a statewide snapshot 2011

Transcription

Good practice:
a statewide snapshot 2011
i
Good practice: a statewide snapshot 2011
ii Good practice: a statewide snapshot 2011
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This document is also available on the Internet at
www.dhs.vic.gov.au
Published by the Victorian Government Department of Human Services,
Melbourne, Australia, August 2011.
© Copyright State of Victoria 2011.
This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process
except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
Printed on sustainable paper by Sovereign Press, PO Box 223, Wendouree Vic 3355.
August 2011 (0100811).
iii
Contents
Introduction1
Embracing the rights of children and families
3
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission:
Doing right by the kids: ‘beyond charter compliance’
3
Early intervention
7
The Child Protection High Risk Infant Program
7
Baby Cooper’s story: overcoming the odds 7
Tweddle Early Parenting Centre
11
Mandy and Billy’s story: building trust and relationships
11
Supporting families
15
Family Coaching in the North and West Region
16
Sally’s story: gaining confidence and stability
16
Aisha’s story: collaboration, care and a learning experience
20
Family coaching in Loddon Mallee Region
23
Donna, James and baby Steven’s story: a new baby brings big changes
25
OzChild’s Respite Care Program
27
Holly’s story: continuity creates strong connections27
Therapeutic support and intervention
31
OzChild Intensive Therapeutic Program
31
Ralph’s story: establishing love and respect at home
31
Take Two
34
Phillipa’s story: the lost girl who was found
34
The Sexual Abuse and Counselling Prevention Program
37
John and Michael’s story: the power of apology37
Building professional skills and capacities - a culture of learning in Victoria
41
Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Practice and Graduate Diploma in Child
and Family Practice Leadership
41
Professional Coaching in Child Protection
43
Specialist Intervention Team (SIT): partnering, coaching, enabling and supporting
regional practice and performance in child protection45
iv Good practice: a statewide snapshot 2011
Child protection
49
Barwon-South Western Region Child Protection
Maya and Di’s story: reflections on the importance of care and relationships
49
Sandra’s story: providing a safe and secure home
51
Gippsland Region Child Protection
Simon’s story: finding a way home
53
Hume Region Child Protection
Baby Emily’s story: timely planning for a stable future
55
Kinship care
61
Anchor Kinship Care Program
61
Samantha’s story: supporting grandparents to care and protect
63
Foster care
67
Anchor Foster Care
Michael’s story: finding a path through the development maze
67
OzChild Home Based Care
Toby, Teresa and Josh’s story: breaking down the walls
72
Therapeutic foster care
75
OzChild, Australian Childhood Foundation and Child Protection
Natasha’s story: replacing anxiety with security
75
Therapeutic residential care 77
Westcare, Take Two and Child Protection
Kate’s story: consistent support the basis for growing esteem
77
Supporting children and young people 81
Take Two
Robert’s story: learning to kick a footy and other important things
81
Youth Justice
83
Tylar’s story: breaking the cycle of offending 83
Connecting families
87
Jemma’s story: unravelling conflict creates a way home
87
Shine for Kids
89
Jim and Jo’s story: positive and practical ways to connect
89
Rob and Ralph’s story: building bridges with loved ones
91
v
Working collaboratively for good outcomes
93
South East Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA), Sexual Offences and
Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) and Child Protection
Belinda’s story: protecting and encouraging victims
93
The Gatehouse Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital
95
Mark and Daniel’s story: supporting carers to stabilise a risk-filled world
95
Supporting young people in out-of-home care
99
Evolution Arts Program
99
Elise’s story: a young woman discovers her talent99
MacKillop Kitchen Rules: food brings young people together
102
Transitioning to independence
105
Leaving care support 105
Nyah’s story: home at last105
MacKillop Lead Tenant Services
108
Allan’s story: moving to independence108
Acknowledgement111
vi Good practice: a statewide snapshot 2011
1
1
Introduction
The stories in Good practice: a statewide snapshot 2011 and artwork have been brought
together to help us celebrate Victorian Child Protection Week 2011. They enable us to
acknowledge and honour the children, young people and families with whom we work. It
is through their journeys that we come to know strength, resilience, patience, courage and
importantly, hope. The stories also remind us of the importance of caring, connection and
human relationships in helping us grow, learn and heal from life’s adversities. We are proud to
be able to publish these inspiring experiences of children, young people, families and the array
of dedicated and committed people who work in our field.
The stories are grouped under specific themes. These themes encompass many domains of
practice and come from practitioners across a diverse range of services. They illustrate various
important stages, models and approaches to working with children, young people and families,
including many innovative and creative ways of helping. The stories cover early intervention
with infants, therapeutic support for children and families, protecting and caring for vulnerable
and at risk children, connecting and reconnecting families, advocating for children and young
people who have been hurt, and supporting and standing by young people during their journey
through adolescence to adulthood.
While the stories are diverse, what they have in common is the skill and commitment of
practitioners and managers who maintain their belief in the importance of supporting the rights
of children and their families. Their dedication to caring about children and young people,
promoting safety, support and opportunities for healing and growth is profound. The stories
also highlight the power of working together, with partnerships among colleagues across
agencies, services and systems resulting in positive outcomes for children and families.
The good practice stories highlight some simple but important messages. The first relates to
the importance of relationship-based practice. For many children, young people, parents and
families, it is a consistent and caring practitioner who is compassionate and respectful and
prepared to stand alongside them when times are challenging or difficult is what makes the
difference. Whether that practitioner is the person a young mother begins to trust as in
Molly and Billy’s story; the person who hangs in there, providing a well balanced blend of
challenge and encouragement, as in Tylar’s story; or the person who sensitively tunes into
and focuses on the child’s experience, as in baby Cooper’s story and Robert’s story, it is the
relationship that enables change.
A second important message is the power of working together. When practitioners work in
partnership with families, children and young people, constructive and meaningful changes
occur. Young Aboriginal parents, James and Donna, with their baby Steven, accompanied
by their worker every step of the way, and the support of their culture and community,
became increasingly skilled and proud parents. When agencies, services and systems work
collaboratively, outcomes for individuals are positive and important, and innovative and creative
projects, programs and approaches to helping and supporting vulnerable children, young
people and families flourish.
A third message is the importance of recognising and integrating safety and healing. In all the
stories, no matter which approach or intervention, service or program, it is clear that we are
all engaged with promoting safety and healing. Increasingly, practitioners and services have
recognised the significance of the impact of abuse, trauma, loss and complicated and serious
family problems that are frequently related to substance misuse, mental health difficulties
2 Good practice: a statewide snapshot 2011
and family violence. For children, young people and families affected by these issues, safety
and opportunities for healing are vital and interconnected. On its own, safety is not enough.
Therapeutic support, therapeutic care and skilled and well trained practitioners who are
increasingly cognisant of the inextricable connection between safety and healing can be
found within these stories.
Finally, each of the stories reminds us that despite adversity, pain, complexity and struggle,
positive outcomes are possible.
Good practice happens every day all over Victoria. Most of the time, the commitment,
dedication and skill of those engaged in good practice do not get the acknowledgement
they deserve. This publication is a tribute to good practice and to all of you who work with
children and families with such care and compassion and find a myriad ways to help.
We honour and celebrate your achievements and thank you all.
Christina Asquini
Executive Director
Children, Youth and Families Division
2
Dr Karen J Sutherland
Acting Principal Practitioner
Children, Youth and Families Division
Department of Human Services
3
Embracing the rights of children
and families
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission:
Doing right by the kids: ‘beyond charter compliance’
When frontline practitioners think about human rights, their first priority is often direct legal
compliance with Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (the
Charter). Since the Charter became law in Victoria almost four years ago, child protection,
family services, Child FIRST and out-of-home care providers have been legally obliged to
observe the human rights of children and families they have contact with.
The focus on following the law is welcome, but compliance is not the only way of thinking
about the Charter. Another way to approach human rights is to consider their impact on how
services are delivered. Human rights can guide and inform what family and child services
should look like, how the work is best approached and how challenges are faced. Some of
the key principles that underpin the Charter can be used as tools for practitioners to ensure
that people’s rights are not ignored. In other words, a human rights approach has benefits for
practitioners and their clients, when it is adopted consistently and thoughtfully.
Here are some tips about how that might look in practice.
Human rights belong to everyone, everywhere, every day, so they must be applied across
all areas of your work, and all parts of the child’s life. This includes being mindful of wellbeing
beyond immediate protection issues and taking action where necessary. Your frame of focus
for best interests is about getting positive wellbeing, development, health and education
outcomes, as well as reducing risks to the child’s welfare and safety.
Protection is a right in itself, and a means to achieve other rights. All rights must be
observed for the child’s best interests to be truly protected. Thinking about all the rights
of the child and the family is the first step in human rights-based best practice. Because rights
are interdependent, protective issues cannot be seen in isolation from other factors.
For example, if a mother needs material aid or help sorting out rent in arrears, this forms part
of your protective response – not an unusual practice when working with the whole family.
However, recognising this as human rights practice may be a new way of conceptualising
your intervention.
Thinking ‘rights first’ keeps the focus on the experience of children. Taking rights as
a central focus can help cut through issues that arise from resources and accountability
considerations. Being aware that work with families and children goes beyond need into
entitlement, brings solutions more sharply into focus. This includes making sure services
(for the child or family) are not withdrawn as soon as the crisis has passed.
Human rights support the ethos and values you bring to your work. As most practitioners
know, working with the whole family as early as possible can prevent things escalating to the
point where protective interventions become necessary. What isn’t always clear is that such an
approach is a good example of human rights in action.
Taking a human rights approach involves making the shift from having a child protection
‘system’, to a system that allows children to enjoy their full range of human rights,
regardless of program boundaries. This makes the service fit the person, rather than the
person fit the service.
This refelects the Department of Human Services One DHS change program which aims to
reduce children and families’ experience of disadvantage and assists them to lead happy, safe,
fulfilling lives, by placing them at the centre of an integrated and responsive service system.
This approach emphasises the reality of every child and family’s entitlement to services,
including universal services which are less likely to be stigmatising or associated with welfare.
For example, funds that can be accessed for children to take part in school activities,
equipment and excursions promotes a child’s engagement with education and may help to
reduce the stigma of being in care.
Human rights do not begin and end at the door of your service. They must be met across
all service systems, including other specialist services. Human rights practice is as much
about working with others to fulfil the rights of children and families as it is about your own
responsibilities under the law.
‘Doing human rights right’ means advocating for children and families to get the
services and support they need, for as long as they need them. The Charter gives
legal impetus to the notion of shared responsibility, and can be used as a tool to support
negotiations with other services and government departments – especially when action will
limit the risk of issues escalating.
For example, securing additional respite for a family with a child with disability or sustained
support for a parent with substance misuse issues can often reduce the need for more serious
interventions down the track. While there is no ‘right to health’ under the Charter, denying or
withdrawing these services at a time of crisis in a family arguably contravenes the Charter’s
right to protection of the family.
Services cannot limit people’s rights on a whim. There is clear guidance in the law about
the parameters for limiting rights. It requires that the limitation must be reasonable, necessary,
justified and proportionate.
Simply put, there needs to be a purpose to limiting someone’s rights, and there must be
evidence to show that limiting rights is necessary. However, it is the ‘proportionate’ part that
can be most useful. For best effect, this might be condsidered like this: “is there another way
you can do the same thing with less impact on human rights?”
For example, consider a child who has autism spectrum disorder and who is placed in
out-of-home care. This child is acting up at the end of the school day to the point where he
or she may be excluded from school. Rather than taking that road, it may be possible to
work with the teacher about what might be causing the outbursts, and finding a practical
solution for avoiding trigger points. Simple solutions get practical results, and are also the
most respectful of children’s rights.
Cultural rights lie at the heart of the Charter and human rights practice in child
protection. The distinct cultural rights of Aboriginal people are protected within the Charter,
as they are within specific provisions in the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 Section
10. However, although the Act does not specifically protect the cultural rights of children from
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, the Charter does.
Having a cultural competency framework within your service for working with CALD children
and families is one way of bringing this Charter responsibility to life.
Human rights must be considered and actioned before, during and after care. Charter
compliance is often focused on questions of separation of children and families. However, its
scope is much broader than that. The Charter covers all child protection domains, including
leaving care.
5
This approach to rights is always mindful of those who are particularly vulnerable. For example,
identifying those who have had poor experiences in care and are at risk of leaving care early is
a rights-consistent way to make sure every child has a leaving care plan.
The need for financial support, housing, relationships, education, life skills and emotional
healing need to be considered in every case. These basics are vital to ensuring a good
transition. More than that, this approach is respectful of children and their transition into
adulthood.
Of course, the young person needs to participate fully in the development of the plan to be
consistent with a rights-based approach. This also maximises the likelihood that the plan –
and the child – will succeed.
Children themselves have rights, including the right to participate in the decisions that
affect them. Upholding children’s right to participate in decisions that affect them is a ‘key
signal of valuing and supporting children’.1 This applies in individual cases, and service system
and design.
Practitioners who take a rights-based approach are particularly attuned to the needs of
individual children, questioning how one child’s rights, wishes, feelings and experiences can
inform and shape the help and services they receive. This may include encouraging them to
contribute their views away from their parents and carers, such as when family assessments
are being undertaken.
It also includes putting in place mechanisms to ensure that the communication needs of
children with a disability are met. Where a decision affects more than one child – such as
siblings – the views of all the children who have the maturity to form and express them should
be regarded as equally important.
The Charter is a practical tool. It can help build practitioners’ understanding and confidence
to identify and deal with human rights issues.
There is no question that some decisions made within the child protection sphere are more
urgent and require prioritisation, and that compliance with Victorian human rights law is a
minimum requirement for all practitioners.
But it’s just as important to remember that putting human rights front and centre of decisionmaking has the potential to lead directly to better, fairer and more effective outcomes, for
everyone involved.
When used as a way of thinking through every decision, action and policy made, human rights
deliver better results for children and families. No person is worse off when their rights are
observed, and no public agency is diminished by protecting and promoting rights.
Michelle Burrell, Senior Advisor, Strategic Projects, Victorian Equal Opportunity and
Human Rights Commission
1. Council of Australian Governments, Protecting Children is Everyone’s Responsibility: National Framework for
Protecting Australia’s Children 2009–2020 (2009), 15.
3
7
Early intervention
Child Protection High Risk Infant Program
The Child Protection High Risk Infant Program in Eastern Metropolitan
Region is responsible for managing cases involving unborn children who
may be at risk in utero or post birth. The program aims to maximise
opportunities for parents to utilise community services and support,
and to develop agreed plans and interventions that will support the
family with their new baby and enable a positive start for the child.
In Eastern Metropolitan Region, these cases are managed by the
Specialist Infant Protective Workers (SIPWs).
Baby Cooper’s story: overcoming the odds
Baby Cooper was subject to an unborn report made to child protection. The
report identified significant concerns for the baby and initially led to little hope
that mother would be able to care for her infant. However, despite the odds firmly
stacked against them, mother and baby remain together with community mental
health support and a daily nanny service. It’s early days but Cooper is doing well in
mother’s care.
Cooper is a three-month-old infant who was conceived within a troubled relationship; both
Cooper’s parents suffer significant mental health problems which have contributed to their
lack of connectedness to the wider community and relative poverty.
Cooper’s mother, Lea, is in her thirties and has an older child who was removed from her
care as an infant by the paternal family. Lea’s adult life has been characterised by long periods
of involuntary admissions to psychiatric hospitals; typically spending three months a year
recovering from acute psychosis despite accepting psychiatric assistance and medication.
Cooper’s father, James, has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. His paranoid
personality and extremely oppositional behaviour has at times resulted in unprovoked violent
verbal and physical attacks on strangers. James, who is 40, has fathered a number of children
with whom he has no contact.
The unborn report outlined concerns for Cooper in Lea’s care given the likelihood that she was
expected to become acutely unwell during the postnatal period. Furthermore, James’s illness
and behaviour undermined Lea’s ability to prioritise the baby’s needs and her ability to make
independent decisions. Significant concerns were also raised about James’s view that he and
Lea would not need or accept support services despite Lea’s request for intensive assistance
to remain psychiatrically well and to have an opportunity to mother her baby.
Consistent with practice guidelines, a pre-birth case conference was held and attended by
associated professionals before meeting Lea and James. As one of the Specialist Infant
Protective Workers (SIPW) in the High Risk Infant (HRI) program, I met Lea and James who
each expressed their own ideas as to what support community agencies could and should
provide. Lea, although extremely anxious and nervous, engaged well in discussion about the
very high risk of becoming unwell after the birth and acknowledged that she would need an
enormous amount of community support.
She agreed to accept a visit before the child’s birth. But James denied his and Lea’s illness
and the need for a protective assessment and declined offers of assistance.
Creative thinking and collaborative work between the high risk infant program, intake and
response units resulted in the allocation of a child protection practitioner prior to the birth.
In the days following Cooper’s birth, a meeting held at the birth hospital included Lea and
James’s case managers, the infant mental health clinician who had been engaged and
consulted previously, hospital social workers and psychiatric staff members, Cooper’s
allocated protective worker and SIPW. All practitioners concurred that Lea was at very
high risk of developing psychosis during the postnatal period (90 per cent risk) and given her
psychiatric history, was unlikely to be able to provide safe and responsive care a vulnerable
infant requires. Cooper, given his inherited genetic background, was reported to be at risk of
developing his own mental health problems.
