SPRING Therapeutic Support and Education Program

The caregiving system, which can include resource parents, kin, and educators; plays a critical role in understanding, supporting and providing care to a child who may have experienced trauma. By providing trauma-informed care and intervention through our caregiving system, we can best meet the needs of children and youth by addressing key factors to building resilience in their developing brains.

The SPRING Program is an ARC-informed therapeutic program that takes a holistic approach in providing intervention. The Attachment Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework is utilized to inform our provision of trauma-informed training and support to children/youth in care and not in care and their caregiving system.

 

The ARC Framework consists of 3 primary domains of intervention to support trauma-informed care: Attachment, Regulation and Competency. The SPRING Program’s services and interventions are distributed among all 3 areas:

Attachment

The Supporting Attachment domain focuses on strengthening the caregiving system by enhancing the supports, skills and resources of the adult caregivers. Services and interventions included are:

  • In-Service Training related to Trauma and Brain Development, De-escalation Skills, ONLac, Circle of Security and/or links to community resources.
  • The Education Liaison function offers education support through consultations, Joint Protocol for Student Achievement (JPSA) meetings supported by the school, and school system navigation in understanding what programs and supports are accessible to children, youth and their families.
  • In-School Intervention through in-school assessment of the child and coaching of educators.
  • In-Home Intervention by providing individual coaching sessions of skills training or COS with caregivers.

Regulation

The Practicing Regulation through the Co-Regulation domain focuses on increasing children and youth’s awareness and skill development in identifying, understanding, and managing their own internal states with the help of their care giving system. Services and interventions included are:

  • Teach Your Children Well Reading Program which provides one to one tutoring weekly with a trained facilitator.
  • Zones of Regulation programming in a group(recommended) or individually.
  • In-School Intervention to support transitions such as elementary to high school, modified day to full day, new school, etc.
  • The Enhanced Home Intervention is an out of home resource program which helps to support a child or youth’s transition to their chosen home.
  • Independent Living Pod for older youth who are provided with guidance on managing daily responsibilities, learning life skills, and accessing employment, education, health, social and cultural services.

Competency

The Competency goals domain focuses on key factors related to building resilient outcomes. Goals include increasing opportunities for youth empowerment, and effective decision making; and self-development and identity; and relationship building and sustainment. Programs and opportunities included are:

  • CWECT education activities which include college and university tours, and back to school celebrations
  • YouthCAN
  • Youth Advisory Council