# data[].attributes.body
Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an organisational approach that recognises the widespread impact of trauma and integrates this understanding into every aspect of service delivery. Developed by Maxine Harris and Roger Fallot, TIC aims to create environments that support healing, promote safety and trust, and reduce the risk of re-traumatisation — for both clients and staff.

Rather than focusing only on symptoms or disclosure, TIC embeds trauma awareness into policies, practices and everyday interactions, ensuring care is respectful, inclusive and empowering.

Source: Harris, M. & Fallot, R.D. (2001) Using Trauma Theory to Design Service Systems. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

# data[].attributes.headline
Why trauma-informed care matters in practice

# data[].attributes.subject
Why trauma-informed care matters in practice

# data[].attributes.body
No matter your role or sector, trauma-informed care (TIC) can shape how you respond, design systems and engage with people who have experienced trauma. These principles guide everyday decisions and interactions, helping practitioners work safely, ethically and in ways that reduce the risk of re-traumatisation.

Trauma theory and practice help inform common questions, including how to:

recognise and respond to indicators of modern slavery

engage safely in interviews, assessments or compliance processes

design supportive physical and service environments

respond with care when survivors disclose experiences

support people to recognise and manage triggers

respond when survivors disengage or withdraw

understand mental health impacts and recovery pathways

communicate in ways that promote safety, choice and agency

design trauma-informed policies, programs or remediation frameworks

These considerations help translate trauma-informed principles into practical, everyday action across systems and services.

# data[].attributes.headline
Core principles of trauma-informed care (TIC)

# data[].attributes.subject
Core principles of trauma-informed care (TIC)

# data[].attributes.body
Harris and Fallot identified five core principles:

Safety – physical and emotional safety are prioritised

Trustworthiness – transparency and consistency build trust

Choice – autonomy and options are respected

Collaboration – shared power and partnership are encouraged

Empowerment – strengths, resilience and self-efficacy are supported

This framework has since been expanded to include a sixth principle:

Cultural, historical and gender awareness

These six principles are widely adopted by anti-slavery and anti-trafficking organisations and are reflected in the Australian Government Practice Guidelines and sector-led approaches, including Survivor Connections. Together, they provide a practical roadmap for delivering safe, respectful and survivor-centred support.

Source: Attorney-General’s Department (2025) Practice guidelines for organisations: working with people in or at risk of Modern Slavery, Australian Government, Canberra.

# data[].attributes.body
Review page 40 of the Guide for practical guidance on how to apply TIC principles.

# data[].attributes.body
Q: What is the Continuum of Modern Slavery Response?
A: The Continuum is a trauma-informed framework that maps six interconnected stages in a survivor’s journey — through, and beyond, exploitation.

Q: Why is the Continuum important?
A: It helps us understand that recovery isn’t linear. Each person’s experience is different, and support needs will change over time.

Q: How can the Continuum help service providers and practitioners?
A: It offers a lens to recognise where someone might be in their journey and guides how to respond safely and appropriately at that point in time.

Q: Who can use the Continuum?
A: It’s designed for anyone working with or supporting survivors – service providers, practitioners, community workers, and advocates.

Q: What does the Continuum remind us about our role?
A: Our role is to prioritise safety, dignity, and survivor agency. The Continuum helps us shape responses that respect choice and foster empowerment, rather than control.

Source: HerSpace Limited, n.d.

# data[].attributes.body
🟥1. Pre-experience

Focus: Awareness and prevention
Address risk factors such as poverty, displacement and trauma. Build trust and share information.

In practice: Survivor-informed education, outreach and prevention activities.

🟥2. Experience of exploitation

Focus: Identification and safety
Recognise indicators without causing harm. Use trauma-informed, non-confrontational approaches.

In practice: Gentle screening, curiosity, and prioritising safety over certainty.

🟥Exit: Crisis response
Focus: Support autonomy, safety planning and immediate trauma-informed care.

In practice: Coordinate care, and survivor-led decision-making.

🟥4. Recovery

Focus: Stabilisation and healing
Recovery takes time and is rarely linear. Support should be holistic and long-term.

In practice: Ongoing access to housing, counselling, education, healthcare and connection.

🟥5. Opportunities beyond exploitation

Focus: Reintegration and empowerment
Centre survivor goals, strengths and readiness.

In practice: Pathways into education, work and community life at the survivor’s pace.

🟥6. Empowering advocacy

Focus: Leadership and systems change
Enable safe, voluntary survivor participation in shaping systems and services.

In practice: Ethical advocacy, consent-based storytelling.

# data[].attributes.body
Putting the Continuum into practice means meeting survivors where they are and working collaboratively across services to ensure responses feel consistent and trauma-informed.

Use the prompts below to quietly reflect on your role:

Which stage of the Continuum most closely aligns with your work or service?

Where do you most often engage with survivors in their journey?

Who are your key partners at this stage, and how is care currently coordinated?

There are no right or wrong answers — this is about noticing where you sit within the broader system.

# data[].attributes.body
Small, practical steps can strengthen collaboration and reduce gaps in support.

You might choose to:

Map your local response network across the Continuum

Identify any gaps, overlaps or points of handover between services

Schedule a brief debrief or check-in with a partner organisation to reflect on what’s working well and where coordination could improve

These steps help translate the Continuum into everyday, trauma-informed practice.

# data[].attributes.headline
When care is trauma-informed, survivors are more likely to feel safe, heard and supported. These quotes reflect the positive impact of trauma-informed principles, shared through HerSpace survivor consultations.

# data[].attributes.subject
When care is trauma-informed, survivors are more likely to feel safe, heard and supported. These quotes reflect the positive impact of trauma-informed principles, shared through HerSpace survivor consultations.

# data[].attributes.body
Content is shared with consent and has been de-identified.

Source: HerSpace Limited, n.d.

# data[].attributes.body
This short video from Australian Red Cross explains what modern slavery looks like and what support options are available if you or someone you know is affected. It’s a practical introduction to recognising exploitation and understanding where to get help.

Video: The Australian Red Cross, used with attribution