Lea appeared well enough to continue caring for Cooper in the hospital with the full-time
assistance of a psychiatric nurse. However, James displayed paranoid behaviour and there
was concern by child protection that this may pose an unacceptable risk of physical harm
to Cooper.
Legal intervention ensured Cooper’s safety. He was placed on an Interim Accommodation
Order to the hospital with the condition that James’s contact with him be supervised;
a condition that James continues to contest to date. James declined to accept daily
supervised access visits with Cooper and chose not to have contact with him until some
weeks later.
Despite James’s objections, Lea and Cooper were eventually discharged to a mother and
baby unit, where James had regular supervised access with Cooper. A gradual shift in
James’s behaviour occurred, resulting in Lea and James’s reunification as a couple,
expressing their wish to be assessed as Cooper’s parents together.
After Lea and Cooper completed a ten day residential Parenting Assessment and Skill
Development Service (PASDS) program at the Queen Elizabeth Centre, a smooth transition to
the In-Home PASDS program ensured that Lea was given an opportunity to consolidate her
newly learned skills. At that point, at James and Lea’s request, James was included in the
In-Home PASDS program to begin his parenting capacity assessment before a joint admission
to a Mother and Baby Unit.
Lea and Cooper also now receive extensive daily support from many associated professionals
who are also committed to attending fortnightly care team meetings during which all aspects
of the case are discussed. It is acknowledged that Lea is still at significant risk of becoming
unwell and James has not yet been assessed as an appropriate caregiver.
Many questions remain unanswered at this time:
What about Cooper? Is it fair on him? Will Lea become unwell soon and will Cooper need
to go into alternative care? Will James undermine Lea’s parenting capacity? Is Lea able to
provide Cooper with sensitive and responsive care; does she read his cues well enough?
What does Lea’s dependence on James mean for Cooper? Can Lea prioritise Cooper’s needs
over her need to be with James? What happens for Cooper when Lea and James argue and
Lea is unable to focus on him?
9
Close collaboration between all service providers and the Department of Human Services
allows for opportunities to continue to discuss and reflect on these questions and to share
information from a variety of disciplines. Maternal and child health, adult psychiatric services,
infant psychiatric services, Early Parenting and practitioners from the parenting assessment
and skill development service as well as protective workers and SIPW contribute to the
ongoing discussion and decision-making process, aiming for positive outcomes for the family,
and in particular, supporting the mother-baby relationship.
Despite every effort to support the family, Cooper remains the focus of the intervention.
Cooper’s relationship with his parents needs to be of high quality. He needs his parents to be
attuned to him and provide him with every opportunity to form secure attachments to them in
a consistent and predictable environment.
Good practice requires Cooper’s child protection practitioners to weigh the impact of his
parents’ illness, relationship issues and support needs against their capacity to provide for
his needs, in addition to maintaining a home environment that is supportive of Lea’s ongoing
transition into motherhood; a task not be underestimated.
Reflections on good practice
A timely unborn report allowed for early engagement with the parents and associated
professionals. This enabled positive and intensive working relationships between all parties,
and, through frequent and ongoing discussions, ensures that Cooper is held firmly in mind,
remembering that he is not a collection of case notes but a baby whose life will be shaped
profoundly by his early development.
Travelling through the program with Cooper has provided opportunities to discuss and reflect
on the many practice challenges which arose, utilising various theoretical frameworks and
skills gained in relation to infant and parent mental health issues and sharing them with my
colleagues in the program.
Pre-birth meetings with the service providers allowed for timely and comprehensive information
gathering and role clarification. This assisted the pre and post-birth safety assessment,
planning and decision making. Early information gathered by mental health and associated
professionals was formalised in writing, and this helped the Children’s Court magistrate make
timely decisions about Cooper’s safety and best interests.
Liaison with James’s mental health case managers instilled confidence that their client’s rights
were being considered and their opinions heard. This facilitated a common understanding of
James’s illness in the context of his impending fatherhood.
One Court Advisory Unit senior solicitor has dealt with all the hearings in the Children’s Court.
This has provided continuity and proved invaluable.
Close collaboration with maternal and child health services, adult and infant mental health
services, hospital staff, input from the principal practitioner, Parenting Assessment and Skill
Development Service programs (residential and In-Home) and the department’s legal unit
ensures that many complex factors impacting Cooper and his parents are carefully considered
in an attempt to seek answers to the most important question practitioners grapple with daily:
What is in Cooper’s best interests? Is the parenting ‘good enough’? Will Cooper be safe?
Listening for the voice of the child: baby Cooper
I immediately recognised the voice! I heard it many times before: ‘Not long now baby …
you’re getting so big now.’ It didn’t take me long at all to figure out that it was the voice of
my mother; she sings to me every day and cuddles me all the time.
My mother is also great at feeding me when I’m hungry; it feels so good to snuggle into her
breast; feel her warm skin; enjoy my milk and drift off to sleep.
There are lots of other voices around most of the time; they belong to people that I don’t
know so well; they talk and smile and sometimes change my clothes. That’s ok with me but
I really prefer my mum.
Every day a man comes around to play with me. He sometimes changes my nappy and puts
me in the bath, and oh boy, when he puts me in my cot for a nap, I raise hell. I want to fall
asleep in my mother’s arms and certainly not alone in a cold hard box when my mum is just
sitting there in the next room talking to the man. I’ve heard the voices talk about me ‘blah blah
blah … not settling’, whatever!
I am not sure whether I’ll get on with the man who calls himself my dad. Often when he is
around, my mother does all sorts of things except pay attention to ME! Sometimes when he
is around I don’t feel the same as when it’s just mum and me and when the man tries to get
me to smile, I just don’t. I like it when mum smiles at me and I smile back at her all the time!
What I really hate is when I’m having a nice feed and mum doesn’t really look at me or talk to
me at all. Sometimes she talks to the man or on the phone and it’s as if I no longer exist; I get
a bit confused and I wonder if she remembers that I’m there …
I love it when my mum smiles and sings at me and looks into my eyes; it’s like looking in the
mirror – I’ve overheard a conversation from the other voices saying that we are not really an
‘all-in-one’ but apparently I am still too young to know that I am really a person in my own
right and still learning to become separate from my mum. I don’t quite get that!
Anyhow, for the moment, it’s good enough for me to go along with whatever happens or
whoever comes around; as long as I get to stay close to my mum, I’ll be all right.
At the time of writing Cooper continues to develop well in Lea’s care; James continues to have
longer periods of supervised access while participating in comprehensive assessments.
We overcame the odds: the odds don’t always have it!
Karolein Jansen, Specialist infant Worker, Child Protection, Eastern Metropolitan region
11
Tweddle Early Parenting Centre
Tweddle Early Parenting Centre provides residential, outreach and day
stay programs for families with children aged zero to four years from
all areas of Victoria. Many families access Tweddle programs through a
needs-based assessment that is completed over the telephone.
The parent and baby residential program provides a unique contained
environment that supports the development of the professional/
parent relationship. This therapeutic relationship focuses on nurturing
the parent and infant, supporting the infant/parent attachment and
addressing the health and wellbeing of the infant and parent.
Mandy and Billy’s story: building trust and relationships
Parents who use early parenting centres can present with apparently straightforward parenting
difficulties such as baby sleep disorders. However, as Mandy and Billy’s story illustrates,
sometimes more serious issues exist. If these issues are not addressed, they can lead to
attachment or parenting problems that may pose risks for the vulnerable infant.
Mandy and her eight-week-old baby, Billy, attended the four day residential program at
Tweddle. The stay provided an opportunity for professionals working with Mandy to identify
the family and personal issues which were inhibiting her parenting. The work done with Mandy
and Billy highlighted the value of residential programs in providing a therapeutic environment
and the importance of a professional focus on the needs of mothers and their babies. The
work also highlighted the importance of staff working to build trusting relationships that enable
parenting problems to be identified and addressed with respect, understanding and concern.
As with many parents attending Tweddle, Mandy asked to be admitted to the residential unit
to help address sleep and settling difficulties. Billy had been unsettled since birth and although
he was taking his breast feeds well, he remained agitated and irritable. Mandy had expressed
her frustration to staff and was clear that she ‘just wanted Billy to sleep’. Nursing staff spent
time with Mandy gathering information about her circumstances and her experience of
motherhood, including her pregnancy and the birth. Mandy said Billy’s father supported her but
he had refused to attend Tweddle. Instead, Mandy’s sister called in to provide support during
the day. However, Mandy appeared quite isolated as a new mother. She initially mentioned
that she had ‘smoked a little marijuana’ and drank alcohol during her pregnancy. In further
conversations, Mandy disclosed ‘smoking a bong a day’ through her pregnancy and frequent
alcohol use. Mandy subsequently admitted to still using drugs and alcohol in the week before
being admitted to Tweddle. She also disclosed that her partner was abusive and that he used
large amounts of cannabis and amphetamines. Mandy was clearly struggling with her own
substance abuse problems and relationship difficulties and these factors were undoubtedly
affecting Billy and Mandy’s mothering.
With Mandy’s permission, staff contacted other professionals who had contact with Mandy
during her pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, including two hospitals she had attended
several times with Billy before admission to Tweedle. The maternity unit in the small country
hospital had not been aware of Mandy’s drug and alcohol use until after Billy’s birth. They
reported that when Billy was three days old, he became jittery and irritable and was difficult
to feed. Medical intervention was necessary and Mandy eventually admitted to using some
cannabis during the pregnancy.
After a longer stay in hospital, Billy was discharged home with his parents with follow-up
home visiting to oversee his care. These visits ended when Billy was two weeks old because
staff found Billy’s father intimidating. Mandy said that Billy continued to be difficult to manage.
She then made two visits to the emergency department at her local hospital. Billy was
identified as an ‘irritable’ baby and Mandy was asked to bring Billy back to see a paediatrician.
She failed to keep the specialist appointment.
Mandy continued to look for explanations for Billy’s irritability, seeking help from her maternal
and child health nurse in the first five weeks after Billy’s birth. When Billy was six weeks old,
Mandy attended the Royal Children’s Hospital where he was admitted overnight and reviewed.
Again Billy was identified as an ‘irritable’ baby. Mandy talked with a social worker and
received information about Tweddle programs and despite being offered follow-up outpatient
appointments for Billy, Mandy again failed to attend.
Through conversations with health professionals who had been involved with Mandy and
Billy during the first seven weeks of his life, it became apparent that she had not felt safe
enough to tell her story. However, her story had serious ramifications for her capacity to
parent and for the health and wellbeing of her son.
The therapeutic relationship established between the parent and the nurse or early childhood
professional during a family’s stay at Tweddle is at the centre of the ‘helping process’. Although
Mandy and her son had previous involvement with four health services, Mandy had not been
able to reveal her concerns.
Mandy became more agitated as her stay in Tweddle progressed. Although staff discussed
the effect her drug and alcohol use could have on her baby, Mandy was reluctant to accept
her drug use could cause Billy’s irritability. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome was explained
to Mandy and she was asked to consider immediate referral to a drug and alcohol facility.
Staff held additional concerns for Mandy as she had scored high on her Edinburgh Postnatal
Depression Scale, suggesting that she may be experiencing anxiety and the early signs of
depression.
Mandy refused to speak with the unit social worker, to attend a psychological follow-up or
to seek further assistance to address her drug and alcohol use. Tweddle staff considered
that Mandy’s increasing irritability was indicative of drug withdrawal symptoms. Staff were
concerned that her inability to accept that Billy’s difficulties may be related to her drug and
alcohol use and her unwillingness to accept support posed risks for Billy.
Additional concerns about Billy’s father’s aggressive behaviour and drug use and her ability to
keep Billy safe culminated in a discussion with her about the protective concerns for her child.
A report to child protection was made to ensure Mandy was provided with sufficient support
on her discharge from Tweddle to enable her to keep Billy safe, and with encouragement and
the involvement of family and community supports to begin to address her own difficulties
relating to her substance use and abusive relationship.
13
Through the connections made with staff during her stay at Tweddle, Mandy was increasingly
able to be open about her drug and alcohol use and abusive relationship, and parenting
problems. Staff were able to integrate information from other health professionals to build a
more thorough picture of Mandy’s circumstances.
Mandy remained unable to address all her problems during her stay at Tweddle, despite the
compassion and support offered, but staff were able to focus on the risks for her baby and
take steps to ensure his safety and protection and that future support was available to Mandy.
Di Halloran, Acting Director of Nursing, Tweddle Child and Family Health Service
4
5
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Supporting families
Family Coaching Victoria (FCV) is an intensive family coaching and
support service being piloted in four Child FIRST catchments in Victoria,
as a new family-based intervention to support children to remain at
home with their parent/s.
Pilots in the North and West Metropolitan Region began in August
2010 and will run until 30 June 2013. Stage two sites in Loddon Mallee
Region, Southern Metropolitan Region and Barwon-South West Region
began in November 2010 and will run until 30 September 2013.
The FCV service prioritises children up to 2 years, adolescents aged
10 to 15 years and Aboriginal children because these are the groups of
children most at risk of entering out-of-home care. Children and their
families receive therapeutic child and family assessments and support
for up to one year. Services are individually tailored and can include
therapeutic treatment and support, residential and in-home parenting
support, practical support, respite and childcare, and support to help
engagement with local community, universal and secondary services.
The service aims to provide an integrated and coordinated response
to vulnerable children and families to improve safety, stability and
developmental outcomes for children, reduce the number of children
and young people entering out-of-home care for the first time and the
time they spend in care.
For children and young people who cannot live safely at home, the
program helps their parents to address problems, build parenting skills
and abilities and work towards family reunification.
Family coaching in North and West Region
The Family Coaching Victoria service being piloted in the North and West
Metropolitan Region is provided by Kildonan Uniting Care in partnership with
specialist services including Take Two (Berry Street), Finding Solutions Plus
(Melbourne City Mission), Parenting Assessment and Skill Development Service
Plus (Queen Elizabeth Centre and Tweddle).
Sally’s story: gaining confidence and stability
Sally is a 24-year-old single mother to three young boys: James, Christian and Thomas, aged
five, three and two. In October 2010, Sally was referred to Family Coaching Victoria (FCV) by
child protection following concerns related to family violence, parental substance use, poor
supervision of the children, inadequate stimulation and learning opportunities for the children,
and emotional harm.
Sally presented as a loving and concerned mother, who was overwhelmed by the instability
of her relationship with the children’s father, a history of violence and fear of him, and her
unresolved childhood abuse, which had led to her daily and heavy marijuana use. The family
was living in a two-bedroom ground floor flat, with no fenced garden for their dogs or children,
and had significant conflict with neighbours to the point where they had to stay in emergency
accommodation twice due to violence and threats. While Sally wanted to be a better parent
to her children, she lacked self-confidence, felt dependent on her partner for support and
money, and frequently felt that she was a bad mother. She rarely took the children out of the
house because she found it difficult to manage them, and the children had minimal routine or
structure to their day. Her motivation to address these issues was significantly impeded by her
daily marijuana use and her depressed state.
Family coaching began working with the family, with varying degrees of engagement and
success over the first few months. Parenting Assessment and Skill Development Service
(PASDS) began a home-based early parenting program with Sally, focusing on establishing
routines, supporting her in taking the children on outings, enrolling them in child care and
kindergarten and assisting with strategies for responding appropriately to the children’s
cues. The FCV practitioner also supported Sally to address her own concerns including
her substance use, emotional vulnerability, the violent relationship with her partner and
disconnected relationships with her extended family.
Child protection ceased its involvement after completion of the family coaching assessment
and early progress with implementing the Family Care and Action Plan. Immediately following
this, Sally’s engagement and commitment to working with the program declined significantly,
and after several months consideration was given to withdrawing the service. During this time,
another report was made to child protection due to significant escalation in Sally’s marijuana
use. At this time, the Queen Elizabeth Centre (QEC) completed its program with the family
but also had outstanding concerns about Sally’s limited progress, which related largely to
Sally being depressed and substance affected much of the time. Consequently she was
unmotivated and unable to retain information and implement strategies that were necessary to
improve her care of and relationships with her children.
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With perseverance, practical support, patience, challenging and reflective conversations
about the safety and emotional needs of her children, Sally slowly re-engaged with her FCV
practitioner and started to work towards meeting some of her goals. The joined up approach
with child protection helped Sally to understand clearly why we were worried about her
children and how we could help her to get her life back on track.
Sally has since made a number of significant achievements for her children and herself, which
have produced notable improvements in her parenting.
She has conscientiously attended to the needs of her children ensuring they regularly attend
childcare and kindergarten – a positive step for their educational, social and developmental
needs. She has addressed several of the special needs of her son James, ensuring a language
assessment, ongoing speech therapy and secondary consultation to the kindergarten by a
speech therapist, and carefully considered his need to remain at kindergarten for another year
before starting school.
Sally has also focused on addressing her own issues, taking part in a residential detoxification
program and continuing to address her marijuana use. She has undergone a mental health
assessment and completed a mental health plan coordinated by her GP, and is now taking
medication to assist with depression and attending individual counselling.
Sally decided to cease her relationship with the children’s father (while supporting the children’s
contact with him) and sought an intervention order against neighbours to protect herself and
her children. She has also worked at strengthening her communication and contact with her
mother, enabling increased support for her family and opportunities for regular respite care for
the children.
