A Project Highlight – Towards Indigenous Cultural Safety: Integrating Trauma-Informed Practice in Clinical Settings Amongst Social Workers in Health Care
Towards Indigenous Cultural Safety: Integrating Trauma-Informed Practice in Clinical Settings Amongst Social Workers in Health Care is a collaborative initiative developed by Providence Health Care’s (PHC) Social Work department in partnership with the PHC Indigenous Wellness and Reconciliation (IWR) team. The initiative aimed to strengthen culturally safe and trauma-informed care among social workers across PHC healthcare settings.
The project centered on Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) workshops designed and delivered monthly by PHC social workers in collaboration with the IWR team. To support learning and measure impact, the initiative included a program evaluation component led by the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Social Work in collaboration with PHC and IWR.
The evaluation began as a course project in SOWK 554c 002: Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research: Research and Evaluation in Child, Youth and Family Services involving two Master of Social Work (MSW) students, supervised by Dr. Barbara Lee (UBC), with PHC’s Jenny Hyman and Olivia Palomino serving as research sponsors. This initial phase produced a preliminary findings report, published in Research and Evaluation in Child, Youth and Family Services (Volume 5, 2023). After the MSW students graduated, the project continued with the support of a new research assistant and ongoing collaboration with the PHC Social Work and Indigenous Wellness and Reconciliation (IWR) team.
This initiative has produced three key knowledge-sharing products:
1. Development and Implementation Guide
Describes the collaborative design, delivery, and reflective insights from the ICS educational workshops, including implementation considerations and lessons learned.
Learn more: ICS Development & Implementation 2025-1
2. Evaluation Report
Presents findings from a mixed-methods evaluation assessing the impact of the ICS workshops on social workers’ knowledge, confidence, and perceived ability to provide culturally safe and trauma-informed care.
Learn more: ICS Evaluation 2025-1
3. A Casebook (coming soon)
A collection of composite case studies designed to support critical reflection, peer consultation, and culturally safe practice in healthcare settings.
Additional materials will be made available as they are finalized.
