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What School Boards Can Do: Trauma Informed Policies That Protect Students and Improve Schools

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, What You Can Do

School boards decide whether schools become trauma informed, healing environments or systems that deepen harm. This chapter explains what boards can do: make trauma and child safety central to district strategy, fund early identification and support services, reshape policing and discipline around healing and equity, protect relationship-based learning, and demand transparent, equity focused metrics and community partnerships so vulnerable students are seen, supported, and able to succeed.

Logo for Kara, Kids at Risk Action organization.

Working With Childhood Trauma (what parents can do)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication, What You Can Do

Working with childhood trauma is hard, but parents are not powerless. This chapter explains what childhood and family level trauma mean today, how they show up as “behavior,” and what parents can do: recognize patterns in their own histories, focus on safety and emotional regulation at home, seek trauma informed help, partner with schools and community supports, and deliberately build resilience and new, healthier family traditions.

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When Trauma Walks Into Class: Student on Teacher Violence, ACEs, and the Cost of Ignoring Childhood Abuse

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication

Student‑on‑teacher violence is rising in Minnesota classrooms, and trauma is walking through the door long before the school bell rings. Children who grow up with beatings, sexual abuse, and neglect often bring survival‑brain reactions into class, turning ordinary directions into perceived threats. Without trauma‑informed support, teachers are being injured, driven from the profession, and left to “just deal with” a crisis they did not create.

Uncooperative often violent response to authority figures is normal for traumatized children. It’s driven by repeated pain and terror visited upon a child that has been unable to escape repeated trauma and abuse.

Close-up of a child's face with braided hair and intense eyes.

Childhood Trauma and Lifelong ACES Impact

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based

Children’s mental health crisis post COVID is no longer invisible. California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has declared adverse childhood experiences a public health threat, while foster children across the nation are being overprescribed psychotropic drugs and suicide has become the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24. In Minnesota and beyond, emergency rooms are filling with suicidal children because there are too few pediatric mental health beds, rural facilities are closing, and communities fight against group homes instead of embracing trauma informed care. At the same time, teachers are leaving the classroom in high numbers as ACES driven violence and chaos make schools feel more like mental health wards than places of learning. This KARA post brings together data, frontline stories, and policy examples—from New Jersey’s “Road Forward” plan to the federal Mental Health Services for Students Act—to show how deeply our systems are failing abused and traumatized children, and why embracing early intervention, honest reporting, and real support for educators, families, and kids is critical now.

Child trapped in a pill bottle with scattered capsules.

KARA Digital Toolkit: Free and Low Cost Tech for Traumatized Children and Teens

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, What You Can Do

KARA’s Digital Toolkit brings together free and low cost apps, trainings, and tech tools that help abused and neglected children cope with trauma and behavior problems. These resources are designed to support—not replace—professional care and can be shared with youth, caregivers, schools, and advocates.

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Tip of the Mental Health Iceberg (podcast)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - US Based

Kids at Risk Action, the hosts address the growing mental health crisis in child welfare, particularly in emergency rooms and foster care systems. They reveal alarming statistics, such as the significant rise in ER visits for children’s mental health crises and the systemic failures that leave many without proper care.

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What Teachers Can Do: Trauma‑Informed Classrooms and Child Protection

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Day Care and Education, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based

TRAUMA INFORMED TEACHING, TRAUMA  INFORMED CLASSROOMS Teachers as Mandated Reporters and Frontline Defenders – Teachers are uniquely positioned—they often spend more awake hours with children than any other adult, especially for those from troubled homes. They are confidants, first responders, and witnesses to the silent suffering of abused, neglected, or traumatized students.

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In Custody, In Crisis (podcast episode #1)

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, childabuse, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING, PODCASTS, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

dive into the “ground truth” of the foster care system — exposing the often-unseen hardships children face even after being placed in protective care. Through heartbreaking stories like Alex’s and alarming statistics on abuse

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Foster Care Mental Health Needs, Costs, and Facts for Minnesota & The Nation

Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Stunning Statistics

There is an underappreciated reality that Child Protective Services is the only safe haven for children living with rape, violence and neglect as they are too young to defend themselves.

