Not at all. A Care Card is not a request for distance — it’s a tool to support clearer, safer communication. Many women with a history of trauma deeply value connection with their maternity care providers. What they often need is a little more clarity, consent, and sensitivity around certain aspects of care, particularly physical touch or specific language.

The card simply offers a starting point. It helps create a moment of pause so you can understand what helps this individual woman feel safe. Your presence, your support, and your ability to build trust remain central to her experience. The Care Card is there to complement your care, not replace it.

In most cases, no. Many women find it distressing or re‑triggering to be asked to retell their trauma history, especially in clinical settings where time is limited and emotional safety can feel fragile. Research consistently shows that women often prefer not to revisit those details unless they choose to share them.

A Care Card is designed to communicate what she needs in the present moment — not to prompt disclosure about the past. Your attunement to her current needs, boundaries, and comfort is what matters most. By responding to the information she has chosen to share, you’re already offering meaningful, trauma‑informed support.

There’s nothing extra you need to do. The card is intentionally brief so you can take it in quickly, even in a busy clinical environment. It simply highlights what helps this woman feel safe right now.

You can acknowledge the card, check in with her if needed, and continue providing care as you normally would — with the added benefit of knowing what supports her sense of safety and autonomy. The card is a bridge to clearer communication, not an additional task.

Although training can be wonderful, you don’t need formal training to offer trauma‑sensitive care. Trauma‑informed practice is grounded in simple, human principles: consent, clarity, predictability, and attunement.

Small gestures — pausing before touch, explaining what’s coming next, offering choices where possible, and checking in with her comfort — can make a meaningful difference. Care Cards are designed to support you in this, not to assume any specialised training.

Your willingness to engage with her needs is already a powerful form of trauma‑informed care.

A Care Card is not a request to break policy. It’s an invitation to understand what helps her feel safe. If a particular request isn’t possible within your scope or your hospital’s guidelines, you can acknowledge her need and explore what you can offer.

Often, even small adjustments — a slower pace, a clearer explanation, or offering choice where you can — can help her feel more grounded. The goal is collaboration within the boundaries of safe, evidence‑based practice, however, women have the right to decline any intervention and you can support her right to choose even if you don’t agree with her choices.

Not at all. Many women use the card as a way to begin the conversation, especially if they feel anxious, overwhelmed, or unsure how to express their needs verbally. The card is a support, not a substitute.

Most women are very willing to engage once they feel safe and understood. The Care Card simply helps create that foundation.

The message on each card is intentionally short — just one clear request. It’s designed to be read in a moment, even in a busy clinical setting.

If you only have a few seconds, that’s enough. The card is there to support your workflow, not disrupt it.

It’s completely natural to feel that way. Trauma‑informed care isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence, respect, and willingness to listen.

If you’re responding with kindness, clarity, and consent, you’re already offering something deeply supportive. The Care Card simply helps guide your attunement.

No. Care Cards are not a clinical tool and do not replace any part of your professional responsibilities. They are a communication aid — a way for the woman to share what helps her feel safe so that your existing processes can be carried out with greater sensitivity and connection.

The card is not a demand — it’s an expression of what helps her feel safe. It’s okay to have questions or concerns and you can support a woman’s right to choose without endorsing her choices. If something isn’t possible or doesn’t align with your clinical judgment, you can acknowledge her need and initiate further discussion.

The goal is shared understanding, not agreement on every detail.