Media release – Trauma Awareness Network Australia (TANA), 25 November 2021

Root Causes Need Grassroots Solutions

Trauma Awareness Network Australia (TANA) is on a mission to make complex trauma common knowledge. Its members are committed to leading upstream prevention from the grassroots.

Presenting to the Committee Inquiry into Rural Health Services Tasmania, tomorrow, TANA is focussed on being part of the solution to better health.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are now widely understood by scientists to be an underlying significant cause of the health problems faced by so many Australians.

“TANA is about seeing people for who they really are, beyond what happened to them. People’s secrets make them sick. It is the common story of people suffering from ACEs, that when they know and understand the science, it releases shame. A significant number in any given population, are affected by childhood trauma. It is intergenerational, so there is no place for blame. It literally leads to lifelong health problems if left unresolved,” says TANA president, Sue Heart.

“We all live in our society – there is no ‘us and them’ – and if the majority of us are suffering, either out loud or silence, of course, it affects us all.

“There is a reason why our teachers are burning out, our health system is over-burdened, and our justice system broken. We are advocating for a state-wide rollout of trauma-awareness training from the grassroots all the way to our political leaders, with everyone receiving the same message – a common language that works.

“People who become trauma-aware understand what underpins our health and social problems. They become more sensitive to understanding behaviour and then trauma-responsive when decisions are made to change practices.

“A trauma-informed Tasmania is when our policies and practices reflect an understanding of complex trauma. Attitudes shift and people become instantly motivated to do things differently. Change only comes when they know and understand. We are confident that trauma-awareness can significantly reduce the burden of disease in Australia.”

TANA, a registered Health Promotion Charity for the upstream prevention of complex trauma, have been working diligently and consistently on making a case for educating the general public about ACEs and the effects on brain development and health outcomes later in life.

TANA’s Submission to the inquiry can be found at https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Council/GovAdminA_RuralHealth.htm.