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Sometimes People Get Shot

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Gun Violence and Control, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific, Reporting and News - US Based

• “From Cedarbluff, Mississippi, to parties in Houston and homes in Indiana, early 2026 brought mass shootings that briefly made headlines and then faded. This essay connects those tragedies to a deeper crisis: how our systems ignore childhood trauma, underfund mental health, and invest billions in punishment instead of care—creating adults who are dangerous because we failed them as children.”

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Ethan’s Story: How Foster Care Failed a Traumatized Child

Aces and Trauma, Adoption, Foster and Kinship Care, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Child self harm and suicide, Guest Posts, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, Their stories

Ethan’s story follows one boy taken from his parents into foster care, abused in placement, struggling with guilt and suicidality, and now facing adulthood alone. His journey exposes how often our foster care system fails traumatized children—and why changing life for foster youth will take all of us.

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Trauma Breathing for Kids: A Practical Toolkit for Caring Adults

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, What You Can Do

Trauma breathing is a simple, trauma-informed “belly breathing” practice that helps calm a child’s amygdala and nervous system. This toolkit offers step-by-step instructions and ready-to-use scripts for teachers, caregivers, law enforcement, health workers, and other adults who support traumatized children.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

What Principals and Administrators Can Do to Keep Children Safe and Help Them Heal

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - International, What You Can Do

Principals and district leaders are on the front lines of childhood trauma. This guide shows how to create trauma informed school climates, rethink discipline, strengthen mental health systems, engage families, use data, and advocate for policy change so vulnerable students are safer and more able to learn.

Bronze statue of a boy reading a book outdoors.

One Safe Adult, One Stable Place: The Hidden Power of Stability for Children

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Guest Posts, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based

Children carrying high Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) live in constant survival mode. Stable homes, consistent caregiving, and trauma-informed schools can lower toxic stress, repair trust, and rebuild hope. This article explains why stability is a core intervention—and how adults and communities can help at-risk youth heal and thrive.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

Why Minnesota’s Youngest Students Are Turning Violent: Childhood Trauma in K–3 Classrooms

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - MN Specific

“157 staff injuries and 142 cleared classrooms in a single year raise a hard question: Why are Minnesota’s youngest students turning violent? This piece traces those outbursts back to unhealed childhood trauma—and outlines what K–3 schools, families, and policymakers must do differently if we want safer classrooms instead of more suspensions.”

Close-up of a child's face with braided hair and intense eyes.

Hungry Like a Wolf

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Mental Health + Over Medication

Hungry Like a Wolf, a powerful new play about sexual predators, mirrors what I saw as a CASA guardian ad litem: very young children raped in their own homes, perpetrators never held accountable, and trauma that reshapes every part of a child’s life. In the U.S., 7.8 million children are reported abused each year—many sexually abused—and countless others are never seen. Until adults are willing to talk honestly about child sexual abuse and its lifelong impact, there will be no real push to change systems or protect children.

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What You Can Do Series – What Therapists Can Do

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based, What You Can Do

Therapists—whether working in schools, clinics, community settings, private practices, or as part of multidisciplinary teams—are often the first, sometimes the only, professionals capable of translating the science of trauma into lasting recovery.

Close-up of a child's face with braided hair and intense eyes.

Child Abuse, Foster Care, and Youth Self-Harm and Suicide

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child self harm and suicide, Mental Health + Over Medication, Mikes Favorite Posts, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

Research across foster care, ACEs, and maltreatment shows that abused and systems‑involved children face dramatically higher risks of self‑harm and suicide. This post walks through key studies and calls for concrete changes in child welfare policy and practice to prevent avoidable deaths.

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Child Death and Public Non Disclosure (podcast)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Data, Featured Articles, KARA News and Events, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Listen to KARA’s child welfare podcast on child death and public non-disclosure. Learn how secrecy laws and closed child protection records hide patterns of failure when children die—and what real transparency and accountability should look like.​

Bronze statue of a boy reading a book outdoors.

