Mr. Chair, we have been working through, as was noted by the member's question.... There are a number of trauma-informed training elements that are already in place for Veterans Affairs staff members, and something called specifically “trauma-informed” training. Then there are lots of other elements and segments of training that involve elements of trauma-informed training as well.
That has been in place for some time, but we do recognize the need to update it and make sure that it's staying consistent with new approaches and best practices for all of our frontline staff. We're looking at the best way to do that right now, so that we can roll out that training not only to existing staff but of course to any new staff we're bringing on board who are either from other departments or are new to our department.
With respect to the “tell us once” principle, we absolutely want to have that as the rule that's in place for veterans. We may ask them how they're feeling about something rather than to tell us about the trauma they've actually suffered. What kinds of things can we do to help them feel better rather than having them retell their story? What is the barrier they're facing? Rather than the actual incident itself, what barrier might they be facing? How can we address that with ourselves and mental health professionals and others who are part of the overall suite of practitioners who help to support veterans as well?
We want to do that from a paper point of view, from a submission point of view and from a phone call point of view, all the way through.