What is a core principle of trauma-informed care relevant to CPS?

• A. Safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment
• B. Safety only
• C. Paternalism
• D. Rapid discharge

Answer: (A)

Trauma-informed care centers on guiding interactions in ways that respect safety, build trust, honor choice, work collaboratively, and empower the person. For a Certified Peer Specialist, applying this approach means recognizing past trauma as part of the person’s lived experience and avoiding actions that could retraumatize. The best answer reflects all these elements together: ensuring safety, being trustworthy and transparent, offering options and honoring the person’s voice, partnering in decisions, and supporting empowerment so they retain control and recognize their strengths. Focusing on safety alone misses the relational and autonomy aspects; paternalism overrides the person's choices, and rapid discharge can cut off needed supports, both of which clash with trauma-informed values.