Organisational Readiness

In the context of Australian legal services, this entails understanding and adapting to Australia’s unique historical and cultural contexts, especially the devastating impact of colonialism on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Leadership must foster a culture of empathy, where staff are educated on the principles of trauma-informed practice and are capable of recognising and responding to the effects of trauma.

Integration of a rights-based approach necessitates an understanding of both local and international human rights laws and obligations. Legal assistance services should display respect for clients’ dignity and participation, ensuring that they are not only legally supported but also empowered.

Collaboration with other service providers is also essential to address the multifaceted nature of clients’ needs effectively. Resources, both human and financial, should be allocated to support continuous staff training, supervision, and the development of policies that reflect the commitment to being trauma-informed and rights-based. The With You self-audit tool is a way to assess where your organisation is and identify areas for further development.

The purpose of this self-audit tool is to assist legal services in evaluating and improving their current practices to ensure they are providing services that are both rights-based and trauma-informed. The tool offers a structured framework for organisations to critically assess various aspects of their operation, including their understanding of trauma, staff competency and supervision, client and carer involvement, integrated practices, collaboration and networking, as well as their policies, procedures, and resource allocation.

The goal is to create a safe, empowering, and respectful environment that acknowledges the impact of trauma on clients, respects their rights, and involves them and their carers, family, supporters and kin in decision-making processes. By addressing these elements, legal services can deliver more effective services that respect the dignity of clients, provide holistic support and contribute to more positive outcomes.

Regular use of this tool can help organisations identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement. It is not a one-time exercise, but rather a mechanism for continuous learning, development, and adjustment. The goal is to be able to show evidence in response to as many questions as possible, with action plans in place to address any responses highlighted for development. These questions are designed as initial prompts to initiate conversations about trauma-informed and rights-based legal service delivery. Each question relates directly to a specific topic in the toolkit, so action plans can be developed using the examples and guidance provided.

Other self-audit tools, such as the Mental Health Coordinating Council’s Trauma-informed Care and Practice Organisational Toolkit (TICPOT) or Southside Justice LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Practice Toolkit provide more in-depth tools for assessing your organisation’s readiness to respond to specific client populations that are likely to have experienced trauma. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s Power of Words practical guide and desktop flip book are designed to support professionals working with people who use alcohol and other drugs to reduce stigma and improve outcomes. The Trauma Informed Legal Advocacy (TILA), developed by the United States-based National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health, offers guidance on applying trauma-informed principles to working with survivors of domestic violence in the context of legal proceedings, while the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Practical Guide for Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach is another comprehensive and straightforward guide that could be easily adapted to legal services.

These are just some examples of tools available to both assess and promote trauma-informed rights-based legal assistance services.