The Health Federation of Philadelphia and Social Current to Partner on Delivering Trauma-Informed Training and Technical Assistance to the Philadelphia Department of Human Services

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) has awarded a contract to the Health Federation of Philadelphia — which will partner with Social Current, a network of social sector organizations working together to activate the power of the social sector —  to create a learning community and deliver trauma-informed training and technical assistance to DHS staff and contractors. The award is responsive to Pennsylvania’s 5-year Title-IV E Prevention Plan outlining the state’s vision for becoming a trauma-informed, healing-centered state as explained in the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 and Governor Tom Wolf’s 2019 Executive Order on protecting vulnerable populations.  

The training will be targeted to DHS staff, Community Umbrella Agency staff and provider agencies, including kinship care/foster care, residential (congregate) care, and juvenile justice providers. Efforts will include establishing a trauma-informed framework for child welfare service delivery to serve children and families who have had chronic adverse childhood or other serious, traumatic experiences. Additionally, the goal of the training will be to support and enhance workforce well-being and resilience, and to address disparities in the percentage of families of color who are reported to child welfare agencies.

“The Health Federation of Philadelphia has a 40-year history of supporting health and human services systems in Philadelphia to ensure high quality and equitable access to care for all residents” CEO Natalie Levovich said. “These deep local roots, along with our strong partnership with nationally recognized Social Current and a team of diverse local consultants with expertise in trauma-informed care, anti-racism, child welfare training and research and evaluation, sets the stage for meaningful, effective work that will result in a stronger, more equitable child welfare network in Philadelphia.”

“Social Current works across the human services sector to apply learnings from neurosciences and trauma-informed curricula to enhance workforce resilience, support equity, diversity and inclusion, and build the capacity of the human services workforce to thrive in the systems in which they serve,” noted Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current. “We are thrilled to partner with the Health Federation of Philadelphia, our long-standing partner Public Health Management Corporation and others to develop and support individual, collective and organizational resilience for those in the Philadelphia DHS staff and partners.” 

The relationship between the Health Federation, Social Current, and our other partners brings together local and national expertise on trauma informed care and leading effective learning communities. Building on the Health Federation’s experience working with DHS and many other key organizations in the region, Social Current draws their expertise at the national level working with the full range of human service agencies, with a strong focus on those serving children and youth.

About the Health Federation of Philadelphia The Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers, as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver health and human services to vulnerable populations. HFP promotes community health by improving access to and quality of health care; by identifying, testing and implementing solutions to health disparities; and by providing training and technical assistance to help other organizations operate more efficiently and effectively.