Having made such important changes, it is not surprising that Sally’s parenting of the children
has improved significantly and she is now more confident as a parent and better able to
manage the children’s behaviour. She is proud of noticeable changes including less yelling at
the children and less time out, and more empathic listening and effective responding,
Sally is now more able to ask for help and is keen to keep building on the positive changes she
has made. She has requested a further PASDS Plus intervention to assist her with early morning
and evening routines with the children, including preparing nutritious meals, and managing the
competing demands of three children during the most stressful periods of the day.
The relationship Sally developed with the FCV practitioner was crucial to facilitating the
changes she was able to make. The respectful working relationship focused on her strengths,
ensured that she was involved in decision making and provided support and challenge – a
necessary context for change.
The provision of flexible support funds was also important to promoting change. Alleviating
financial hardship related to daily living reduced Sally’s distress and increased her capacity
to attend to other concerns including the needs of the children, her own health, emotional
wellbeing and detoxification and parenting routines and skills.
Flexible support funds enabled a range of practical support to be put in place including
morning transport to kindergarten and childcare, babysitting while Sally attended counselling,
clothing vouchers, payment for a private speech assessment and therapy for James given the
critical need for immediate intervention, payment of childcare fees and continued support for
the Child at Risk Benefit, and support with travel to essential appointments such as Sally’s
counselling and drug and alcohol support. The practitioner’s willingness to engage other
members of Sally’s family and enlist their support also led to valuable practical and emotional
support being more available to her.
Also important to facilitating necessary changes was the flexibility and scope of the Family
Coaching Services. Outreach visits were valuable in building and maintaining engagement with
Sally, enabling the practitioner to visit Sally at a range of times and vary the length and intensity
of the visit according to the needs. The capacity to offer a crisis response, advocacy and
support, counselling, referral to relevant services and agencies and the ability to reintroduce
services when needs resurfaced, were critical elements in supporting positive change. This
intensive and tailored approach was regularly reviewed and supported by a care team.
To date, Sally is much more engaged and responsive as a parent and committed to improving
her parenting skills and addressing her personal and mental health issues. The children’s
behaviour, cognitive and social development has improved considerably since they started
childcare, which is also ensuring that they are provided with nutritious meals on most days.
This also provides Sally with the time to attend to her appointments and have one-on-one time
with each of her children. Most significantly, there are no longer concerns about the immediate
safety or care of the children and there have been no further reports to child protection.
Kirstin Hargreaves, Senior Practitioner, Family Coaching
Catherine Kavanagh, Family Coaching Case Practitioner, Kildonan Uniting Care
6
Shantai Croisdale, Senior Policy and Program Advisor, Family Services, Department of
Human Services
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Sally’s view of what the Family Coaching Victoria program has meant to her:
Aisha’s story: collaboration, care and a learning experience
Aisha is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her parents and six of her nine siblings. Aisha is
Somalian and the family migrated to Australia when Aisha was five following traumatic events,
including her father being kidnapped for a period of time.
In August 2010, child protection became involved with the family due to concerns in relation
to Aisha absconding from the family home, associating with older unknown people considered
undesirable to the family and being exposed to substance use. At home, Aisha was displaying
aggressive behaviour including assaulting her mother and damaging property. When she
absconded from the family home, at times for several days, her family did not seek her
out, and instead, preferred contacting the authorities, including police and after hours child
protection emergency service.
Aisha’s parents sought an Intervention Order that placed limitations on her behaviour at home.
This did not prevent Aisha continuing to engage in high risk activities outside the family home
and her school attendance became irregular, increasing her time with other adolescents and
young adults who were also not engaged in education or employment.
Given the array of concerns, Family Coaching Victoria (FCV) was considered an appropriate
service, aiming to keep Aisha safe and living at home. A Family Care and Action Plan was
developed in consultation with Aisha’s parents. The plan focused on providing guidance and
practical support to her parents led by the FCV practitioner as part of a care team including
Kildonan Uniting Care, Melbourne City Mission (MCM), child protection and the student welfare
coordinator. Aisha’s parents were supported to better understand and relate to their daughter
who seemed to be asserting her increased need for independence, as many adolescents do,
and also conflicted about her cultural and social identity.
Once FCV became involved, it was increasingly clear that Aisha’s activities were placing her
at unacceptable risk. It was necessary for FCV practitioners (Kildonan and Melbourne City
Mission – Finding Solutions Plus) and care team members to concentrate their efforts on
ensuring Aisha’s safety and wellbeing. Clear plans for responding to crisis were developed
with child protection, including placements in secure welfare as necessary. The care team was
mindful of working towards the goals established in agreement with the parents in the Family
Care and Action Plan and ensuring that Aisha’s parents remained actively involved in decision
making in relation to their daughter.
Members of the care team, including child protection, frequently met with the parents to
discuss Aisha’s behaviour, particularly her entrenched pattern of returning home past her
curfew. The family was encouraged to be thoughtful about the factors that underpinned
Aisha’s behaviour and was supported to improve the quality of interactions with Aisha. This
remains a ‘work in progress’ and includes providing strategies about how to be clear with
Aisha regarding limits and boundaries, praising her when she abides by her parent’s rules and
engaging in small talk to show her they have a genuine interest in her life and those things she
is passionate about.
Over several months there has been an increasing and noticeable change in Aisha’s
behaviours. Her risk taking has decreased and there have been no secure welfare admissions
and/or police attention. Since February 2011, Aisha has regularly attended school. Until
recently, her school days were shortened to avoid her feeling overwhelmed, however she now
attends full time and feedback from her teachers is that she is academically very capable.
21
Aisha’s relationship with her parents has improved and there has been less conflict over rules
and boundaries and her behaviour. There was one minor incident of physical aggression, but
following the incident, Aisha understood there would be consequences. Aisha, to her credit,
has persisted in trying to use alternative and more constructive strategies to reduce her
feelings of frustration when she is at home.
Aisha has developed a sense of trust among her four workers (Kildonan, Melbourne City
Mission, child protection, student welfare coordinator) and has demonstrated that she feels
equally comfortable contacting any of these workers to discuss her problems or concerns.
Aisha has also accepted counselling with the Take Two therapist and this has led the way for
her parents to also engage in family therapy, recognising that they would like to further improve
their communication and relationship with their daughter.
Several important factors have contributed to the positive outcomes for Aisha and her family.
Innovative and responsive service provision has been critical in affecting change and
reducing Aisha’s level and type of risk. The capacity of the FCV Kildonan practitioner and
Melbourne City Mission Finding Solutions Plus specialist adolescent worker to intensively
support Aisha and reconnect her with school has been extremely important. The capacity to
be responsive, to have daily contact with Aisha, to transport her daily to school and to provide
an outreach service has been central to facilitating necessary changes. Further, the capacity to
provide a crisis response to Aisha has enabled workers to immediately respond to her need to
feel safe and cared for.
The care team approach has also been pivotal to delivering successful outcomes. The care
team members consistently maintained respect for each other, valuing each participant’s
respective role and contributions. The care team meetings enabled a collaborative approach
across the different service types and facilitated the intensity of support provided. This has
provided more holistic support to the family and has been central to enabling Aisha to remain
at home with her family.
The unwavering support of her school together with its pivotal role in the care team have
been essential to Aisha’s progress and to cementing the cooperation and commitment of
the care team. Their flexibility in testing and trialling innovative strategies such as engaging a
teacher’s aid to help keep Aisha at school when she is not able to stay in the classroom, has
enabled her to remain connected to school.
The continuity of practitioner support provided to Aisha and the flexibility of choice of
support has been possible through the multi-service partnership. This model has given her
some choices and control over decisions that affect her, while also providing consistency and
stability in the approach to Aisha and her family.
The relationship that the professionals have established with Aisha and her parents
has also been important to facilitating desired changes. All professionals have engaged with
Aisha and her parents in a respectful manner, showing compassion for the difficulties being
experienced and admiration for Aisha and her parents’ strengths and skills. Professionals have
been genuinely interested to learn about the parenting and cultural experiences of Somalians
who live in Australia, and keen to hear of their joys, successes and challenges. Importantly, the
family and professionals were able to work together towards agreed goals.
Through this mutual engagement and partnership approach, the family and the key
workers have been able to discuss and challenge a parenting practice that would not have
been in Aisha’s interests. Aisha’s parents explained to professionals a cultural practice that
occurred in Somalia in circumstances where a child continued to defy their parent’s authority.
This practice involved expelling the child from the family and sending them away to a place
that approximates a youth custodial setting, meaning that the child was cut off from their
family, often for interminable periods. Aisha’s parents and the care team were able to discuss
this intervention and its applicability in the Australian context and to work together to plan
alternative methods of resolving the child and adult conflict and keeping Aisha safe and at
home with her parents.
Culturally sensitive practice that is engaging for the whole family has made all the difference.
Cath Grelli, Senior Practitioner, Family Coaching, Kildonan Uniting Care
Mary Flory, Case Practitioner, Finding Solutions Plus, Melbourne City Mission
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Family coaching in Loddon Mallee Region
The Loddon Mallee Family Coaching pilot is provided in partnership with
St Luke’s, Anglicare, Bendigo & District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC),
Njernda Aboriginal Corporation and the Department of Human Services.
Like other Family Coaching pilots, it aims to prevent Aboriginal children
being placed in out-of-home care.
The Family Coaching Victoria pilot is part of the placement prevention
program in this region. It provides an integrated and more flexible
approach to supporting families at risk of children and young people
entering out-of-home care.
The program and service model has developed a single, intergrated
point of entry to community service organisation-based and Aboriginal
organisation based pilot projects and to pre-existing placement
prevention and reunification services.
The project began in October 2010 and since then has supported
55 families (until the end of May 2011) including 27 families at any
one time, of which 11 are Aboriginal families.
The Loddon Mallee region has the second highest regional population
of Aboriginal people in Victoria. Aboriginal children and young people
in this region are over represented in the child protection system. The
program is committed to making a difference for Aboriginal children.
Program reflections
The pilot in this region is in its early days with all partners hopeful that this new way of working
will strengthen the relationships between agencies and ensure effective collaboration.
So far, BDAC and Njernda have provided positive feedback about child protection’s role in
the partnership work with the family coaching clients and child protection, and St Luke’s has
developed a better understanding of the services Aboriginal families can access from BDAC
and Njernda, and has increased respect for the ways in which Aboriginal agencies work with
their families. There has been a commitment to working closely together to improve practice
and through enhanced relationships and communication, resolve differences effectively.
Assessments conducted by child protection, St Luke’s and BDAC have involved families
needing support in placement prevention and reunification, and have provided opportunities for
all staff to learn from each other and value the strengths of each agency.
Early outcome data indicates a reduction in the number of infants being placed into care in
the southern catchment of Loddon Mallee Region. In addition, some families who had child
protection involvement are actively involved with family coaching services. It is quite likely that
some of these families would previously have faced the Children’s Court and longer-term child
protection involvement.
All the agencies are enthusiastic about continuing this important work that consolidates
relationships across services and provides children and families with more tailored and
intensive service responses.
Vivian Cooper, Unit Manager Child Protection, Department of Human Services
Our endeavours to provide support for Aboriginal families that come into the placement
prevention program in the Loddon Mallee region have been enhanced by the partnership
between the Department of Human Services and the Bendigo and District Aboriginal
Cooperative and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation. The department has demonstrated its
commitment to joining with the principal workers within Aboriginal organisations to provide a
cooperative response to the needs of children and their families in Aboriginal communities.
Elizabeth Schepisi, Aboriginal Clinical Supervisor, BDAC/Njernda
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Donna, James and baby Steven’s story: a new baby brings big changes
The following story recognises the achievements of our families and acknowledges
the value of the partnership between Njernda, Bendigo and District Aboriginal
Cooperative (BDAC), St Luke’s Family Services and the Department of Human
Services.
Donna, aged 15, had a baby, Steven, with James, 18. Both parents were dependent on
marijuana, homeless, isolated from family, community and social support and struggling to
manage on a daily basis. Both had unstable backgrounds with many disruptions in their
own experiences of being parented, so it was unsurprising that they had little knowledge or
understanding of how to bond with and care for their baby.
In beginning the work with Donna and James, the Family Coaching Victoria (FCV) practitioner
spent time helping James and Donna clarify their goals and building a clearer sense of how
they would like their lives to look. Being conscious of how isolated and unsupported this young
couple were, the FCV practitioner also began by charting the networks of support for the
family, including their Aboriginal extended family and elders, trying to identify people who were
significant and who could help coach and mentor them in caring for their baby, and potentially
provide accommodation and general support.
While the young couple initially struggled to find stable accommodation, they were able to take
several positive steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of baby Steven. With the support and
help of the FCV practitioner, Donna and James made sure their baby was seen regularly by the
maternal and child health nurse and they participated in a Parenting and Skills Development
Service assessment.
They applied for Centrelink benefits, obtained Medicare cards and made formal applications
for housing. To address their housing concerns, the couple actively connected with community
elders to find accommodation and support for themselves and their baby. James also
participated in the ‘Lead On’ driving program to obtain a driver’s licence.
With support from their workers, they faced many obstacles, including moving from one
address to another, struggling with their drug use and difficulties organising or attending
appointments. Despite these and other challenges facing James and Donna, including at
one point a significant issue relating to their spiritual and emotional wellbeing, both parents
continued to bond well with their baby who became the focal point for their changes. Donna
increasingly made more eye contact with her baby, faced the baby inward towards her,
laughed and talked directly to the baby and James began to view his drug use differently,
stating: ‘I shouldn’t be doing this, I am a dad now’.
Moreover, both parents also began to address their mental health concerns, focusing on
the need to be able to care well for Steven and keeping their appointments. The connection
established with their baby and the joy he gave to James and Donna prompted further
positive changes. A significant moment came when James was attending an appointment
with the local GP along with the BDAC placement prevention practitioner and they were
discussing his reduced dependency on marijuana. When the GP asked: ‘How long have you
been using less’, James turned to the practitioner and replied: ‘How long have you been
working with us, Michelle?’
Donna and James have now been able to entirely take over the care of Steven and proudly
celebrate his developmental milestones (for example, ‘he slept all night last night’). The family
continues to be engaged with the Family Coaching Victoria practitioner and issues relating
to the young couple’s wellbeing continue to be addressed by various health workers and
specialists.
Several important elements were involved in helping the couple and baby Steven. The
gathering of information is crucial to any success we might have in supporting families to
keep their children safe and in their care. This approach includes an acknowledgement of
Aboriginal way of knowing, an Aboriginal way of gathering that includes details not just about
systems and networks in the family’s lives but also information about country and spirituality.
It is a way of listening, of building the story, of checking the facts, the family’s view of the facts,
about building trust and learning about each other. The gathering of story and the time taken
was essential.
The persistent support from the BDAC Family Coaching Victoria practitioner and their natural
networks was also very important in enabling Donna and James to make positive changes.
By sitting in the kitchen every week (and often more than once a week) just talking, the ups
and downs they experienced were endured and the family made huge progress.
Furthermore, it was important that this young couple was patiently supported and given time
to gradually make the changes that they did. Also essential was the process of allowing them
to find their own way through their problems and identify the things they most wanted to do to
improve their circumstances and be better able to care for and parent their baby.
Throughout the work with this young family, the BDAC placement prevention program
practitioner provided weekly progress reports to the Department of Human Services. The child
protection practitioner understood and appreciated the work of the program and this led to
a good working relationship. At the time of the referral there were significant risks for baby
Steven and his placement out of his parent’s care was imminent. The partnership between
child protection and BDAC resulted in a reduction of risk and significant improvements in the
parents’ capacity to look after their baby. Further child protection and Children’s Court activity
has been avoided and the family continues to be engaged with FCV.
Elizabeth Schepisi, Aboriginal Clinical Supervisor, BDAC/Njernda
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OzChild’s respite care program
OzChild’s respite care program offers families with minimal or no
extended family or friendship networks, assistance and support in
caring for their children. The family is linked to an identified volunteer
foster family in the community. This family provides a regular break
for the carers or parents usually for one weekend a month, in a safe
and nurturing environment for the child while meeting the child’s
physical, emotional and developmental needs and offering positive
life experiences.
The program primarily caters for children aged four to fifteen, however
children aged two to three years are considered if they are part of a
sibling group.
Respite care is offered for up to six months, and has the potential to be
extended for a further six months if required, following a review of the
family/carer circumstances.
All respite placements are managed by one worker who is responsible
for placement match to ongoing case management.
From June 2010 until June 2011, OzChild received more than 43 referrals
to place children in the respite program. From these, 27 children were
matched with a foster family.
Holly’s story: continuity creates strong connections
Holly’s story highlights the critical role that respite care plays in supporting
families, preventing placement breakdown and providing children with stability and
continuity of care. Providing carers or parents with monthly planned time out from
children who often have challenging behaviour can make a real difference to their
ability to provide ongoing and optimal care to their children.
Holly is a four-year-old girl who was living with her aunt Mary in a kinship arrangement. In
June 2010, Holly was referred by the OzChild kinship worker and the Department of Human
Services for regular respite to give Mary, who was a single carer with limited support, a break.
It was also hoped that this would enable Mary to spend time with her eight-year-old son
William, who had challenging behaviours and was struggling to share his mother’s attention.
Soon after the referral was received, a respite match was made for Holly with Judy and Sean
and their three children. Holly was very excited to be going on respite because she perceived
it as a ‘holiday’. Given Holly and Mary lived some distance apart, it was agreed that they would
meet in a central location so each party did not have to travel too far.
