their own. Reflect back to the child what personal qualities/strengths help them cope with the events. Point out to them their achievements, small and great alike, in order to promote a sense of self-efficacy. – Idea for practice: Remind the child of how they dealt with difficult and challenging situations in the past and how they overcame them. Strengthen the child’s ability to express their opinions within the framework of the proceeding.

22