This month, MSSW student Sheila Lachs and her professor Harold Benus were invited by State Senator Katrina Robinson of Memphis to attend the signing by Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee of the “ACEs Before Discipline” Senate Bill 170.
Students and faculty members of the UT College of Social Work know about trauma-informed practice. The college offers Trauma Treatment Graduate Certificate program as a curriculum option for master’s level students during their year of concentration courses. This program provides students with the knowledge and practical experience needed to provide trauma-specific interventions and trauma-informed programming and policy development.
“For those who don’t know,” Sen. Robinson explains, “ACEs are adverse childhood experiences–the traumatic experiences children face that shape their lives before they turn 18 (i.e. hunger, unavailable parents, violence in the home, etc.) This bill requires Local public schools and public charter schools to adopt a trauma-informed discipline policy that takes these things into account before progressive discipline — a major step towards giving our kids the holistic attention they need.” Senator Robinson took time to express thanks to the faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee College of Social Work and several others who supported the development of this law.
While in Professor Harold Benus’ policy class, Sheila Lachs began her engagement in policy work related to ACEs. Senator Robinson, as a sponsor on the ACES bill, invited our students to meet with her to learn about their interest and the ACES bill and review the brief material that they prepared for class. Students met with her during last Spring’s Social Work Day on the Hill. UTCSW faculty member, Sukey Steckel, who is Principal Investigator and Author on “Resilient Tennessee: Sustaining Resilient Organizations for Success.Building Strong Brains: Adverse Childhood Experiences” for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, said of Sheila’s work, “Sheila really stepped up and was the main contact with the legislative office. If it were not for Sheila, neither Andrea Josephs [faculty member] nor I would even have met with the Senator, and Sheila brought several of her peers along too both during the semester and for Social Work Day on the Hill.”
A number of faculty of our college are actively involved in research and curriculum development that impacts not just our college but our state and nation, while some students take what they are learning and are finding ways to be a part of transforming systems within our state to become more sensitive and proactive to meeting needs related to trauma and childhood trauma in particular. #UTCSW is always proud to see our students and faculty involved in activities such as this.