Holly typically required constant attention, always wanting her carer to attend to her. The
respite carers were aware that Holly’s need for constant attention was difficult for Mary to
manage. They decided to encourage and teach Holly to play independently. The carers
provided Holly with games and activities and she started playing for short periods by herself
with games she had chosen, gradually increasing the time Holly amused herself. Judy and
Sean and Mary noted an improvement in Holly’s independent play skills.
In September 2010, the decision was made by child protection for Holly to transition back to
her mother Joanne’s care. The transition plan included an increase in Mary’s responsibilities
and respite care was an important support enabling Mary to actively participate in and support
Holly in her transition back to her mother.
The final respite was a weekend in November 2010 but in December 2010 the carers arranged
a lunch for Holly, Mary and William at their home before Holly moved back to live with her
mother permanently. The lunch was a great way of saying goodbye and thanking Holly for
coming to visit on the weekends.
Holly’s story highlights the critical role that respite care plays in supporting families. Not only do
respite carers provide stability and continuity of care and prevent placement breakdowns, they
add value to the child’s experience. Holly certainly benefited from the positive connection she
formed with her respite carers and from the ways they helped her development.
Holly’s story also highlights the importance of the respite carers’ focus on the child’s needs
and their willingness to be flexible and adapt to changes in the child’s life. Carers such as Judy
and Sean can also play an important role as models for the child and their birth families. Mary
acknowledged the benefits of the support provided by respite care and she is now providing
respite care for Joanne now. It is hoped that with Mary’s support, Holly will be able to remain in
her mother’s full-time care and future child protection involvement will not be necessary.
The success of this story was largely due to having one consistent worker. This continuity
enabled a sound knowledge of the child and her needs, an understanding of the needs of
the caregiver and a solid connection with the respite carers. The worker was able to build
a connection and ensure that the respite care process worked smoothly and effectively for
all parties. The worker was also able to provide feedback to child protection on the positive
impacts of respite care and the consequent gains Holly had made, which was greatly valued
by child protection because of the positive difference it made for Holly.
Jody Lowe and Christine Cosimi, OzChild
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Therapeutic support and intervention
OzChild Intensive Therapeutic Program
The OzChild Intensive Therapeutic Program forms part of the Child
FIRST Family Solutions Partnership for Frankston and the Mornington
Peninsula. It began as a pilot program in late 2006 when the
partnership recognised that there was a significant proportion of
high-needs families and that their children would benefit from more
intensive and short- term intervention/case management with a
‘therapeutic’ focus. This would aim to address issues impacting on
parent/child relationships and build more effective parenting.
The service provides up to four hours of client contact and one hour
of indirect client contact a week for three to six months with the
capacity to work longer term if required. This model is based on the
notion that intensive work over a shorter period may assist families
to make changes required to endure longer-term sustainable change
within their family.
Ralph’s story: establishing love and respect at home
This is a story about a single father, Ralph, and his children, Matthew, Roger and Jenny, aged
14, 12 and 10. They were referred to the Child FIRST Family Solutions – OzChild Intensive
Therapeutic Program, by child protection. At the time of referral, child protection had been
involved with the family for about two years. Ralph, who was the sole carer of the children, had
contacted or presented to child protection three times stating that he was ‘not coping’ with
his children’s ‘out of control behaviours’ and was in desperate need of help. Ralph had been
working hard to house and feed his children and was just able to make ends meet financially.
Over the years, the children were left in the care of many babysitters (at least 11) while Ralph
spent a lot of time away due to work commitments. The children’s mother, who had significant
drug and alcohol issues, had left the children when they were young, but was now reportedly
doing well and having regular access with her children. Ralph’s relationship with the children’s
mother was strained and conflictual, and he was focused on the past and critical of the
children’s mother for his current situation.
At the time of referral, Roger, the middle child, was placed in a residential care unit. According
to child protection, Ralph had been unable to manage Roger’s behaviours and keep him safe;
however Ralph was working with child protection towards Roger returning home. Roger was
at home three days a week and this was going well. Before a decision was made to return
Roger home full time to his father’s care, it was considered important to address Ralph’s
autocratic parenting style and try to increase his understanding and tolerance of his children’s
behaviours. Ralph, in the absence of other parenting strategies, continued to be punitive
towards the children in an effort to manage their behaviours and he spent little quality or fun
time with them.
Ralph’s parenting style affected the children in various ways: the eldest child, Matthew,
copied his father’s autocratic parenting style, which led to immense sibling conflict. This also
led to conflict between Matthew and his father, as they battled for more control. The middle
child, Roger, who was already quite disempowered (having been removed from the family
home), fought at every turn to regain some ground when he had visiting time with his family.
This would often lead to physical altercations between the brothers. The youngest child, Jenny,
who described the home as a battleground, was also involved in this unhealthy power battle.
She would often ‘trash’ her room, refuse to undertake tasks asked of her, and leave food
scraps hidden under her bed for weeks, which infuriated her father.
A major tension in the family involved Ralph giving the children chores to complete which were
linked to monetary rewards. These chores involved all household tasks (cooking, washing
up, preparing school lunches, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, toilet etc). Ralph felt that
he did not need to undertake any housework because he already ‘worked full time’. The
chores were linked to pocket money that the children never received, because they always
lost the money in advance as punishment for not completing all of the chores. Moreover, as
Ralph was struggling financially, he did not have the money to reward the children even if they
did complete their chores. Ralph was very attached to the monetary reward system and he
struggled to understand why the children did not complete their chores, and why this led to so
much conflict in the home.
Ralph was trying to do his best as a parent, but he was highly negative and critical of the
children and struggled to recognise their qualities or acknowledge positive behaviour.
Through the Intensive Therapeutic Program, Ralph was provided with psycho-education about
the importance of attachment in facilitating children’s development and the impacts of trauma
and loss. Ralph was invited to consider the ways in which the children’s lives may have been
affected by inconsistencies and disruptions in parenting caused by their mother’s substance
use while they were in her care, and by her inability to meet their needs. Ralph was also invited
to reflect on the children’s experience of numerous babysitters who had entered and left their
lives, some of whom had formed important connections to the children. He was able to reflect
upon how these numerous disruptions and separations experienced by the children from an
early age may have impacted on their ability to trust adults and feel safe, and the ways this
could manifest in their behaviour. He was also encouraged to reflect on his own childhood
experiences, including his experience of being parented and to identify the impacts on his
own parenting style. This was skillful work as it is so important that stressed parents do not
feel blamed by services.
Ralph became very interested in these sessions and made important links between his own
childhood experiences and how he now related to his children. As time went on, Ralph
seemed to soften towards his children, developing increased compassion and understanding
of their needs and behaviours. With encouragement, he began to find the ‘good’ in his children
and became more capable of praising them.
Games were provided so that Ralph and his children could learn how to play and interact
together in a fun way. Ralph was asked to identify one positive praiseworthy thing for each
child daily. A new chores roster, which included Ralph, was established with the children –
with no monetary rewards attached. Instead, the rewards focused on one-to-one time with
the children and their father.
Ralph and his children had also been quite socially isolated, placing further strain on family
relationships. After consideration, Ralph engaged with a church group that offered activities for
children on a Friday night. Ralph and the children benefited greatly from this group and began
going to a Sunday church service as well. The children began to talk about the fun they were
having with their father and how great things were in their family. Ralph also started taking
33
Roger to the church group. Roger struggled with this at first due to his social limitations but
Ralph persisted in helping him overcome his fears by spending time with him in this new
environment until he was more comfortable to participate. Ralph stated that his proudest
moment was when Roger volunteered to take part in the church service, which Ralph captured
in numerous photos.
Ralph was also referred to counselling with the OzChild Family Solutions Psychologist during
this time. The individual counselling was aimed at providing Ralph with an opportunity to
address some of his personal issues. In doing so, Ralph had additional support, further
enabling him to actively engage with the changes associated with interventions promoted
by his family’s participation in the OzChild Intensive Therapeutic Program. Ralph’s personal
counselling helped him to overcome his anger at the children’s mother and develop a more
respectful relationship with her. The improved relationship between their parents helped the
children to be comfortable in both homes and less torn in their loyalties.
At the end of the intervention, Ralph was planning to become more involved in community
service. He shared a great love and warmth with his children and was still actively working
towards Roger being returned to his full-time care. The children’s behaviours had improved
significantly and were no longer seen to be outside the realms of what was age-appropriate.
It was amazing to witness the transformation of a home that was fraught with battles over
power and control, to a home that became warm, loving and respectful. Following the OzChild
Intensive Therapeutic Program’s intervention, child protection decided to reunify Roger to his
family on a full-time basis.
Sharon McKeown, Case Manager, Child and Family Services, OzChild
Kim Mackay, Assistant Manager, Child and Family Services, OzChild
11
Take Two
Take Two is an intensive therapeutic service for children of all ages
who have had involvement with child protection and who have
suffered abuse, trauma and disrupted attachment.
Take Two has clinical staff in every region of Victoria who provide
therapeutic services to children and families and support and
consultation to child protection staff.
Take Two interventions focus on the child but include children’s
important relationships.
Phillipa’s story: the lost girl who was found
Phillipa is a five-year-old girl. Since birth, her parents had been unable to relate to and interact
with her in sensitive and emotionally available ways and often her care and developmental
needs were not well met. Phillipa’s mother suffered from bipolar disorder and her father was
often physically absent from the family home due to work commitments. In Phillipa’s words,
her mother ‘didn’t look at me’ and ‘didn’t say anything’. Her parents’ relationship had ceased
but they still lived together. With her father spending long periods away, Phillipa was left in her
mother’s primary care. Child protection became involved when, during a psychotic episode,
her mother left Phillipa alone in a park overnight. Phillipa suffered mild hypothermia, sustained
some minor abrasions and had some frightening and traumatic memories of this night.
After child protection became involved, Phillipa’s parents physically separated and she was
placed in the full-time care of her father, who left his work to become the full-time caregiver.
Phillipa’s mother received mental health case management support, occasional inpatient
treatment and regular psychiatric review from an adult mental health service. It became clear
that Phillipa’s mother could not resume the role of primary carer. Her mother recognised this
herself and was pleased for Phillipa to live with her father. Phillipa’s visits with her mother were
supported by her father, who helped Phillipa on the days when her mother was not able to
respond to her needs.
The desired outcome of the referral to Take Two was for Phillipa to re-establish a sense of
confidence in the adults who cared for her. Initially, her mother was unable to acknowledge
the significance and impact of Phillipa’s recent trauma experience. Her father had a limited
understanding of how to respond to Phillipa at times when she discussed what it was like
for her being left alone overnight. Phillipa showed delays in her social development and was
selectively mute with people she did not know, and completely mute at kindergarten with
the teachers and other children. Phillipa sometimes became animated in front of a mirror in
response to her own reflection. These were strong indications that Phillipa was affected not
just by the one major traumatic incident but by a cumulative pattern of harm in which her
developmental needs were not adequately met.
The therapeutic intervention by Take Two included Phillipa attending weekly sessions of
individual psychotherapy and child-focused parenting sessions with her parents. These
sessions were intended to support Phillipa’s parents in their understanding of, and response to
35
her development, emotional functioning and behaviours. The Take Two clinician also spent time
at the kindergarten observing Phillipa and talking with the staff about helpful strategies, and
attended monthly meetings with the kindergarten staff, child protection and Phillipa’s father.
During her individual therapeutic work, Phillipa explored verbally and through play, the trauma
of being alone in the park. The process of sharing information enabled Phillipa to make sense
of what had happened for her in a developmentally appropriate way. Coinciding with her
therapy, Phillipa began to talk about other experiences with her mother. Phillipa’s mother’s
participation in the child-focused parent work increased her capacity to consider Phillipa’s
experiences and respond to Phillipa in a more emotionally responsive manner.
Despite reaching a point of speaking incessantly during the therapy sessions and at home,
Phillipa did not talk to the Take Two clinician or anyone else when at kindergarten. She was
overwhelmed by being surrounded by peers who were verbal and playful, which appeared
foreign and scary to her. The kindergarten had reached a point of expecting her to be nonverbal, and after numerous failed attempts to engage her, there was a sense that staff and
peers had given up. With Phillipa’s move to her father’s full-time care, some distance away
from where her mother lived, she was enrolled in a new kindergarten. A lot of preparatory
work went into ensuring that staff understood her earlier experiences and subsequent
difficulties engaging with others. Staff members were sensitive to Phillipa’s need for
one-to-one time, and small group activities. She made friends and the class were excited
the day Phillipa made a ‘noise’.
Before the end of Take Two’s involvement, her mother acknowledged that Phillipa’s discussion
of the past had been difficult for her, but helpful in enabling them both to move forward.
In a similar way, Phillipa’s father had become better equipped to provide Phillipa with the
space to communicate about her experiences and reflected that he rediscovered himself
and his role as a father. Phillipa had reached the point of experiencing her parents as
responding to, accepting and encouraging, her thoughts, feelings and experiences. With
the experience of having her internal world considered by her parents, Phillipa became more
confident to engage with her external world. Her use of a mirror as a source of interaction
and play, in response to not having her verbal and social cues otherwise responded to, was
no longer necessary. Outside her relationship with her parents and therapy, Phillipa continued
to show some selectivity regarding with whom, and in which situations, she would speak.
It was anticipated that as Phillipa’s self-confidence strengthened and her positive experience
of being understood by those around her continued, she would become more comfortable
with communicating verbally.
Through the experience of an unwavering commitment of her father to meeting her needs for
a physically and emotionally safe and nurturing home environment, Phillipa’s confidence was
restored in the capacity of the adults in her world to meet her needs. Her engagement in the
therapy process facilitated further shifts, such as her mastery of her past traumatic experiences
and the development of a better organised internal world. Phillipa’s relationship with her
parents had been renewed to include a better sense of emotional connectedness, which will
hopefully strengthen as Phillipa continues to experience these relationships as meeting her
needs. As her original referral to the Take Two program had hoped, it was felt that Phillipa had
‘re-established confidence in the adults who care for her’.
Phillipa’s story is an example of how individual and family therapy combined with therapeutic
roles with those in her world made the positive changes sustainable. The focus of this
intervention was not to change Phillipa’s behaviour but to change the world around her so that
she no longer needed those behaviours to feel safe.
Natalie Tillinger, Senior Clinician, Take Two, Barwon South-West Region
12
37
Sexual Abuse Counselling and Prevention Program
The Sexual Abuse Counselling and Prevention Program (SACPP) at
Children’s Protection Society (CPS) is a counselling service for families
who have experienced sexual abuse. SACPP specialises in sibling sexual
abuse cases and views taking responsibility as a crucial part of healing
and rebuilding relationships.
John and Michael’s story: the power of apology
The family in this story self-referred to SACPP after their 16-year-old son, John,
sexually abused his 10-year-old brother, Michael. The parents and both boys were
committed and responsive to the therapeutic process from the beginning.
The following story describes the process of therapy with John, Michael and their parents after
John’s sexual abuse of Michael. It illustrates the important and interconnected elements of
therapeutic work, which enabled the family to re-establish safety and move towards healing
and recovery after this harmful and distressing experience.
The initial and most important first step in the therapeutic intervention was to ensure that
there was a safe environment in which Michael would be protected from further incidents of
sexual abuse and in which John was not in a situation where he was at risk of re-offending.
A thorough safety assessment was made and a decision reached that there was sufficient
physical and psychological safety for John and Michael to continue to live together, with some
safety measures introduced. The sleeping arrangements in the family home were altered so
that John no longer shared a bedroom with his siblings and the boy’s parents were committed
to vigilantly supervising John’s contact with Michael and his younger siblings.
John attended therapy at CPS for one year and he was motivated to participate in treatment.
He engaged openly and honestly in discussions with counsellors, while contributing his own
questions and dilemmas. John fully acknowledged his sexually abusive behaviour towards his
brother and was able to demonstrate an understanding that his behaviour was unacceptable
on a number of levels, including legally and morally. He presented as extremely remorseful and
had every intention that he would not repeat this behaviour. His aim was to complete treatment
and put his abusive actions behind him.
Counselling was provided to the boys’ mother to help her deal with her distress and grief and
the impact the sibling sexual abuse had had on her and her family. The individual support she
received helped her to keep both boys’ needs in mind and support them with their individual
counselling. The boy’s father also attended several parent sessions.
During John’s treatment, conflict between him and his mother escalated and she contemplated
his removal from the family home. At this time, joint counselling occurred between John and
his mother to address the conflict and communication breakdown. This was an important and
useful intervention because they were able to communicate in a safe environment their different
perspectives on a range of issues and negotiate effectively. They reported that communication
between them subsequently improved substantially.
A significant part of the work with John involved advocating for him with lawyers, police,
courts and his school. John was not allowed to return to school as a consequence of his
actions; however counsellors supported John and his parents through school meetings to
address safety concerns, while John committed to improving his academic performance.
John returned to school, applied himself and made significant improvements. He was voted
class captain towards the end of his therapy. In addition, his counsellor provided progress
reports to the court about his treatment. At the end of his treatment, the court dismissed
John’s charges, given the significant progress he had made, in treatment and other parts
of his life.