What You Can Do Series – School Boards

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Day Care and Education, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Reporting and News - US Based

School boards wield profound power over the safety, healing, and long-term success of children. What they choose to fund, prioritize, debate, and champion can dramatically shape school culture and community expectations around trauma, mental health, equity, and student outcomes. Yet too often, boards are

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Child Death and Public Non Disclosure (podcast)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Data, Featured Articles, KARA News and Events, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics

Listen to KARA’s child welfare podcast on child death and public non-disclosure. Learn how secrecy laws and closed child protection records hide patterns of failure when children die—and what real transparency and accountability should look like.​

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Holding the Line For Children In Need of Protection

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based, Their stories

What is it like to do social work, child protection, or nonprofit work with at‑risk children and families in this climate? How do you avoid being worn down by the steady drip of misinformation, negative media, and viral “anti‑CPS” narratives that are hitting workers and agencies hard?

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Mental Health Video & Podcast Resources for Abused & Neglected Children & Trauma Survivors

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child self harm and suicide, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING

Below are KARA’s researched useful videos and podcasts on

child abuse and neglect mental health

ACEs, trauma, healing, and skill‑building cluster into a few groups: big‑picture science, practical trauma‑informed care, and survivor‑oriented healing content.

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Child Friendly Models That Work Series (part 3)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Children's Rights, Day Care and Education, Education, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - US Based, Statistics, The States

how over decades, Northern European voters vote for child and family friendly initiatives compared to American voters. Following posts in this series dive deeper into programs and policies that are making life either better or more difficult for U.S. children and families. Sharing these posts with your State Representative will have some impact on the policies and programs necessary to improve the lives of at-risk children and families where you live.

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Part 2 CPS Models That Work & Models That Don’t

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, CASA, GAL and Child Protection, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, invisible children, Mental Health + Over Medication, Public Policy, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International, Reporting and News - US Based, Stunning Statistics

The U.S. system relies primarily on counts of investigations, confirmed maltreatment, foster care placement rates, and basic duration measures. There is very little standardized measurement of child well-being, stability, or parent feedback, and fewer independent audits of outcomes

Illustration of trauma's impact on person, family, and people, emphasizing decontextualization over time.

Part 1 CPS Models That Work & Models That Don’t

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication, Religion, Politics + the Law, Reporting and News - International

When child welfare agencies focus only on the outcomes that are easiest to measure—such as placement counts and case closure rates—they risk reinforcing and improving those specific metrics while neglecting critical aspects of child well-being, stability, and long-term success that remain unmeasured

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77 Years of Child Abuse (podcast)

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Protection, Mental Health + Over Medication, PODCAST & STREAMING, Reporting and News - US Based

Kids at Risk Action, Katie and Jenna explore the deep, lasting effects of childhood trauma through the lens of a survivor’s 77-year journey. They discuss how childhood abuse, often unrecognized, rewires the brain and shapes a lifetime of emotional struggles, relationships, and self-worth issues.

Silhouettes of a family with two adults and one child.

AMERICA’S CHILDREN IN 100 CHARTS (read book draft)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Child Abuse and Deaths, Child Protection, Featured Articles, Juvenile + Criminal Justice, KARA News and Events, Mental Health + Over Medication, Reporting and News - US Based

This is a book about childhood trauma, its impact on children and the impact traumatized youth are having on our communities and society. It is a guide to seeing and dealing with the most critical issues and causes of abuse, and solutions.

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Childhood Trauma + Historical Trauma = Generational Trauma

Aces and Trauma, All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication

Terrible trauma (like generations of slavery) and the behaviors and conflicts it creates need to be identified and discussed if they are to be fixed. Do we want higher graduation rates and lower crime and recidivism rates for our at risk youth and families? 

Charlamagne Tha God has Launched a Mental Wealth Alliance Foundation to establish fundamental and far-reaching generational support for Black Mental Health. 

Share this widely.

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When Hope Dies (child suicide & self harm – part 1)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication

Kendrea (6) and Gabriel (7) successfully hung themselves a few years ago.  They came from different states but suffered the same afflictions.  Kendrea lived not far from me.

As a CASA guardian ad Litem, the commonality of self hate by the children I worked with in child protection – being so different, so unlovable that even your mother abandoned you, is devastating.