Getting started

1

Choose location(s)

Specialisation Verification is achieved at the outlet level. It is not given to an organisation as a whole. Select the care home/s where you will want to achieve Verification.

2

Seek approval, as required

If you need Board or leadership approval, here is a template you can work from.

If you want to deliver a presentation around why this is important, here is a PowerPoint you can use.

3

Establish a working group

Choose someone who is the ‘sponsor’ of this work and establish a working group that will help drive this process. A strong working group is what turns trauma aware training into lasting, organisation-wide change.

4

Review the Verification criteria

You are required to meet at least four of the criteria to apply for Verification. Select the criteria you will work towards meeting.

Help is at hand

Don’t forget, all our Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers resources are free and designed to help you. They are all available on this website. Hard copies of the resources are also available by contacting Helping Hand by email or phone 1300 653 600.

When you are ready to get started

Send out communications that bring everybody on board.

Staff

A united team – from lifestyle to clinical – is key to success.

  • Let staff know what is happening
  • Ask them to complete a baseline survey such as this one created by Helping Hand.
  • Let them know who you require to do the training program
  • Set a timeframe in which to complete the training
  • Make sure they feel supported, as this topic can raise strong emotions

You could also consider establishing a reference or advisory group.

Residents and families

Distribute information about what you are doing to residents and families. This may prompt people with lived experience of trauma to come forward before you begin.
Example Letter for Staff

Example Letter for Residents and Families

Are you using the ‘Champion’ criteria?
These tips will help.

Champions are people whom staff, residents and families can talk to about their lived experiences and inquire about trauma aware care.

Your champion could be:

  • Someone with Care Leaver experience, or someone who has a Care Leaver in their family / network, or
  • Someone who has a reasonable amount of knowledge about Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers and has completed the training programs, and
  • Feels comfortable to be a contact person for residents, families and staff

It can be a good idea to have more than one champion. Document their names and organisational positions for part of your evidence.

Actions to put in place

Create a role description so it’s easy for people to understand their responsibilities. You can also use this as part of your evidence.

Example Champion role description

Hold anniversary apology events.

You might like to note the anniversaries in your resident communications.

List of anniversary events

Tips for holding an anniversary apology event

Document:

  • How many staff are in the champion role, and list their names and organisation positions
  • Evidence of how your champion(s) have supported staff in their care delivery
  • How the outlet recognises, supports and documents the champion role
  • Evidence to support the above

Note: Please take care of your champions. Exposure to the traumatic experience of others can result in emotional and psychological stress known as vicarious trauma. Encourage them to seek support as required.

Are you using the ‘Connection with Care Leaver service’ criteria?
These tips will help.

Having an established connection and regular engagement with a Care Leaver service or community organisation can enhance your understanding of trauma aware care. Establishing this relationship can take time. You must be reliable, build trust and show that you are going to follow through.

Actions to put in place

Identify a local and relevant agency that could be your partner.

  • Examples include organisations that offer post-care support, legal and advocacy services, education and training, mental health and counselling services or peer support services.
  • There is a list of some available here.

Decide how you want them to support you. This is up to you.

  • Examples include inviting a person with lived experience to do a presentation to staff, holding quarterly meetings to update them on your efforts and seek feedback, and engaging the community partner to review your residential care homes (they can refer to the physical environment guideline created by people with lived experience, available here)
  • This draft MOU may be useful to cement the connection between your service and the Care Leaver support service

Collate your evidence regarding the connection, which can include but is not limited to a letter on official letterhead or a Memorandum of Understanding. Document details of joint activities conducted in the past 12 months and/or planned for the next 12 months.

Are you using the ‘Staff training’ criteria?
These tips will help.

You need to be able to demonstrate that 90% of your staff have completed annual training in the aged care needs of Care Leavers, which includes the delivery of trauma aware and healing informed care.

Helping Hand have three free modules of training available for you to use:

Working with aged care clients who experienced childhood trauma in ‘care’

Having respectful and inclusive conversations with older people from a background of trauma

Forgotten Australians – Short Refresher Training

You can also listen to Helping Hand’s podcast episode about Forgotten Australians and Care Leavers:

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/helping-hand40/episodes/Episode-6-Understanding-Forgotten-Australians-and-Care-Leavers-e2vp8lc/a-abql750

Check your mandatory training systems and see what you can allocate and monitor.