Michael, as the victim of the sexual abuse, also needed therapeutic intervention. Counselling
with him focused on his feelings of responsibility regarding the abuse, and his ability to
communicate his needs to others. Initially he felt responsible for the abuse because he felt
that he ‘gave in’ to his brother’s advances. Counselling conversations explored the importance
of his relationship with John. Michael had difficulty being able to express when something
was upsetting him, and so the focus turned to resources to help him feel confident asserting
himself and to communicate with appropriate adults when feeling unsafe or needing support to
manage his emotions. Over time, Michael was able to acknowledge that his relationship with
John was very important, and fearful of disappointing or upsetting John. He had ‘participated’
in the abuse. He also realised that John had taken advantage of the ways in which Michael
had valued and looked up to him.
Michael was also educated about ‘grooming’ as a technique that offenders use to break
down the defences of their victims. Michael was able to identify that he needed his brother
to take responsibility for the abuse so that Michael could stop blaming himself and feeling
implicated in the offending. Upon reflection between Michael and his counsellor, it was
decided that a formal apology from John may help Michael with this.
Both parents were eager to support their sons through the apology process. Several
preparation sessions were carried out with John, Michael and their parents leading up
to the apology session. This was to ensure that Michael’s needs were met during this
process and that John was able to address the issues of concern to Michael. The
preparation and proposed apology session also provided John with a valuable opportunity
to take responsibility for his behaviour and provide reassurance about future safety, in a
non-shaming environment.
The session involved John apologising to Michael and his parents for his sexually abusive
behaviour towards his brother. John prepared a letter of apology and read it to Michael in
the presence of his parents and their counsellors. This is an excerpt from the letter:
My past action towards you was very wrong. Don’t think that it was your fault in any way.
It was 100 per cent my fault because I am the older brother and should have been the
responsible one. I should have also been taking care and protecting you … instead, I took
advantage of you and hurt you. My future goal is to always protect you and I really promise
from my heart it will never happen again. I have learnt to accept my actions and I am again
very sorry that it happened.
John’s apology was heartfelt and genuine and following his apology, his parents commented
that they were very proud of both their sons for working so hard throughout the therapeutic
process. They also stated that they were glad that John’s sexually abusive behaviour was
39
discovered because it helped John change many aspects of his life in a very positive manner.
The father also apologised to Michael that the abuse had happened to him and reassured
him that he would make sure that Michael would always be protected. The whole family were
moved to tears and John and Michael hugged.
Family counselling has enabled the impacts of sexual abuse, particularly upon Michael, to be
addressed and the family environment strengthened by its focus on safety and communication.
John completed his treatment and criminal charges were dismissed, and his parents
acknowledged the hard work that John had done to turn his life around.
The apology process provided the family with an important stepping stone to continue their
healing process.
Andrea Guest and Damien Gafforini, Counsellors, SAPCC, Children’s Protection Society
13
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41
Building professional skills and capacities a culture of learning in Victoria
Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Practice and Graduate
Diploma in Child and Family Practice Leadership
The Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Practice has been designed
to develop child protection practitioners and family services workers’
knowledge base and create more effective direct practice skills. Fifty seven
students have graduated from this course since its inception in 2009.
The Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Practice Leadership has been
designed to develop responsive and dynamic leaders with advanced
management skills in the child and family sector. Thirty one students
have graduated from this course since its inception in 2009 and our
congratulations go to them all.
The graduate programs are delivered by a consortium of education
providers consisting of La Trobe University, the Bouverie Centre, the
University of Melbourne, Take Two (Berry Street Victoria), Victorian
Aboriginal Child Care Agency and the Department of Human Services.
A further diploma course (of two years) and two further certificate
(one year) courses have been funded and are available to staff from
child protection and family services, with one-third of the funded
places allocated to family services and Aboriginal Community Controlled
Organisations.
The skills and abilities of frontline practitioners in child protection and family services are
inextricably linked to positive outcomes for children and families. The role of leaders and
managers in supporting and developing these staff is also pivotal to the outcomes for
children and families, and to building a skilled, competent and sustainable workforce.
The Graduate Certificate in Child and Family Practice and the Graduate Diploma in Child and
Family Practice Leadership have provided opportunities for practitioners within child protection
and across the family services sector to learn and develop skills and competencies to improve
their work with families and staff within their organisations.
Those who have undertaken the courses have provided positive feedback in relation to the
content, the opportunities to reflect on their work, their own learning and development, the
benefits of child protection practitioners and family service workers building relationships and
sharing information in a creative learning environment, and the value of guest lecturers such
as Professor Eileen Munro (London School of Economics) and Dr Bruce Perry (United States
Child Trauma Academy).
It is envisaged that the next graduate certificate and graduate diploma courses will continue
to aid the learning and development and professional skills of child protection practitioners
and family services workers and foster increased knowledge, understanding and collaborative
partnerships.
If you would like to discuss the graduate programs further, please contact Lynda Whitaker from
the Department of Human Services on (03) 9096 9283.
Reflections on the Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Practice Leadership
2009-2011
Over the past two years, I have actively and enthusiastically participated in the Graduate
Diploma of Child and Family Practice Leadership. The process of learning has rested largely
on increasing our professional knowledge base, peer supervision and critical reflection. This
learning process has helped me develop skills to become a more effective leader. I have
learnt much about myself and about critical leadership capabilities such as self-management
and awareness and emotional intelligence. I have also learnt how I can apply my learnings in
my workplace and strengthen the support I give to my staff. I have learnt that a good leader
continues to learn and try new things and ‘elicits what they project’.
There have been many key learnings from the graduate diploma. One that stands out and
which has had the most impact on my leadership in my workplace has been developing a
clearer understanding of the role emotions play in our work and the importance of developing
critical reflective practices to help develop emotional intelligence. My goal has been to utilise
this learning from the course by learning to manage my own emotions more effectively in my
guidance of others, and provide my staff with opportunities to further develop their emotional
intelligence.
I have applied my learning in this area to a piece of work with my management team where
we have changed the focus of our complex panel. The panel was previously designed
to support practitioners with practical case management decisions, but now focuses on
supporting practitioners to identify cases in which the emotions elicited from the work may
be a factor constraining progress or making practitioners feel ‘stuck’. Practitioners are
supported by the panel to identify and process their emotional responses to the case and to
plan more effectively utilising a critical reflective model. As Tony Morrisson (2006) explains, the
presence of any emotion, positive or negative can enhance the work and can be a vehicle
for analysis and assessment. Furthermore, leaders can influence the emotional, relational and
communication climate and promote warmth and respect.2
One of the other key learnings has been the importance of staff wellbeing as a vital
consideration for leaders. A happy and well functioning staff group is critical to effective work
and to good outcomes for our clients. To achieve this, I must strive to be a transformational,
relationally focused leader who promotes a shared vision, shared values and ideas for building
relationships and who also models and recognises the importance of self-care for practitioners
who work in such a demanding and challenging area.
A final and especially important learning has been an increased appreciation of the need for
all practitioners in child protection and family services to continue to develop our cultural
competence and to genuinely walk alongside our Aboriginal colleagues to influence cultural
change, in our workplaces and in the wider community.
I am extremely grateful for the learning opportunities that the course has afforded me.
Gaby Thomson, Acting Area Manager, Anglicare, Yarra Ranges
2. Morrison, T (2006) Emotional Intelligence, Emotion and Social Work: Context, Characteristics, Complication and
Contribution. British Journal of Social Work (2007) pp. 245-263
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Professional coaching in child protection
Good supervisors are not born – they are developed through clear
policies, good training, continuing supervision, the development of
skills and individual commitment (Morrison, 2005).3
Professional coaching is recognised as a well regarded and effective
learning strategy, particularly for leaders. It provides individual
managers space to reflect and set clearer leadership goals consistent
with the child protection capability framework and their desired
leadership style.
It differs from supervision, training and mentoring in that the coach
does not have to be more experienced and knowledgeable about child
protection. Mentoring is more suitable for new leaders who ask questions
and ‘pick the brain’ of the more experienced leader whereas coaching
works best with leaders who have been in the role for some time. A
mentor is someone you learn from and a coach is someone you learn
with. By using questions and harnessing the participant’s own expertise,
the coach facilitates greater motivation, insights and direction for leaders.
The benefits of coaching can include:
• building individual confidence, capability and satisfaction
• improving team engagement and performance
• organisational retention, increased morale and effective service delivery
• better outcomes for children and families.
Professional coaching for child protection unit managers and team leaders began in early
2011. Participants were offered ten hours of professional coaching over five months.
This new developmental opportunity is part of a broader child protection leadership
development strategy, and follows the statewide 360 degree feedback project in 2007 and the
Loddon Mallee professional coaching programs in 2007-08.
The department has engaged a private consultancy group to provide the professional coaching
over the next three years and to support child protection middle managers in assessing their
professional development needs.
The consultants collaborated with the Office of the Principal Practitioner and aim to further develop
our reflective culture and bring ‘alive’ the well received Leading practice: A resource guide for child
protection team and unit managers (2009), and the Best Interest Case Practice Model.
Vicki Grant, Southern Metropolitan Region acting response unit manager, recently commented
that ‘if I could have coaching every fortnight for the rest of my career, this would be wonderful
and things would run much smoother’.
3. Morrison, T (2005) Staff supervision in social care: making a real difference for staff and service users,
Pavillion, Brighton.
Anna Sandt, Central After Hours Service unit manager with 19 years’ experience, said ‘the
professional coaching came at an excellent time’.
Prior to coaching, I had no great expectations, however looked forward to an opportunity for
uninterrupted time that was going to be solely focused on ME ... my goals, my professional
development and my learning. I was also looking forward to this perception of myself as an
‘old dinosaur’ to turn into let’s say a Picasso – once again.
I am gaining valuable insight and learning into the professional self. My relationship with the
coach is a positive one, whereupon there is no fear of judgment, but rather active listening,
reflection and guidance with the view of developing action plans. This is a welcome change.
Why have I not prioritised self-development and professional reflection previously? Given
the nature of child protection and the number of years I have spent in this field, developing
resilience is what allows us to continue doing the work we do, delivering positive results to
the children and families we work with and mentoring and inspiring less experienced staff.
So some investment in our professional selves is priceless … so thank you.
The consultants have been impressed with the calibre of our middle managers and their
dedication and commitment towards improving practice and outcomes for child protection
children and families. They have also enjoyed the child protection managers’ ‘spirit of
curiosity and openness to different ideas and strategies, despite high workloads and other
workplace pressures’.
According to Bendeita lead coach Megan Fulford, coaching is all about asking the right, often
solution-focused questions so that participants can explore and develop their own goals and
work toward positive outcomes that are meaningful for them.
‘Coaching has allowed child protection managers to take some time out of their busy
and challenging environment to spend time reflecting on their leadership approach, their
interactions with colleagues and the interplay between the work they do and the dynamics of
the environment. This has enabled them to develop a leadership style that better reflects their
own values and is experienced as thoughtful and responsive with a high strategic impact.’
In terms of how the coaching has impacted on her leadership role and style, Vicki Grant said:
‘It has allowed me to look at how I behave as a manager; how I make decisions and what
dynamics are at play both personally and organisationally. This has brought the process of
decision-making and leadership influence to the forefront of my mind and to a more conscious
level, which has allowed me to examine what works well and what I can change to become
more effective.’
For Anna Sandt the impact has been just as significant. ‘Once we reach a certain level in our
careers, there is a risk of becoming cynical, nostalgic, even complacent. The knowledge, skills
and experience or practice wisdom that make up one’s capabilities can be masked within
a frame of routine; the notion of what has always worked, works best and we react. The
coaching has put the brakes on such a frame and in terms of its impact on my leadership it
is teaching me again to stop, look and listen (very simply put). In essence, it is the kick up the
proverbial that I needed to look at myself and see how I am and how I can continue to mentor/
inspire the people I work with. Leadership is basically back on the agenda.’
Interested child protection unit managers, team leaders, specialist positions and placement
coordination unit managers can speak with their line manager about professional coaching.
Sue Greig, Senior Project Officer, Leadership Development Strategy, Children, Youth and
Families, Department of Human Services
45
Specialist Intervention Team (SIT): partnering, coaching, enabling and
supporting regional practice and performance in child protection
In September 2010 a new statewide child protection Specialist
Intervention Team (SIT) began to form. The team consists of senior
case practitioners, organisational program improvement specialists and
service improvement leaders – who have a priority to work with regions
‘to help get service delivery right’ in child protection. It does this by
working in partnership with regional staff to tackle local trouble spots
such as case blockages and backlogs, by mentoring staff and working
as ‘internal consultants’ undertaking business improvement reviews and
analysis to support regional capability development and performance.
The team is based in the Service Delivery and Performance Division
of the Department of Human Services. It was formed to help regions
experiencing significant demand pressures and as an alternative to the
existing contingency approach in which central divisions deploy staff to
support regions on an ad hoc basis.
Generally the team is activated where requested by a regional director
or children youth and families manager, where a need to improve
statewide performance and consistency has been identified, where a
region’s performance trend drops below an agreed minimum, and to
help resolve an adverse event where there is critical client, staff or
program risk.
In September and October 2010, the team began providing direct
assistance to several regions experiencing significant demand pressures
and over the past nine months has been deployed to Loddon Mallee,
Southern, Grampians, Hume and Gippsland with recent ‘desktop’
support to Barwon-South Western and North West regions. The priority
of supporting regions with operational pressures will continue to be
a feature for the SIT, acknowledging that there have been significant
improvements across Victoria in recent months.
In addition to improving service delivery by supporting regions with
operational pressures, the team undertakes special projects such as
the Analysis of Regional Child Protection Intake Service Models and
Business Process, to provide evidence-based understanding of how
child protection intake is undertaken in Victoria. The objective is to build
capacity and sustainability by improving our ability to prioritise and
effectiveness, developing the workforce and sharing knowledge about
what works between regions. Most importantly, its task is to ensure
that regional staff have the tools and specialists support they need to
manage their very difficult business well.
Reflections from the Specialist Intervention Team
Much of the success and positive outcomes resulting from Specialist Intervention Team work
can be attributed to a mutually respectful partnership between team and regional staff. This
enhances our collective capacity to clearly identify and define the goals and expectations
that create the platform for service improvement. For example in a recent deployment to
a rural region, the shared goals were to identify and resolve cases for closure, resulting in
an increased capacity to allocate cases; provide mentoring to staff to increase skills and
confidence in undertaking and articulating assessments; assist in developing systems and
processes to manage work flow and support team leaders in identifying and addressing
workers’ skill and performance issues.
Team members have been attached to a designated team or unit because this was considered
the best place to determine the most productive way forward. It also provided the best
opportunity to understand the day-to-day workings of the team’s formal and informal systems.
Working continuously within one unit provided consistency for staff and strengthened our
working relationship, which contributed to effectively engaging staff in the process of change.
It was essential for Specialist Intervention Team members to understand local culture and ways
of working. By working with teams to analyse work practice themes and trends, we were able
to engage in supported reflective discussions with unit managers and team leaders to prioritise
and define specific and achievable goals.
One child protection team leader said: ‘I certainly feel that she [SIT member] has left me with a
little voice encouraging me to fully explore and develop my role in supporting, motivating and
developing my staff to reach the goals that we have set out not only as a team but goals that
will also underpin the business plan for the child protection unit so that best practice and client
outcomes are achieved in the best way possible.’ It has been a privilege to work with regional
staff in this way.
On another occasion, a region identified that staff needed more support to learn and
strengthen their skills in responding to Australian National Child Offender’s Register (ANCOR)
investigations. Subsequently SIT members gathered and provided relevant information, policy
and frameworks for investigating these matters. In relation to enhancing staff capability, it was
most important and necessary for SIT members to support staff to translate the information
into practice, through a practical mentoring role. In one team, the SIT member focused on
assisting senior practitioners within the team to develop and strengthen their interviewing and
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assessment skills in working with clients on ANCOR-related matters. This enhanced the senior
practitioners’ confidence, with a direct plan to continue to mentor other colleagues once the
Specialist Intervention Team had finished working within the region.
The analysis of the child protection teams’ workloads highlighted several important trends that
were impacting on the amount of work each team was holding and the subsequent throughput
of work. Examples include timeliness and communication of substantiation decision-making
and formal case planning and review.
While working with a long-term team, it was identified that case plan reviews were not
occurring in a formal sense, which was most likely contributing to case drift and potentially
increasing contested court applications. The SIT member undertook case plan reviews for
several cases and met with case managers and team leaders to discuss risk assessment and
planning. This enhanced purposeful work with children and families and created greater clarity
for the families and case managers about what was expected of them. This was achieved
through an educative and mentoring role by the SIT member, who also supported the unit
manager and team leader in communicating and developing a shared vision of how the team
want to practice and what steps individuals would take to achieve the team’s vision.
The team leader later reflected: ‘I came out of our first team meeting last week feeling
confident that the team is happy with the changes that I want to make and I also feel confident
that they will be continually striving for better outcomes for our families.’
These examples lead to an increase in staff confidence, skill and knowledge, as well as the
resolution of child protection’s involvement with a number of families that had been in the child
protection system for long periods. Naturally, the teams’ capacity increased to offer more
children allocated workers and the teams’ overall workload decreased. For team leaders, this
provided a valuable opportunity to spend more time supporting and developing staff.
