Haruv institute - Leading Principles in Trauma-Informed Child Representation

Moreover, trauma-informed legal representation of children with developmental delays should take into account that the developmental delays themselves may be a product of the trauma.

How does child representation affect the representing lawyers?

Trauma-informed child representation takes into account the impact the encounter with traumatized children has on the legal representatives themselves. The daily encounter with at-risk children who have been abused by adults who were supposed to take care of them is a risk factor for secondary traumatization. The weight of responsibility in making fateful decisions regarding the minor and the need to represent them faithfully can also exact a high emotional price on the legal representative. Therefore, it is important that the representative receives support, training, and guidance during the process, to share the burden of responsibility, examine the professionalism of the process, and observe their own feelings – which affect their professional representation. This reflective observation is not a luxury but rather a necessity in order to protect the lawyer from burnout and secondary traumatization and to optimize the decision making process for the child client.

Summary and key points

This document anchors the main principles of a trauma-informed approach to child representation, based on the most up-to-date empirical and theoretical research available in Israel and around the world. Trauma-informed representation of children aims to ensure

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