DATIS stands for Developmental Awareness, Trauma Informed Systemic. DATIS is a method that emerged organically from our practice since 2007, particularly through our work with Youth Justice teams. We initially worked with a group of young people who were under intensive supervision and surveillance. As we interacted more with these individuals, we started noticing an underlining pattern: out of every 10 young people, approximately 8 had experienced trauma and also had social skills deficits.
This revelation was instrumental in shaping the foundational principles of DATIS. The acronym stands for Development, Awareness, and Trauma-Informed Systems. We realised that the approach to addressing trauma had to be systemic, focusing not only on the individuals but also on the wider community and societal context. At the same time, the developmental aspect emphasized the need to address the social skills deficits alongside the trauma.
The component of awareness in DATIS is what ties all these elements together. It helps make sense of the complexities and prevents the process from becoming chaotic. This awareness doesn't just spontaneously occur; rather, it is cultivated over time and through consistent practice.
This method didn't just spring from a sudden idea; it was the product of years of hands-on experience and continuous learning. The insight to bring these elements together into the DATIS model was a significant turning point in our practice. This realisation and the subsequent development of DATIS is a testament to the power of practical experience in shaping effective methodologies.
Today, I would like to define what it is to be trauma-informed from an Act for Change perspective and the systemic approach part of the framework.
Defining Trauma-Informed Becoming trauma-informed is about supporting people to feel safe enough in their interactions with services to build trust, and to help people overcome any barriers to an effective helping relationship. It is not an end state, but a slowing down of processes that supports resource-oriented responses to replace reactive responses.
The DATIS Framework developed by Act for Change recognises the impact of trauma experiences and orients our enquiry as to what is missing within a given situation or behaviour. This enables appropriate interventions to be implemented for effective rehabilitation and prevention.
Trauma-informed Principles within a DATIS framework:
- Awareness -growing
- How traumatic experiences disrupt key developmental processes:
- Attachment
- Emotional regulation
- Identity formation
- Context - understanding
- Cross sector collaboration
- Cultural competence
- Understanding impact of systemic issues
- Promoting a shared understanding of trauma
- Resource-oriented Response
- Until resource-oriented responses can be strengthened, triggers of past trauma activate trauma responses. Resource-oriented Responses facilitating empowerment by:
- Enhancing self-regulation skills
- Seeking and building resource-oriented responses
- Providing opportunities for skill building
- Rebuilding secure attachments
- Narrative building
- Intention
- Promoting safety and building trust
- enabling choice and control
- Transparency
- Collaborative relationships between client and practitioner
- Peer support - lived experience
- Until resource-oriented responses can be strengthened, triggers of past trauma activate trauma responses. Resource-oriented Responses facilitating empowerment by:
A Systemic approach
A Systemic approach looks at a group of parts that interact to form a coherent whole. To understand an entire phenomenon, we need a global perspective, rather than breaking up the phenomenon into basic components.
With a systemic approach we can look at the individual as one part of a whole system. This means that to address the issues of that one part, often, the information that we need is held in another part.
DATIS Framework recognises that the individual is embedded in multiple systems: a family, a school or community, that the individual has an historical and collective context and culture which also inform behaviour. That until we identify and name these contexts, we cannot differentiate ourselves from them.
Systemic principles within the DATIS Framework:
Where there is a culture of blame it's the responsibility that just gets pushed around. Instead of looking at the whole system, the responsibility gets ping - ponged between each of us.
There is an interplay between thinking in a less siloed way and to start thinking more systemically, more about the responsibility that each of us play for our part. This means we need all the right people in the room.
One indicator of the missing information is Roles. Ask yourself, what roles are missing?
Another indicator of missing information is Gossip. Gossip is useful for understanding underlying social dynamics and hidden motivations within groups. It can reveal important information about power structures, conflict and unspoken issues. Paying attention to gossip can be critical if you wish to foster deeper communication and resolution of conflicts within communities, families and workplaces.
Shift the narrative from away from individual blame to community healing by fostering a sense of shared responsibility. Notice where you point blame and ask yourself: how is that ‘blame’ also revealing of the responsibility you might pick up and run with?
It is useful to assess where we are in the shift from working in siloes to adopting a more systemic approach.