On a day-to-day basis, the role of the SIT includes working to alleviate pressures placed
on staff, team leaders and unit managers, to allow them to focus on achieving positive
outcomes. This can include attending home visits with case managers, investigations, file
reviews, chairing meetings and completing associated administrative requirements as well
as closures and transfers; put simply, living out the Best Interest Case Practice Model.
While all of this is occurring, SIT members have a parallel focus of supporting staff to achieve
positive outcomes and to help team leaders and unit managers enhance, develop and
implement new systems or processes that will support teams to sustain the positive changes
and gains being made.
A unit manager reflected at the end of SIT’s work with her unit: ‘Without SIT we would not
have been able to make such significant changes in a short period of time and staff are
enjoying a more structured, systemised approach to their practice. Team leaders have a clear
focus to maintain and develop current structures and ensure staff maintain and further develop
a clear purpose about their work. We are all feeling a lot better about coming to work and
energised to keep everything moving forward.’
Most importantly, SIT’s work with regions is a collaborative process in which the team offers
a consultative role while decision-making remains with the normal regional positions. Perhaps
this is best described by a unit manager from the region: ‘The team [SIT] had a very strengthsbased approach and were always positive and sensitive in their approach. They were always
asking how they could support us and never directing us or criticising practice. The team
worked well to ensure we would be able to sustain changes after they left, ensuring we had
ownership of key decisions and strategies.’
Child protection practitioners face many challenges and demands, and undertake
extraordinarily difficult work on many levels. Despite relentless pressure on practitioners, they
persevere and remain focused on protecting children and supporting families to achieve
some outstanding outcomes. The system survives on the passion and generosity of many
child protection practitioners who promote hope and empowerment, and are ambassadors
of change. It has been a humbling experience for us to have been given the opportunity as
SIT members to work alongside staff in making a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable
children in Victoria.
Michelle Melder and Nicole Sobey, Service Improvement Leaders, Specialist Intervention
Team, Service Delivery and Performance Division, Department of Human Services
Stuart Lindner, Director, Specialist Intervention Team
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Child protection
The Department of Human Services’ Child Protection program is the
State Government body with delegated authority under the Children,
Youth and Families Act (2005) responsible for intervening when a child
needs protection. Child protection receives reports in relation to children
and young people who are or may be at risk of significant harm as a
consequence of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, psychological
or emotional harm, or whose physical health or development is at
risk. Child protection, under the Act, may also intervene to protect
a child when there is evidence of cumulative harm. Child protection
practitioners work across three metropolitan and five rural regions
in Victoria, and together with family services and out-of-home care
services engage with families, building on their strengths to make sure
children are safe and their rights are respected.
Barwon-South Western Region Child Protection
Maya and Di’s story: reflections on the importance of care
and relationships
Twelve years ago I began working with Maya, an Aboriginal woman who had a profound history
of trauma and abuse throughout her early years. She had four of her own children, all of whom
had been placed in out-of-home care. On the birth of her fifth child, child protection again
intervened and assessed that the baby was at serious risk of harm. Subsequently the baby was
removed and placed in foster care for one year. The baby was returned home following a court
hearing. A large number of court conditions were specified and these were designed to ensure
the safety and wellbeing of the child, to provide significant support to Maya to assist her to
care for her daughter, and ensure daily monitoring of their progress. The foster care family also
remained involved to support with respite care for Maya’s beautiful daughter.
Maya was committed to making necessary changes that would help her to be the kind of
mother she wanted to be and to enable her to provide her child with a safe and loving home.
With the support of child protection and a range of services, she addressed problems related
to violence and substance abuse and worked diligently on her parenting. Over the past
12 years I have maintained a professional relationship with Maya and when there are issues
with her daughter, she feels confident to contact me to discuss her concerns. Similarly,
Maya remained in close contact with the foster carer, who maintained a warm and positive
relationship with Maya and her child, taking on the role of ‘grandmother’.
One of Maya’s goals was to enrol in an art course. Six years ago I was invited to her art
exhibition in which one of her pieces was titled ‘Lost Childhood’. When a photographer asked
for a photo of her with her family, she requested that the foster carer and I be part of the photo
because she believed that we were part of her family.
Three years ago I ran into Maya and her child with the fostercare/grandmother at a music
festival. Maya invited me to attend a concert with her. Consequently we all went to see
Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody and we all felt very emotional when they sang ‘From Little Things
Big Things Grow’.
Four months ago I was walking past an art gallery. Maya’s painting was in the window for sale.
This painting now hangs in my sitting room and is a constant and gentle reminder to me that
anything is possible.
On paper, it is hard to capture the difficult, painful and complex journey Maya travelled, or
to describe the arduous road it was, at times, being the child protection case manager. This
makes Maya’s achievements and our connection all the more valuable.
Diane Amor, Unit Manager, Child Protection, Barwon South Western Region
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Sandra’s story: providing a safe and secure home
Child protection’s involvement with 10-year-old Sandra and her parents began in 2007
following a report that she was being exposed to her mother’s mental illness. On investigation
it was found that her mother’s mental illness was having a significant impact on Sandra and
that this was exacerbated by her mother’s refusal to allow Sandra to attend mainstream
schooling or contact extended family and friends.
Protracted court proceedings and the mother’s reluctance to work with child protection made it
difficult to further assess the family’s circumstances or to intervene in a helpful way. Through a
lengthy investigation, an outcome in court eventuated in early 2009 resulting in a three-month
Interim Protection Order with Sandra remaining at home, and conditions ensuring that Sandra
attended mainstream school and counselling, and the family undergo further assessment.
The mother’s mental illness was long-standing and untreated. Her inability to understand and
accept that she had particular mental health concerns meant she was not open to assessment
and treatment. A psychiatric report some 20 years earlier had assessed that specialist
psychiatric treatment would most likely be unhelpful given her personality features and
paranoid manner. More recent assessments during child protection’s involvement concluded
that Sandra’s mother had a personality disorder and that the very nature of her presentation,
characterised by suspicion and paranoia, made it increasingly unlikely that she would
recognise this psychological assessment and accept treatment.
At ten years of age, Sandra had an enmeshed and symbiotic relationship with her mother and
she had not psychologically or emotionally separated from her. She presented with an unusual
social demeanour, immature language development, significant anxiety and social delay. Her
relationship with her mother and her mother’s strong influence on her made it difficult to form
a relationship with Sandra. Like her mother, she was fearful and wary of child protection’s
involvement and continued to resist attempts at engagement to the extent that she physically
assaulted one of the child protection staff during a home visit.
Assessment and decision-making in child protection is difficult to undertake without the
process of engagement and rapport with families.4
Shared decision-making with our families is enshrined in legislation and in Best Interests Case
Practice Model and in the Best Interests Principles. In this case, the mother’s denial of her
mental illness and her ongoing paranoia and enmeshed relationship with her daughter made it
very difficult for child protection to engage with mother and daughter or to influence change in
the mother-child dynamic.
Throughout the intervention, child protection had encouraged Sandra’s father to protect his
daughter and to make decisions in her best interests, however there was evidence that he
was the victim of spousal abuse and constrained from actively advocating for his daughter.
It became clear that it was important to continue to support Sandra’s father and help him
to focus on his daughter’s needs. The only alternative was to remove Sandra from both her
parents’ care, which may have significantly affected Sandra’s precarious mental health.
4. Morrison T., (2006) Emotional Intelligence, Emotion and Social Work: Context, Characteristics, Complication and
Contribution. British Journal of Social Work (2007) pp. 245-263
Sandra’s mother continued to make unfounded allegations against practitioners in child
protection and staff at Sandra’s school. This had an emotional impact on the child practitioners
involved. The case was managed through support, supervision and debriefing of the child
protection practitioners, ongoing collaboration with the school, therapeutic service with the
family, senior management support and a complaints strategy to deal with the mother.
The mother superficially complied with the conditions of the court order but the situation
for Sandra did not really change. A decision was made to breach the order following a
deterioration in the mother’s mental health. She stated that Sandra was ill and could not attend
school and she began to lock herself and Sandra in her bedroom at night. Other professionals
had also reported an escalation in her levels of anxiety, paranoia and instability. Child protection
staff were concerned that Sandra may be physically harmed by her mother in the context of
her mother’s deteriorating mental health and that the psychological and emotional impacts of
being exposed to her mother’s mental health difficulties were detrimental to Sandra.
A further decision was made to place Sandra in the care of her father. There were risks
involved in this decision, given the father’s inability to protect Sandra in the past, however
the workers involved had been able to build a good relationship with him and had assessed
that he was able to provide safety and wellbeing to his daughter. He continued to work
collaboratively with child protection and resolved to separate from his wife and care for
his daughter. He also ensured Sandra attended school regularly and engaged with a
therapeutic service.
Given the father’s continuing efforts to provide a safe environment in which Sandra’s
developmental needs were met, a decision was made to allow the matter to be resolved
through the Family Court. Child protection knew that the change in jurisdiction and the
impending hearing would take some time, enabling child protection to continue to support
Sandra and her father until an interim court order was obtained. Furthermore, this decision
gave Sandra’s father an increased level of responsibility for decision making. Unfortunately,
Sandra’s mother continued to mistrust child protection and was unable to understand the
concerns about Sandra’s development and psychological and emotional wellbeing while her
daughter was living in her care. Through the positive relationship with Sandra’s father and the
demonstrable changes he had been able to make with support and encouragement, child
protection was able to close the case, with confidence that he had developed the capacity to
keep his daughter safe and attend to her needs.
Sandra has remained in the care of her father and a final Family Court order was determined
in the father’s favour. Sandra continues to attend school and counselling and has made
significant progress in the care of her father.
Carole Gladstone, Unit Manager, Case Management Teams, Barwon South Western
Region
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Simon’s story: finding a way home
Simon is a 13-year-old Aboriginal boy who has lived in out-of-home care since 2007 as a
result of abandonment and chronic neglect throughout his early childhood. Before Simon
was removed from the family home, numerous efforts were made to support him remaining
in the family home in the sole care of his mother. However, all attempts to maintain Simon’s
safety and wellbeing at home were unsuccessful and the risk to him was assessed to
be significant. Simon was placed in foster care, given that there were no extended family
members who were assessed as willing or able to care for him at that time. Simon remained
in one foster care placement and maintained consistent contact with his mother, who had
regular supervised access. Simon’s case was contracted to an Aboriginal foster care service
that supported his placement and his ongoing relationship with his mother. The long-term
stability plan for Simon was for permanent care, with him continuing to live with his foster
carers and their family.
In 2010, Simon’s mother passed away unexpectedly. Pre-birth, Simon’s father had not made
contact and neither had Simon’s adult siblings maintained consistent contact. At the time of
his mother’s death, his sense of loss was acute. His extended maternal family, including his
aunt and grandmother, had previously attended access with Simon’s mother, however due
to the travel distance this contact was intermittent. When his mother died, his maternal aunt
expressed an interest in caring for Simon and felt that he needed to feel part of his family more
than ever. Simon’s aunt had established a rapport with his foster care family and ensured that
he attended family functions and celebrations of his family of origin, where possible. Simon’s
aunt had a change in her work commitments, which enabled her to care for Simon while living
with his maternal grandmother.
Child protection consulted with the Aboriginal foster care agency and together it was
decided, at Simon and his maternal aunt’s request that a return home plan be developed
to transition him from his long-term foster care placement to live with his maternal aunt and
family. The case plan for Simon was changed from a stability plan for permanent care to
family reunification with his maternal aunt. Consultation occurred with the Aboriginal Family
Group Conference Convenor in relation to Simon’s paternal family being advised and invited
to have contact with Simon who would be living with extended maternal family members
in another region. Before moving, Simon met his paternal grandparents, supported by the
Aboriginal foster carer service, and a photo album was presented to him with the history
and photographs of his paternal relatives. Further consultation occurred with the Take Two
Aboriginal clinician with regard to grief and loss counselling and support for Simon due to his
mother’s sudden death.
The transition plan was implemented, involving the school that Simon had attended, given
that he would occasionally be absent from school as a result of the distance he was required
to travel for the family reunification. The foster care agency supported Simon’s carer and
Simon with the transition from long-term out-of-home care, and the foster carer had
established a good rapport with Simon’s maternal aunt and family. Arrangements had been
made for Simon to have ongoing contact with and the option of visiting his foster care family
during school holidays.
Simon’s maternal aunt had been preparing for Simon’s arrival at Christmas 2010. She had
made contact with the Aboriginal Cooperative in her region and enrolled Simon at the local
school for 2011. The Aboriginal foster care agency in conjunction with child protection helped
Simon’s transition, with the move completed in December 2010.
Simon is living with his maternal family at the present time and it is envisaged that he will
remain in their care until he reaches adulthood.
Working together and respecting the healing power of connection to his family and Aboriginal
culture has helped him to grow stronger.
Pauline McCluskey, Team Leader, Case Contracting, Gippsland Region
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Hume Region Child Protection
Baby Emily’s story: timely planning for a stable future
This is a story about a four-year-old girl named Emily who is loved and secure because of
unselfish decision-making by significant adults in her life.
Emily’s mother Fiona gave birth to her at 36 weeks’ gestation. Fiona went to hospital with
back pains and cramps in her stomach and was told she was eight months’ pregnant and
in labour. At the time of Emily’s birth, Fiona was living interstate. Fiona contacted her mother,
Pam, who flew to her daughter and granddaughter and brought them back to the family
home in Victoria. Emily was 10 days old at this time.
The relationship between Pam and Fiona was complex, with Pam believing that her
daughter may have undiagnosed mental health issues. Despite this, Pam was willing to
provide emotional support and practical assistance to Fiona to help her raise Emily. Fiona’s
younger sister, Madi, in her late teens, was living at home and quickly formed a bond with
her baby niece.
Fiona’s lack of readiness for mothering and her ambivalence towards Emily was evident to
Pam and Madi. Fiona would not get up to feed Emily at night and frequently left her with her
grandmother or aunt. Following a series of altercations with family members, Fiona left the
family home without Emily and moved in with family friends. This arrangement did not work out
for Fiona and she moved out. For some time afterwards, Fiona’s family did not know where
she was. Throughout this time, Emily remained in her grandmother and aunt’s care and had no
contact with her mother.
Pam contacted child protection when Emily was two months’ old because she needed help to
make decisions about her granddaughter’s future. On meeting with Pam and Madi, both clearly
articulated the strong attachment they had formed with Emily, and it was evident she had
bonded to them. While Pam expressed her love for her granddaughter, she had mixed feelings
about raising Emily, including fear, uncertainty and guilt. Pam did not feel it was in Emily’s longterm interests to remain with her because she believed Emily needed parents young enough to
give her all of the experiences she deserved, and Pam feared she was not capable of providing
this herself. Pam also felt overwhelmed with the responsibility and uncertain about being a
grandmother with full-time care of Emily. Pam said until Emily’s birth she did not even know
she was going to be a grandmother. Pam had always hoped she would be a grandmother
at some stage, but not under these circumstances. Understandably, Pam also talked about
her own life stage and the plans she had made before Emily’s arrival. Pam said Madi had just
finished school, and Pam was looking forward to having time for herself given she had spent
the past 22 years raising her own children. Pam also felt beset by angry feelings towards Fiona
for abandoning Emily as the experience had caused the family significant stress. Madi, who
had put her life on hold to co-care for Emily, was also angry and unable to understand how her
sister could leave her baby.
Pam continued as a kinship carer for Emily while child protection staff worked tenaciously
and creatively to locate Fiona. Fiona was clearly struggling with substance abuse and mental
health issues. She initially denied the existence of Emily and when she did admit to having a
child, she did not ask after her daughter’s welfare and did not engage with workers to discuss
plans for Emily. Fiona did not want contact with her child and indicated she was not planning
to include Emily in her life. Sadly, Fiona admitted to having no bond or emotional connection to
her daughter Emily, who was then about three months old.
The decision not to continue with a plan for family reunification and pursue an alternative
option for stable long-term out-of-home care has far-reaching consequences for children.
It constitutes the strongest form of statutory intervention in the life of a child and his/her
family; it involves the termination of parental custody or guardianship rights and transfer of
responsibilities to the state or an approved person assessed to have the capability to meet
the child’s needs for protection and care until the child reaches independence. Therefore, it
requires accountability and strong quality assurance.
At the same time, there are serious consequences for the child’s development and stability
where this decision is not made one way or the other within short timeframes. Children
placed away from their parents can be provided with temporary care only until and unless the
decision is made that they will not return to live with their parents. Alternative long-term stable
care cannot be sought until this decision is made. The longer this decision-making process
takes, the longer children’s lives are on hold and the greater chance of the sort of system
‘drift’ occurring which makes it harder and harder to provide a child with a long-term stable
home base, with their parents or not. And the younger the child, the more urgent is his/her
developmental need to be securely attached to a primary and committed caregiver. This is
why Victorian legislation stipulates maximum timeframes for determining whether or not a child
will go home, which centre on the length of time a child has been away from the care of his/
her parents. A decision whether or not to continue with a plan for family reunification must be
based on a rigorous and consultative assessment which should not be rushed – neither should
it be delayed. This decision must be made as quickly as possible in accordance with the
child’s best interests. This decision must be clearly made before preparing an s169 Stability
Plan because this plan describes how stable long-term care will be provided for a child who
is not going home. The s169 Stability Plan may be for adoption, permanent care, long-term
out-of-home care or independent living, and any stability plan for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander child must be consistent with the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle.
