Every child in the fostering and adoptive system experienced trauma.  Many children in South Africa who is still with their biological parents or family experience trauma every day.  We as caregivers, parents, foster parents and adoptive parents should know how to support and help these children in their daily struggle.  For a parent who has raised her own biological children without significant trauma, this does not look the same, although we thought so when we started fostering.  The question is, where do we start?

Mathematics is not easily understood if it is not explained.  Once it is explained, one is not only able to practice it by oneself, but if it is understood thoroughly, one is able to explain it to others.  The same goes for trauma.  When I as an adult, have experienced trauma I would be able to recognize the things that caused trauma in my own life.  I would also be able to recognize the symptoms of trauma affecting me directly.  I think this is what happens daily in the lives of children who experienced trauma.  We as foster parents and social workers recognize the situation from where the children come from.  We recognize the symptoms of this trauma, but we don’t really understand the impact thereof on the physical and emotional development of the children.  Why do I say that?

Today, the role players in the fostering system in South Africa experience major challenges with behavioural issues in foster children.  Foster parents come at a point where they are no longer able to take care of their foster children, social workers come to a point where they do not know where to go with the next child who has behavioural challenges.  Many child and youth care organizations do not accept children with behavioural challenges or children with special needs.  Organizations that do take in these children are often full.  But my question is: why do we not know how to take care of these children and why do we not have the skills to handle children with behavioural problems?

The good news is that Trauma Competent Care enables us to have a profound and deep understanding of how trauma affects a child, and it provides us with hands-on tools to help, care for and nurture these children.  Trauma Competent Care enables us to take a few steps back and focus on the child, the human being, who has so much pain that they are not able to express this pain in words.  You and me, are the adults who should empower ourselves to understand and train ourselves in the essential skills of trauma competent care.