Data-Driven Decision-Making To Advance Trauma-Informed Care: The Key Program Case Study  

Data-Driven Decision-Making To Advance Trauma-Informed Care: The Key Program Case Study  

Specialty provider organizations invest significant resources in trauma-informed care (TIC), but executive teams often struggle to determine whether those investments are actually changing staff practices, improving consumer experiences, and strengthening outcomes. 

Answering that question requires more than collecting data. Organizations need a performance management approach that connects measures of trauma-informed practice with operational indicators, workforce behaviors, leadership practices, and the experiences of consumers and staff. 

In this one-hour live presentation, Kara Ludy-Speight, Quality Assurance Manager at The Key Program (Key), will share how her organization used data to inform decision-making and strengthen its TIC efforts. She will explain how Key moved beyond simply collecting data to examining that data alongside operational indicators, staff behavior, leadership practices, and experiences within programs. Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, Key serves children and families across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. 

Ms. Ludy-Speight will be joined by Tasha Reece, Research Coordinator at the Traumatic Stress Institute of Klingberg Family Centers. They will discuss the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) scale and how this tool can guide strategy, identify areas of strength and concern, and evaluate whether trauma-informed principles are leading to organizational change. The speakers will also demonstrate how programs like ARTIC can become part of a broader performance and continuous quality improvement strategy. 

What This Case Study Will Explore 

• How to translate assessment findings into organizational priorities and connect TIC data with operational and performance outcomes 
• How the program used data to track measurable changes, including reductions in restraint use and changes in staff practices 
• How clear staff expectations and leadership accountability can address gaps between trauma-informed values and day-to-day practice 

What Executive Attendees Will Learn 

• How organizational leaders can use ARTIC data alongside operational and performance indicators to assess progress toward trauma-informed organizational change 
• How to identify leadership strategies for translating data into actionable priorities related to workforce practices, consumer safety, organizational accountability, and continuous quality improvement 
• How to apply a data-driven decision-making approach to identify areas of organizational strength, address misalignment between trauma-informed values and practice, and guide strategic investments in sustainable trauma-informed care

Featured Speakers

Kara Ludy-Speight, M.A., C.A.G.S.

Quality Assurance Manager, The Key Program, Inc.

Kara leads organization-wide quality improvement initiatives that
support organizational learning, performance measurement, and continuous improvement. With nearly 30 years of experience in behavioral health and child and
family services, Kara partners with leadership to use data to strengthen practice, inform staff development, and support positive organizational change. In collaboration with the Trauma Stress Institute, she has helped implement the Online ARTIC Scale as a tool to better understand staff attitudes toward trauma-informed care and to guide targeted training and culture-building efforts across the organization.