Two key practice messages central to stability planning are:
1. Timely decision making
• Active timely work to try to change the family situation in a sustainable way to give the
child the best possible chance of remaining safely at home or returning home safely as soon
as possible.
• Active timely work to assess whether or not it will be possible for the child to return home
safely so that, if reunification is not possible, the decision not to reunify can be made as
soon as possible.
• Active timely work to find the best possible alternative stable long-term care as soon as
possible after reunification has been ruled out.
• Legislative imperatives to make decisions about where a child will grow up as a matter of
urgency (or justify any delay in a court report):
-- Within 12 months of out-of-home care occurring (in total) for a child under 2 years.
-- Within 18 months of out-of-home care occurring (in total) for a child aged 2 to 7.
-- Within 2 years of out-of-home care occurring (in total over a 3-year period) for a child
aged 7 and over.
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2. Maintaining, strengthening and/or rebuilding the child’s positive connections to his/her:
•
•
•
•
•
primary carers
family including siblings and extended family
school and friends
community
culture.
Positive connections in at least some parts of a child’s experience are more likely to help
overcome disruption and instability in other parts of his/her life.
In view of Fiona’s circumstances and her lack of capacity or willingness to have Emily in her
care, a child protection case planning decision was made that Emily would not be reunified
with her mother. Emily was then about four months old and had been out of her mother’s care
for home care for about two months.
Child protection proceeded with discussions about Emily’s longer-term care options with her
grandmother. Although Pam was very committed to Emily and wanted to stay part of her
life, she felt that she needed to do so as a grandmother, not as a full-time carer. Pam was
struggling to manage Emily’s full-time care without lots of assistance from her own daughter
Madi, who was about to leave home to pursue her own career (although she too wanted to
remain an important part of the baby’s life). Pam decided she was not able to take on longterm kinship care and requested the department find new permanent carers who she hoped
and believed would be able to give her granddaughter a more normal life.
Child protection explored other kinship and extended family care options for Emily, including
the baby’s maternal grandfather in Queensland who was engaged in the case planning process
but did not want to be considered as a carer for his grandchild. He was also supportive of the
maternal grandmother’s actions and decisions about the baby’s future. No paternal family could
be identified because the mother would not name Emily’s biological father.
When Emily was five months old, the case was referred to the regional permanent care team
who worked with Emily’s grandmother and aunt to develop a stability plan and to seek a new
permanent care placement for Emily. Pam desperately wanted permanent carers to be found
who would live close enough for her and Madi to maintain regular contact with Emily, and for
Fiona to be able to have contact with Emily in the future, if and when she was able. Pam was
also keen to reassure herself that the new carers would be ‘good enough’. However, she was
quite prepared to have the child change her name and be fully identified as a member of the
new family.
A stability plan in compliance with s169 was developed for Emily, enabling her to be
permanently cared for by new carers. Fiona was advised of this plan. The stability plan was
fully developed and a permanent care family match made by the time Emily was six months
old, having been in the care of her grandmother for four months. Fortunately, the permanent
care team was aware of a couple without children who had already been assessed as suitable
permanent carers who they believed would be a match for this baby. The key elements of the
match were that they had a solid relationship with each other, were emotionally intelligent, lived
in the same town as the grandmother, were open to having ongoing regular contact with the
baby’s grandmother and biological family and could understand and empathise with the birth
mother’s circumstances and be open to her having contact with Emily in the future.
The permanent care worker prepared the grandmother and the potential carers for the
establishment of the new permanent care placement. The potential carers met with the
grandmother and aunt and immediately formed a bond. They collaboratively developed the
process for helping the baby move from her current living arrangements to her new home
and developed a transition plan for having increasing contact over four weeks, eventually
leading to daily contact and then overnight stays. The grandmother suggested that the baby
was sufficiently comfortable with her new carers to be able to stay full time after this transition
period and her view was endorsed by an assessment of the workers involved. The baby began
visits with her new carers when she was six months and was settled in full time when she was
seven months. The permanent care team monitored and supported the placement for one year
and the Permanent Care Order was granted when Emily was 19 months old.
Emily has become a happy, well-adjusted toddler and everyone involved is delighted with her
permanent care arrangements. Her grandmother has become close friends with the permanent
carers and she and the child’s aunt continue to be regular visitors to Emily’s new home.
Kerri Saron, Manager, Adoption and Permanent Care, Kinship Care and Caregiver
Reimbursement Programs, Hume Region
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Kinship care
Anchor Kinship Care Program
The Anchor Kinship Care Program began in Victoria in March 2010.
Anchor is a small agency in the outer east that supports statutory and
non-statutory kinship carers in the Shire of Maroondah, Shire of Yarra
Ranges and City of Knox in the Eastern Metropolitan Region.
The program supports 24 kinship placements for children and young
people who have child protection involvement and whose cases
have been contracted to the service for management on an extended
basis. The program aims to provide support to kinship carers and
children and young people in kinship care placements. This may be
information, advice, therapeutic and social support groups, or overall
case management. The kinship cases are referred by child protection
Eastern Metropolitan Region (EMR) and include long-term cases and
new kinship placements.
Many children and young people are in kinship care placements with their grandparents. This is
however, not always the case and some children are cared for by their teachers, family friends
or those who, not biologically related, form part of a broader definition of family as significant
and stable people in the child’s life and who are committed to their ongoing care.
For children, being placed with their grandparents can be extremely positive. Typically, it
enables the child to remain within the family and be provided with stable care and an ongoing
connection with family and key family members. Grandparents caring for their grandchildren
face many challenges including significant grief, loss and sometimes guilt regarding their own
children, whose circumstances often include substance use, mental health problems and
family violence which have impaired their capacity to be parents. Sometimes grandparents
have lost their own children who have died or who have not had contact for extended periods.
For grandparents, parenting is not easy. Frequently, their grandchildren have been negatively
affected by poor early attachment and experiences of trauma and abuse. As a consequence,
children can exhibit behavioural and emotional problems which can be difficult to understand
and to manage and many have had disrupted schooling – all of which require significant levels
of support and therapeutic intervention. Many grandparents also struggle to manage the
changes to their own lifestyle caused by caring for their grandchildren.
The physical and financial demands can be draining and the disappointment over not being
able to enact plans for retirement and lifestyle changes can be troubling.
Perhaps one of the most fraught areas for grandparents is how to manage their own and
grandchildren’s relationships with the children’s parents. Many times conflicted loyalties can
exist and balancing the needs of grandchildren with the needs and rights of their parents is
often very difficult. Managing contact and access visits and coping with children who could
be missing or fearful of their parents, anxious about access or disappointed when parents let
them down, are all challenges for grandparents as kinship carers.
Program reflections
The kinship care team has established good professional working relationships with kinship
staff from Anchor and child protection working cooperatively, with a focus on the needs
of children and young people in kinship care and the support needs of their carers. The
collaboration between the Anchor program and the child protection kinship team has
contributed to positive outcomes for our clients.
The kinship care team has also developed positive relationships with our kinship carers. These
relationships have taken time to develop and it has been important that the kinship care team
has demonstrated an understanding of the issues and concerns of the kinship carers and a
willingness to be accessible and reliable in providing necessary support. We now undertake
regular home visits and meetings with our kinship carers.
We have had several positive outcomes since the kinship care team began in March 2010.
Six children moved to permanent care in our first year, providing them with increased stability.
Another child was transitioned into the care of another family member, and the opportunities
for the child have improved in several domains. One child’s placement broke down, but the
child was quickly moved to a very positive and supportive kinship environment. Importantly,
almost all of the children and young people in kinship care, including our teenage clients, are
attending counselling or therapy to address their trauma and loss.
A surprising and unexpected outcome of our program has been the increased engagement
of several birth parents who have been taking on a more active role in their child’s life. Family
decision-making meetings have produced impressive results, and enabled families who were
fractured for many years to reconnect with warmth and cooperation.
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Carmel Malone, Manager Child and Family Services, Anchor
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Samantha’s story: supporting grandparents to care and protect
Fourteen-year-old Samantha was referred to Anchor Kinship Care as a case contracted
statutory client in April 2011, soon after the commencement of the state-funded kinship care
program. She was in the care of her grandparents, Thelma and Roger, who did not know why
an agency had become involved. They were at a very low point in their lives, feeling highly
stressed, anxious and tired. Thelma said to me at the first meeting: ‘Well, what are you going
to do for us? What can you offer?’
An ongoing cause of anxiety for them was the court-ordered supervised weekly access visits
between Samantha and their son, Rupert. Thelma and Roger’s main concern related to alleged
physical abuse Samantha had experienced from her stepmother before 2004 and ‘enormous
psychological pressure’ they perceived her father was placing on her to see his wife. They also
said they had had a very difficult time during the court process which had left them feeling
confused, upset, angry, alone, unsupported and dissatisfied. In the early months of working
with them, they continued to express their frustration, anxiety and concern which appeared to
have built up over several years.
I began work with them by listening to them, hearing their side of the story, and validating their
anger and concerns about access-related issues. I always tried to respond to them in a timely
manner, and during home visits and phone calls I was respectful of their feelings. I then began
to engage Samantha, meeting her after school, and over a milkshake (her favourite drink) and
listened to her concerns about family conflict and parental access. Samantha was well linked
into a counsellor so my role was to focus on how these issues were affecting Samantha’s
placement with her grandparents.
Following discussion with the kinship care team leader in child protection, it was decided that
it might be useful to implement a family decision-making process. This involved meetings
with the kinship carers, Thelma and Roger, and Rupert, separately and together. The
department’s Family Group Conference Convenor chaired the meetings and managed the
family complexities in a sensitive, professional manner, engaging family members, diffusing
tension and addressing and resolving family issues. The use of the family group conferencing
model provided the kinship carers with a forum to raise their concerns about the access
arrangements and other matters.
As the court date approached the carers’ anxiety heightened again about their concerns for
Samantha and their desire to protect her, and this was expressed in anger and a stream of
frustrated phone calls and emails. My response was one of validation and reassurance. A
decision was made to meet the carers again and address their apparent mistrust of the case
manager’s role and motives, evidenced in verbally abusive and angry emails and phone calls,
and to identify the factors preventing more collaborative working relationships. Present at the
meeting were the department’s kinship care team leader, Anchor kinship care team leader,
case manager and kinship carers. In a respectful exchange, the carers were reassured that
the kinship care team was working with them to provide the best possible placement for
Samantha and provided strategies to address the anger and powerlessness that was being
experienced about the impending court case.
A more positive relationship and more constructive interactions subsequently developed
between Thelma, Roger and the case manager. A review meeting occurred which included
the stepmother. It was an emotional and at times difficult meeting but the outcome regarding
access arrangements was positive, with concerns openly discussed and resolved. The kinship
carers expressed their appreciation for the support provided, acknowledging it was the first
time that they had been in the same room as their daughter-in-law. After the meeting, all family
members including the grandparents, their son and daughter-in-law went to a coffee shop and
for the first time ever, sat together around a table and talked with each other.
Samantha continues to have access with her father and stepmother and it is for the most
part working well. Her grandparents still have worries from time to time, but due to the robust
and positive relationships now well established with the kinship care team, they are reassured
by regular support and timely responses. The most satisfying outcome is that Samantha’s
grandparents, her father, her stepmother, and all members of the kinship care team have
worked together in Samantha’s best interests.
Helen Taylor, Anchor Incorporated Kinship Care Family Services Practitioner
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Foster care
Anchor Foster Care
Michael’s story: finding a path through the development maze
Michael entered the out-of-home care system at the age of seven. Neighbours observed
him riding his bike around the local area unsupervised during the school holidays. Michael
is profoundly deaf and has a cochlear implant. His deafness was a result of contracting
pneumococcal meningitis when he was three. Michael endured a year of total deafness before
receiving surgery for the implant.
It became evident to his carers and case workers that Michael’s behaviour and developmental
delays were not wholly explained by his deafness. He became repetitive in his speech and
displayed obsessive interest in any injury that caused even the smallest amount of blood loss.
There were episodes when Michael appeared blank and disengaged. Once his carer arrived
to pick him up from play therapy instead of his case worker. Michael stared at her and was
unable for some minutes to recognise her.
The critical element in developing a plan to meet Michael’s needs has been information
gathering from his birth family and from an array of medical professionals. His mother had
been an alcoholic for many years before his birth. Michael was born without a corpus callosum
in his brain. Information later gained from the paediatrician who saw Michael in his early
childhood suggests there was some concern about lack of development before the episode
of meningitis. Michael has since been diagnosed with mild autism spectrum disorder and
borderline intellectual disability.
Michael was very concerned about his mother. He told workers that his mother often drank
from a box and fell over. When his mother cancelled access she told him that she had been
sick. Michael became distressed by this and often talked about his grandmother who fell
down the stairs, went to hospital and then died. It was clear that he already knew that his
mother drank alcohol and that he needed to be sure that when she cancelled access she was
not seriously ill. Much discussion occurred with Michael’s mother, his maternal grandfather
and uncle about this. His mother was able to speak to Michael about her drinking and how
at times she was unable to attend access. Workers and his carer supported her and spoke
positively about his mother and her struggles to overcome drinking with Michael. He did not
understand why his mother ‘didn’t just drink water instead of alcohol’ but over the years has
come to accept that his mother tries very hard but that overcoming alcoholism is extremely
difficult for her.
Michael, who is now 16, requires a high level of supervision to complete tasks, mostly in
getting started and making decisions. He is very concrete in his thinking and does not
respond well to changes in routine. Recently, because his bus was delayed, he asked a
stranger for a lift home. He was able to comprehend that getting in a car with a stranger
is not a safe practice, but could not relate this to his action because ‘the lady was nice’.
Michael is very connected to his birth family (mother, grandfather and uncle). These
family members attend all case plan meetings. Michael’s uncle and grandfather worked
collaboratively with the agency and child protection to ensure that Michael did not witness
his mother’s drinking during access. Michael was able to say that he did not want to see his
mother if she had been drinking. Her drinking has continued and her health has significantly
deteriorated. She is currently subject to a Guardianship Order and has been diagnosed with an
Acquired Brain Injury.
Michael’s grandfather regularly updates the agency regarding Michael’s mother’s health.
He has monthly overnight access with Michael and ensures that Michael visits his mother
at her residential facility during this time. When Michael’s mother is managing her alcoholism
well, the agency arranges access at the Anchor office. Michael has access at the shopping
centre where the agency is situated and is clear that he would simply return to Anchor if
he was concerned about his mother’s behaviour. While Michael’s mother often denies her
drinking, she has accepted Michael’s wish not to see her when he thinks she may be drunk.
Michael is aware of his mother’s diminished capacity but has expressed that he trusts ‘DHS
and the grown-ups to make sure that she is safe’. Michael’s view of the department is that
‘they saved me’. Michael is very disappointed that his birth father has not taken an active role
in his life and expressed that he knows that ‘he just left me with Mum when she was drinking’.
Michael was very frightened by an episode of drink driving in which his mother had a car
accident while he was a passenger.
Michael’s current placement of seven years has required a high level of support due to the
intense level of supervision required by the single caregiver. Michael has enjoyed regular
respite with three other foster families. These families have been committed to him and he
considers them as extended family, having grown from childhood to his teen years with their
children. Respite has been an essential component of placement for Michael, because it
provides the carer with a much-needed break and because he has formed interests and
social engagement outside placement. Michael has been involved in many recreational
pursuits but rarely extends interaction with his peers outside of the activity.
Relationship between Michael’s family and the agency
This relationship has been one of reciprocal respect and a willingness to work through difficult
issues. His birth mother’s alcoholism and the family’s difficulty in appreciating the extent of
Michael’s developmental limitations have caused the birth family members considerable grief.
The long association and consistency of workers has been instrumental in maintaining this
positive and open relationship. Much credit must be given to the birth family members for
their willingness to collaborate with the agency even when case plan decisions have caused
them distress.
Michael’s carer has demonstrated a high level of commitment to Michael, meeting his needs
and planning for his future. Assisting Michael, as an adolescent, to embrace responsibility and
an age-appropriate level of independence has required much patience and persistence. The
carer is a storyteller and these skills have been invaluable in role playing what Michael should
say and do to make friends and give appropriate responses in various settings. Michael has
learned to express himself and is better able to read facial expressions and social cues.
The foster carer’s voice
Late in 2003, I was asked if I would care for a little boy with a cochlear implant who appeared
to be struggling in his placement. I was not in a position until April 2004 to take him for a
week’s ‘holiday’ to see how we fitted together. I understood that this could be a long-term
placement but that they were hoping his mum would become well enough to reunify.
Michael was just nine years old and as small as a seven-year-old. I was told that he was
saving all his hugs for his mum and wasn’t affectionate. On his first night, I told Michael
that everyone had to have goodnight hugs. He couldn’t get into my arms fast enough.
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When our week was up, it was very clear that he would be coming back. Indeed Michael had
no difficulty with this idea, claiming to his worker that ‘they just love me’. Our lives took an
enormous turn and continued to do so over the next months and years.
Michael not only had a cochlear implant, it became obvious that there were other issues
at play. He would often stand and do absolutely nothing until instructed. I once sat in the
lounge for 20 minutes to see if he would come and find me. He stood in the hallway and
didn’t move for all that time. Michael would often show no facial reaction to anything that was
said. In contrast he would become extremely upset over the smallest thing and devolve into
teary, snot-filled tantrums in less time than it took to take three breaths. I remember after one
tantrum, I finally got him to calm down by breathing with me. Then I needed to change his
snot-covered pillow. Not being good with excretions, I retched and he said to me: ‘Oh, come
on, you can do it, just breathe’. Cheeky!
