Trauma-Informed Care in Pre-Settlement Refugee Contexts: Assessing Training, Policy, and Practice of Refugee Aid NGOs in Greece

Abstract

As protracted refugee crises worsen and the political climate in Europe grows increasingly hostile toward asylum seekers, it is critical to acknowledge that the precariousness of a pre-settlement environment has the potential to increase trauma and threaten the individual and community well-being of refugees. Trauma-informed care has gained awareness among re-settlement providers as a way to acknowledge the existence of trauma and serve the individual and collective needs of beneficiaries. However, little attention has been paid to how trauma-informed care has been implemented in a short-term, pre-settlement context, such as Greece. The goal of this study was to determine whether refugee aid organizations in Greece use the language and practices of trauma-informed care, and whether staff and volunteers are trained in trauma-awareness.

This was determined through a textual analysis of websites, annual reports, and documents from 29 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across Greece; individual interviews conducted with staff and volunteers of Greek organizations; and personal observations recorded in a research diary. The study found that over half of the organizations do not use the word "trauma," and very few refer to "trauma-informed care." Furthermore, "trauma-informed care" was referenced only in isolated programs for specific populations and was not used as a guiding principle or policy for all programming. Many organizations do not provide specific trauma-informed training for their staff and volunteers, who often rely on their previous knowledge to navigate interactions with beneficiaries, and may be unaware of how trauma-informed care is used by their organization. The study suggests that more trauma-awareness is needed at staff, organizational, and national levels in Greece to mitigate the occurrence of additional trauma within the pre-settlement context of the country.