By Whitney Marris, Trauma Therapist and Director of Trauma-Informed Practice & System Transformation
NOTE: The enclosed is sample legislation from CTIPP’s 2022 Trauma-Informed Policy Development Highlights. It is meant to be educational and aspirational for trauma-informed advocacy.
Sample Legislation: Illinois House Bill 5698
CTIPP Policy Dimension: Cultivate aging, bereavement, and end-of-life care (>1% of trauma-informed bills ITTIC analyzed were aligned with this dimension)
Summary: This Democrat-led measure would create the Strategic Action Planning Commission for Aging Equity, an entity tasked with researching and developing a comprehensive, cross-sector, long-term strategic action plan to support equity in aging through the years 2023 - 2035.
Notably, while this bill was not signed into law during this legislative session, the concept of developing a multi-sector plan for aging captured in its text is a strategy supported in other states and by leaders in the field when it comes to meeting the emerging and evolving needs of older adults as well as their caregivers and other cared-for ones. The diverse and inclusive public planning Commission proposed would partner with state agencies to develop an agenda to support, engage, and serve such people in a trauma-informed way that honors each person's dignity and full humanity.
The Commission would be charged with adopting guiding principles for services and supports, which the bill outlines as: advancing aging equity across the life course; providers and systems of care developing cultural humility and being culturally-responsive with inclusive policies, programs, and services; language inclusivity to reach and support older adults and caregivers who primarily read and/or speak languages other than English; engendering a greater understanding of the lived experiences of older adults, caregivers, and “future older people” of diverse backgrounds; recognizing the impact of historical and contemporary racism, class inequity, ableism, genderism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and other structural inequities on systems, communities, families, and individuals of all ages; enhancing the equity and accessibility of policies, services, programming, and resources statewide, harnessing the power of experience and knowledge held among older people in their communities; and supporting trauma-informed systems, which the bill defines based on the SAMHSA 4Rs framework.
Explore CTIPP’s 2022 Trauma-Informed Policy Development Highlights