Integrating Trauma Screening and SBIRT into W-2 Case Management Services

Helping parents and pregnant women who are low income obtain and retain employment in 16 Wisconsin counties

Full Project Name:Integrating Trauma Screening and SBIRT to Enhance W-2 Case Management ServicesPrimary Community Organization:Workforce Resource, Inc.Primary Academic Partner:Leslie Ruffalo, PhD, MS, Family MedicineAward Amount:$400,000

Award Date

October2020

Project Duration:48 months

Project Summary:

Wisconsin Works (W-2) is a Wisconsin Department of Children and Families program that provides employment preparation services, case management, and cash assistance to parents and pregnant women who are low income. Data has shown that poverty in adulthood is linked to depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychological distress, making it very difficult to secure employment let alone maintain employment. Although participants are surveyed at intake regarding their mental health needs, there has been no emphasis on how participants' mental health needs impact their ability to attain and retain employment while enrolled in W-2.

This project will integrate the trauma-screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (T-SBIRT) protocol into case management processes to promote participants' resilience in responding to trauma, accessing mental health services, managing emotions with healthy coping skills, and success in obtaining and retaining employment. During the first year, T-SBIRT will be piloted in Ashland and Eau Claire Counties with the goal to expand to 14 additional counties (Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Iron, Pierce, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix and Washburn).

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:

Completed 129 screenings during the project period and 87 screened individuals accepted referrals to trauma recovery services
Implemented the T-SBIRT protocol to all 15 counties that Workforce Resource (WRI) serves and across multiple WRI programs, extending beyond the initial use in W-2 programs
Implemented the Trauma-Informed Case Management Learning Series, a monthly capacity building opportunity to provide case managers with various tools and information to enhance case management practices
Shared findings and lessons learned with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Family’s Bureau of Workforce Development to advocate for the use of T-SBIRT as a way to measure family outcomes in a holistic way
Analyzed final employment outcome data resulting from the screening process, which showed an overall positive trend in employment rates for W-2 participants that completed screening and accepted a trauma recovery service referral and that case managers perceive the T-SBIRT integration into the W-2 programming to be highly beneficial for participants