20% of Virginia’s children experience two or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The accumulation of ACEs are affiliated with risks, including alcoholism, depression, drug use, cardiovascular disease and more. Combating ACEs through additional training and community resources reduces the negative impact of trauma on a child’s overall well-being.
The Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT) supports the growth and development of trauma-informed community networks across Virginia. Recently FACT released a RFP to provides grants for up to six of the more than 20 community-level networks forming in the state. Additional funding is needed to support all of the community networks and to provide technical assistance to communities wishing to form networks.
Two amendments to the Governor’s budget were introduced by Delegate Betsy Carr & Delegate Paul Krizek and Senator Jennifer McClellan to provide $2.5 million the first year and $5 million the second year from the general fund for the Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT) of Virginia. This funding would be used to provide additional support to trauma-informed community networks and community-based prevention.
Why Trauma-Informed Community Networks (TICNs)?
With passion, trauma-informed practices are shared among an array of professionals, community members, and governance. The commonalities that they share when becoming members of Trauma-Informed Community Networks (TICNs) are to raise awareness about trauma-informed approaches, to conduct trainings across communities, and to implement best practices in schools, healthcare systems, child welfare systems, law enforcement systems, and more. TICNs are multi-sector organizations that work together to build resilient communities through a collective impact model.
Why the Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT)?
Because the Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT) is the only organization dedicated to funding and supporting TICNs, FACT is already leveraging the opportunity to work collaboratively to address social, economic, and structural challenges that impact health and equity through the FACT Framework for Trauma-Informed Community Networks.
Read more about FACT’s latest RFP for community networks. Proposals are due Feb. 13th!
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