Table 2 Actions Supporting Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care (TVIC) Principles in the NICU

Understand trauma and violence on peoples’ lives and behaviours

• Provide staff education on trauma, violence, and its effects with a specific focus on the families and communities the NICU serves

• Provide staff education related to the principles of trauma- and violence-informed care

• Promote staff understanding of the parent/family experience of the NICU through sharing resources, workshops, and listening to the voices of parents

Create emotionally and physically safe environments

• Ensure welcoming and comfortable physical environments with an emphasis on both physical and emotional safety

• Perform a trauma walk-through of the NICU and surrounding spaces

• Provide access to food, water, and basic personal care items for parents in the NICU

• Review policies and procedures to ensure alignment with trauma- and violence-informed care principles

Foster opportunities for choice, collaboration, and connection

• Support parents’ choice in determining their support person in the NICU

• Create routines based on parents’ preferences where possible rather than unit/provider preference (e.g., care routines, rounds)

• Encourage models of care that focus on hands-on care by parents with support by nurses and NICU staff

Provide a strengths-based and capacity building approach to support client coping and resilience

• Support parents in recognizing their own strengths and self-care strategies

• Provide sufficient time and resources to support meaningful engagement between NICU staff and parents