231 © Springer International Publishing AG 2018 V.C. Strand, G. Sprang (eds.), Trauma Responsive Child Welfare Systems, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-64602-2_14 Chapter 14 The Tale of Two Counties United by Their Pursuit of the Best Interest of Children Through Trauma-Informed Practice James Henry and Amy Perricone Introduction Translating trauma theory into actual child welfare practices within two very diverse counties in two states has produced successful implementation models for national replication. The stories of these counties provide road maps for the components necessary in becoming trauma informed. Too often over the past 10 years, academ- ics and trauma theorists have developed manuals and curricula, written about what trauma-informed child welfare should look like and trained child welfare staff on understanding trauma, but failed to provide evidence on successful model imple- mentation. This chapter provides a detailed history of two public child welfare agencies, one operating within a centralized state system and the other a decentral- ized state system, and their journey toward trauma-informed care. Both counties were united by local leadership’s desire and commitment to provide the best oppor- tunities for children and families interfacing with the child welfare system for safety, permanency, and well-being through becoming trauma informed. Each part- nered with the same trauma center, the Southwest Michigan Children’s Trauma Assessment Center (CTAC), located within a university. They received ongoing training, consultation, and technical assistance. One accessed funds through a SAMHSA National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative grant and the other fnanced the project through county funds and a federal IV-E Waiver project. Despite being two extremely distinct and different child welfare agencies (in population, race, urban versus rural), the two counties integrated the key components of a trauma-informed child welfare system to operationalize and then produce posi- tive outcomes for children. Both sites created strong leadership teams from the J. Henry, PhD (*) • A. Perricone, LMSW, LCSW Children’s Trauma Assessment Center, Western Michigan University, 1000 Oakland Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5361, USA e-mail: james.henry@wmich.edu