Trauma informed care for adverse childhood experiences among out-of-home-care children - developing an understanding through case studies from India

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) model propagates a life perspective where children exposed to traumatic and stressful experiences during childhood tend to grow up with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, leading them to adopt health-risk behaviours that cause disease, disability, and ultimately an early death. In this paper, using the ACE model, we give case studies of two Out-of-Home-Care (OHC) children, raised in Udayan Ghars, (Udayan Care's model of Child Care Institutions) describing the impact of adverse experiences on their childhood and how it shaped their lives. In the case of Sonia, her traumatic childhood led her to experience extreme social, emotional, and behavioural problems that she was unable to overcome. Priya, on the other hand, exercised resilience and despite her traumatic childhood, was able to regulate her emotions and behaviours, becoming better-adjusted. Trauma Informed Care (TIC) was used in both the girls' cases during their rehabilitation at Udayan Ghars. However, success with Priya and failure with Sonia highlights the challenges caregivers face when caring for children with extreme ACE issues.