Are you using ‘Governing Body representation’ criteria?
These tips will help.

You need evidence that your organisation has at least one person on the governing board who represents Care Leavers relevant to the outlet. This can be at the outlet or provider level.

Things to consider:

  • Does your outlet (seeking specialisation) have a governing body, or do you have a central board?
  • Is there a way to have someone who represents Care Leavers as a board member or regularly reporting to the board?
  • If you choose this criterion, you will need to take affirmative action to appoint someone who represents Care Leavers in the appropriate capacity. Note: this doesn’t mean they have to be a Care Leaver, but they must represent and reflect Care Leaver needs.

Actions to put in place

Create a letter from the member(s) confirming their role on the governing body, how they represent Care Leavers, and confirmation that they have attended at least 50% of meetings over the past 12 months.

Are you using ‘Advisory Group’ criteria?
These tips will help.

Forming an advisory group strengthens a Specialisation Verification application because it shows that the organisation isn’t approaching Care Leaver support as a single training task, but as a shared, accountable, trauma aware practice embedded across the service.

Things to consider as you establish your Advisory Group:

  • You could invite your Care Leaver support service to put an invitation in their newsletter. Here’s an example letter
  •  Ask those who have expressed interest what time of day and what day of the week suits them best to meet. Build trust by always honouring commitments.
  • Be mindful of the space you are meeting in
  • Pay for their transport to and from meetings
  • Supply them with Terms of Reference. Here is an example
  • Define the areas you want their advice on. Have a specific focus, for example, reviewing policy documentation for the physical environment. They could help develop the policy you use in your Verification application

Consider introducing members of the Advisory Group to your Champion(s) and others at the care home. Hearing their stories and listening to them articulate their needs supports your training criteria. (Provide catering and ensure this is facilitated by someone who understands the impacts of trauma).

Actions to put in place

Document the following:

  • Membership of the group, including details of relevant connections and characteristics and affirm that this reflects your target community
  • Action items or plans from minutes of meetings held in the past 12 months OR describe the actions taken by the group in the past 12 months
  • How the Advisory Group is supported/resourced
  • How aged care recipients and staff can interact with the Advisory Group
  • How the group is linked to the provider or outlet governance body and/or management
  • Details of how many times the group has met in the past 12 months (minimum twice)

Are you using ‘Policies and Procedures’ criteria?
These tips will help.

You are required to demonstrate that you have the policies and procedures in place to support and promote the delivery of specialised aged care to Care Leavers.

As you know, the Aged Care Act 2024 and Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards require that all aged care providers must be able to show evidence of trauma aware, healing informed and culturally safe care. This work can also be used as evidence for your Specialisation Verification.

For example, 1.1.2:

The provider implements strategies to:

a) identify the individual background, culture, diversity, beliefs and life experiences as part of assessment and planning and uses this to direct the way their funded aged care services are delivered

b) identify and understand the particular communication needs and preferences of the individual

c) ask and record if an individual identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person

d) deliver funded aged care services that meet the needs of individuals with specific needs and diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons and individuals living with dementia 9 Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards – August 2025

e) deliver funded aged care services that are culturally safe, trauma aware and healing informed, in accordance with contemporary, evidence-based practice

f) support individuals to cultivate relationships and social connections, including for individuals who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons, connection to community, culture, and Country and Island Home

g) continuously improve its approach to inclusion and diversity.
Consider what your organisation is doing in response to that, how you are meeting the standard, and document it. You could apply this process to several standards.

Case Studies

While your organisation might be excellent at documenting policy and procedure, don’t overlook the power of a case study to demonstrate how you are meeting the needs of the Care Leaver community. They can offer a more accessible, relatable way for your staff, residents and families to understand your approach.

Actions to put in place

Make it a policy that your staff learn the knowledge, skills and practical strategies to engage in respectful and inclusive conversations with older adults who have a history of trauma.

  • Access Helping Hand’s Sensitive Intake Conversations training module here.

Introduce a procedure whereby all residents are asked if there are things in their childhood that are important for you to know, or whether there are things they need to feel safe.

Finalise a policy document.
Example of a policy document

Adapt a physical environment guideline as a procedure.
Example of a physical environment guideline

Create a case study.
Three examples case studies

Acknowledgement of country

In the spirit of reconciliation we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.