When he decided that he was safe and that I would not be parting with him, the rage came
out. For over six months he smashed just about everything. I had no idea that so much could
be broken. I had a large terracotta frog in the front garden. For years the neighbouring children
had moved it around the garden as they played hide and seek and games in there. I was never
sure where it would pop up and enjoyed its adventures. One morning I found it absolutely
smashed into little pieces. To Michael’s shock, I cried and cried. He had smashed it because
he could. He had absolutely no understanding that it would matter to me. His lack of empathy
for others is one of the areas we have worked really hard on.
It has been extremely challenging to work with a child with so many special needs. Michael’s
artificial hearing creates processing difficulties and he also has borderline intellectual disability,
mild autism, memory retention and language disorders.
He attended a school for hearing-impaired children. It was difficult for them to understand that
there was more than deafness going on. He wasn’t being lazy; he simply did not understand
a lot of the learning. I volunteered at the school, teaching storytelling to support him and
demonstrate another way of learning. We left that school when we moved and he has been at
a public high school since Year 8. The integration program at this high school has supported
and accepted him. Michael is doing extremely well at this school, is doing peer-appropriate
work and recently received 100 per cent for a maths test.
At home I have had to work incredibly hard, dealing with Michael’s tantrums and inability to
apply feelings and understanding to others. He was extremely attached to my little dog, Scruf,
and would play with him, sometimes too roughly. When Scruf would growl at him, Michael, at
nine, would stomp off to his room and draw pictures of the dog dying saying: ‘Die Scruffy, die!’
A thousand repetitions later he began to understand the need to be gentler and listen to the
dog expressing himself the only way he could. Last year, my little old dog died. I rushed him to
the vet while my eldest girl and her husband minded the children. My neighbours then brought
them all to the vet to say goodbye. My littlest girl sobbed all the way and Michael patted and
rubbed her back the whole way saying: ‘It’s alright, we’ll see him soon. It’s okay.’
Over the years there have been many examples of Michael not understanding something and
continuing to do whatever he was doing harder and faster until it was broken. Not long ago
he left our power tools in the rain and the box was full of water. His response was to pick up a
plug and mutter: ‘It might still work, I’ll just plug it in and try it’. Luckily I hadn’t gone far, heard
this and hurried back. It does worry me enormously what will become of him when he is on his
own. His agency worker is already preparing.
Through the agency Michael has developed some fabulous relationships with respite carers
who have become extended family for him. He still has respite twice a month and sees his
grandfather once a month. This has provided a social outlet for him when he has not been
able to develop his own. He is now, finally, developing friendships and at his recent birthday,
had three friends around and they had a ball. There was a period last year where he became
very aggressive and shoved his fist in my face on more than one occasion to get his own way.
I wasn’t sure we could go on. The agency provided weekly respite for some months and this
alleviated the strain until he understood that it was never going to be appropriate behaviour. We
often called the after-hours number for agency staff to talk him through his rages and upset.
We have a cabinet with all our family photos and an ornament that spells out the word family.
It is really important to the children to be featured there. All my fostered and permanent
care children consider themselves siblings and look forward to our Sunday night roasts and
family times. No matter how challenging Michael has been over the years, he is my boy and
that is that!
Cindy Lee, Carer, Anchor Foster Care
Jenny Lawlor, Case Manager, Anchor Foster Care
The voice of the child: ‘Hi from Michael’
Hi there. I have been in foster care for nine and a half years and the experiences I’ve got
through have changed my whole life and the feeling of learning all new things that I wouldn’t
have learnt from other foster carers or my mum. My foster care life has changed dramatically.
The best thing about my life is the foster carer I live with now and her name is Cindy Lee.
I have been living with her for eight years and the experiences I’ve been through are to help
around the house and earning pocket money, shopping, playing sport outside of school and
many other things that Cindy Lee wanted me to have so that I could do those things instead
of doing so little and not being helpful. I find that my foster mum has taught me a great deal
and I will need these things for my whole life even now and for my future ahead.
When I first came to Cindy Lee’s I was nine and everything was a bit out of control but over
the years I learnt to control my actions, my words, my feelings and so on. I am very different
from when I first came. This is why I now enjoy life and helping and getting to know these
things because of what I learnt. It is such a better life and the great memories I’ve had are
just phenomenal. I can catch public transport and getting around that way I got confidence
and that was because my foster mum showed me where the bus stop is and what number
bus I need to catch and where it went and stopped. Then when I started high school for the
deaf I went with a friend’s sister to the station and learnt where to get on and off and where
to walk. In less than half the year I knew what I was doing. I also was going to Knox City on
transport in the same year I was catching transport to high school and that’s how it started.
The deaf school I went to wasn’t so good because of the bullying I was going through and
work difficulties and that was in Year 7. I wanted to change schools so I did and I went to one
when we moved to Cockatoo and the new school was closer and I liked it better because
I made new friends and the work there was easier and I got the grades I wanted to achieve
or my foster mum wanted.
The happy adventures I have had with Cindy Lee and my little foster sister Lylah were
going to Perth to see Nan and my foster mum’s brother, my uncle and cousins. That was
so good. I actually wanted to stay there longer but it was so good I can remember all of it.
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Perth was my favourite out of all the other adventures. Then there was going to Tasmania
to see Cindy Lee’s birth mum and the other one was going to NSW to see Cindy Lee’s best
friend. All the adventures I’ve had are great memories and I’m glad to have gone to different
places around Australia because I’ve always wanted to do this and now that I have I can do it
when I get older and visit them again and learn more and see more.
I love Cindy Lee so much that I want to stay and do much more in the foster family I am with.
I am happy and my life is the way I wanted it to be and if I hadn’t come here then things would
have been different and I’m glad I have Cindy Lee because she is just everything to me. I feel
very surrounded by everyone and seeing my family, my mum, my grandad and uncle is just
great. I want to thank Cindy Lee because she is a hard working and caring foster mother and
she deserves having me.
Michael
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OzChild Home Based Care
Toby, Teresa and Josh’s story: breaking down the walls
Siblings Toby, Teresa and Josh were born interstate and initially lived with their parents.
The circumstances surrounding their early lives are mostly unknown, however it appears
that the children were witness to family violence. During one of these episodes, Toby may
have witnessed his mother stab his father. When the children’s father was deported from
Australia, their mother fled with them to Melbourne. At this time Toby was four, Teresa three
and Josh one.
Over the next year the children experienced transience, homelessness, physical and emotional
neglect and were also exposed to their mother’s substance use and deteriorating mental
health. Child protection subsequently became aware of the children’s circumstances and
as a consequence of significant harm and ongoing risk to the children, they were removed
from their mother’s care. At the time no home-based care placements were available where
the chilldren could be placed together so the children moved together into a residential care
unit during which time Toby began school, Teresa started kindergarten and Josh attended
childcare.
The children were then placed in home-based care where unfortunately, they experienced a
series of placement and school moves. After an exhaustive search for a match that would
meet the children’s complex and significant needs, they moved in with Sara and Dom, a
couple who had four teenage children of their own. Toby, Teresa and Josh were enrolled at
the same prep–12 school as the carer’s children and all seven children started the new school
year together.
Before the placement went ahead, meetings were held with Sara and Dom to discuss the
children’s needs. The couple were informed that the children had delays in their self-care skills,
had a lack of empathy for others, and tended to operate purely on survival instincts. They also
had difficulties understanding consequences related to their behaviours.
Early in the placement, Sara and Dom found that none of the three children could wash
themselves in the shower, didn’t toilet appropriately or dress correctly for the weather. It
was felt that the children had never been taught these basic skills. Sara and Dom made a
commitment to spend a lot of time teaching and role modelling these skills to the children.
Sara commented that she felt like she was teaching the children as she did her own when
they were toddlers.
As the placement continued, Sara worked diligently with her placement support worker and
a child psychologist, trying to find the best way of meeting the children’s needs. The foster
care worker investigated and gathered information in relation to the children’s past placements
to enable a better understanding of the children’s history and experiences. The carer was
also keen to manage their behaviours in a non-punitive way to avoid shaming or traumatising
them further. For example, when it was known that a past carer used extensive time out as a
strategy, Sara decided that she would only utilise time in.
Due to already having four adolescents in their care, the home was already run with a well
established routine which the carer felt was important to household harmony. Toby, Teresa
and Josh initially found the routines difficult and Sara helped them by putting charts in
different areas of the family home. The carer’s children also found Toby, Teresa and Josh very
demanding of their parents’ time and energy, and at times struggled to share their parents’
attention. The carers worked hard with all seven children, using constructive strategies for
managing the competing demands of each child.
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The three children settled well into their new school and started to show some excellent
academic results. The carers have strong ties to the school and have ensured that Toby,
Teresa and Josh feel a part of the school by attending events and including them in the
school community.
A child psychologist began working with Sara when the children had been in the placement for
six months, to help Sara understand their behaviours and to help with strategies to manage
them. The psychologist continues to attend the home regularly and Sara finds her assistance
and insights invaluable.
Individual therapy was considered desirable for all three children, and plans were made to find
the best therapy for each child. Josh started six months of animal-assisted therapy, which was
felt would help with his perceived lack of empathy towards others, his low self- esteem and
anger towards others. The carers have reported significant improvements in these areas.
After the first year of placement, the children’s behaviours had improved significantly due to the
diligence and hard work of the carers and the professionals supporting the placement. Sara
and Dom initially reported that the children were resistant to them, putting up strong emotional
walls. The carers spent a lot of time talking with the children and building their relationships
with each child. Throughout the year, the carers found that the children began to open up and
begin to form trusting relationships with the carers and the carer’s children. Toby, Teresa and
Josh continue to progress well in all the important domains of their development.
Liz McPhillips, Team Leader, Home Based Care, OzChild, Dandenong
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Therapeutic foster care
OzChild, Australian Childhood Foundation and Child Protection
Natasha’s story: replacing anxiety with security
This is a story of a young girl’s journey through multiple reunifications and
placement in foster care. The story continues today, and is a testament to positive
outcomes and support that can result when a child’s care team works in a
cohesive and functional manner to provide a circle of support around her.
Little Natasha was first placed in foster care with her carers Anne and John when she was just
six months old. Natasha was removed from her parents by child protection due to significant
concerns related to the abuse of alcohol and significant violence in the family home. Natasha
has a number of older siblings, all of whom live in out-of-home care. Natasha was returned
home at the age of two and a half years. After reunification, Anne and John were able to visit
her regularly through an agreement between Natasha’s care team members, which included
her parents. Around this time, Natasha’s baby brother Zachary was born.
Natasha and Zachary were removed by child protection seven months after Natasha’s
reunification, again due to concerns about violence between Natasha’s parents. The siblings
were placed briefly with Anne and John, however following a contested Children’s Court
hearing, they were ordered to be returned to their parents’ care. Natasha and Zachary
remained at home for a short time until a further violent incident in the home resulted in their
removal. Again Natasha and Zachary were placed in the care of Anne and John.
Due to so many disturbances to Natasha’s safety and stability, it was not surprising that a
number of significant and troubling behaviours emerged in placement. These included
hour-long tantrums, soiling, destruction of property, swearing, significant aggression towards
Zachary and other children at childcare, and sleeping difficulty.
With each placement in foster care, Natasha was included in The Circle Program, a therapeutic
foster care program, run in partnership by the Department of Human Services, OzChild and
the Australian Childhood Foundation. This involved the establishment of a formalised care
team around her consisting of Anne and John, the OzChild foster care worker, the Australian
Childhood Foundation therapeutic specialist and the child protection practitioner. The care
team also worked with other professionals involved, such as childcare workers, and the
agency assisting with access visits. This approach enabled a holistic view of Natasha and
Zachary’s world while also enabling all the people involved with the children to provide them
with consistent and reassuring messages of safety and to implement strategies and plans
designed to meet the children’s developmental needs.
Due to the nature of The Circle Program, the care team was able to support Anne and
John even during the times that Natasha and Zachary were placed with their birth family.
This allowed the carers to stay connected to Natasha and Zachary and remain available,
allowing Natasha and Zachary to return to their care when child protection assessed this
to be necessary.
The work of the care team members, who currently meet weekly, has centred on developing
a sound understanding of Natasha and Zachary’s experiences of trauma, and developing
strategies and interventions to assist Natasha and Zachary to make sense of the world around
them. The inability of very young children to understand why they are being moved away from
their home and family can result in a belief that they are being abandoned, by the people who
are supposed to love them and look after them. Disrupted attachment, difficulty in managing
emotions and behaviour and a strong sense of fear are not surprising reactions for children in
such situations.
Due to multiple disruptions, care team members were concerned that Natasha and Zachary
were learning that the world was not a safe place, and the adults around them could not be
trusted to meet their needs and remain consistent figures in their life. The care team worked
to understand the children’s sense of fear, instability and anger. Through many discussions, a
shared understanding of the children’s behaviour and the link to their emotions was developed,
and important and useful interventions were formed.
The care team’s strategies have been put in place by the carers, and team members have had
the joy of seeing significant improvements in Natasha and Zachary’s behaviours and in their
emotional stability and ability to repair connections with the people surrounding them.
Natasha and Zachary’s placement has assisted them to create healthy attachment
relationships and given them a sense of safety. Slowly Natasha’s concerns about not returning
to her placement after visits with her parents are diminishing and it appears that she is less
anxious and preoccupied by uncertainty. Through the continued support of the care team
and the commitment of Anne and John, Natasha and Zachary will continue to have positive
experiences while developing an increased sense of security.
Olivia Harvey, Senior Therapeutic Practitioner, Oz Child – Home Based Care
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Therapeutic residential care
Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) is a model of care that seeks to
respond therapeutically to the complex consequences of abuse and
neglect on young people. The model incorporates training and support
to residential care providers and high quality assessment of young
people focused on understanding their experience and behaviours
and strengthening their connection to family and community. The
model is also designed to support and prepare young people for less
intensive placements. All 11 TRC units in Victoria are supported by
a therapeutic specialist, most of whom are Take Two clinicians. The
practice of organisational congruence ensures partnering between
the parties involved with the child or young person. Westcare is one
of the community service organisations leading the development
of therapeutic residential care in Victoria and is a major provider of
placement and support services for children and young people in the
northern and western region of Melbourne.
Westcare, Take Two and Child Protection
Kate’s story: consistent support the basis for growing esteem
Kate, aged 15, began her placement at a therapeutic residential unit in early 2010 after
numerous placement breakdowns in kinship and residential care. Her background was filled
with pain and disruption. As expected, there was a short honeymoon period where Kate
was warm, engaging and affectionate. This was followed by almost daily outbursts that
lasted anywhere from 15 minutes to several intense hours. These outbursts were extremely
aggressive, physical, exhausting and threatening towards staff and at times, other residents.
Kate had great difficulty with sleep patterns; even getting to sleep was difficult and painful
for her. She lacked control over many daily emotions and reacted to situations, feelings
and experiences that were reminders of her past. Many of these were entrenched reactions
cemented over long periods.
By August, even with all the experience and skills in our residential teams, nothing seemed
to be making a difference and placement breakdown was imminent. This was heartbreaking
for the staff team members who were totally committed to Kate. Many strategies were tried.
A support worker was recruited and employed to provide individual attention to Kate and to
assist in developing a night routine.
This worked initially, however given her past experiences, Kate had difficulty developing
relationships as her fears and mistrust often interfered. Her relationships with staff would begin
extremely well but quickly become very intense. Kate would react to her fear of increased
closeness by distancing herself in angry ways, destroying connections through assault or
continuous rage towards the staff member. A new approach was needed which would
give Kate an opportunity to experience safe ways of relating including both connection and
behavioural limits. Similarly, staff needed to develop an increased understanding of Kate’s
history and circumstances and constructive ways to manage her behaviours so that they could
also feel safe and connected to Kate.
In November, things began to change. Garry, her therapist, completed a comprehensive
therapeutic assessment and provided important information to staff about Kate’s
developmental history and experiences of loss and trauma. This enabled staff to better
understand the context and meaning of Kate’s problematic behavioural and emotional
responses and they were supported to implement a range of helpful strategies and techniques
in a consistent way that began to make a noticeable difference.
Garry also spent time with Kate, providing her with psycho-education which enabled her to
understand why she had been reacting in the manner she had, and allowed her to reflect upon
the impact her responses had on others. Kate was also equipped with strategies to help her
better manage her reactions and prevent difficult situations from occurring.
Kate also underwent a neuro-psychological assessment completed by Berry Street Take Two.
The feedback from Kate’s assessment gave her an understanding of her own intellectual
capacity, her strengths and areas where she could develop, and this further increased her
positive sense of self. A clinical consultation with child psychiatrist Dr Bruce Perry provided
further guidance and direction to the therapeutic approach being taken by residential staff
and validated the importance of psycho-education for Kate. The involvement of Take Two,
particularly the work of the therapeutic specialist, and the completion of a neuro-psychological
assessment, provided Kate with opportunities to reflect on her feelings and behaviour and
increasingly make sense of it. The strategies and the support she received, all made a
significant difference for this young woman.
The model of therapeutic residential care, which provides for a therapeutic specialist to be
attached to the residential unit and support the care team with training and consistent and
helpful approaches to managing the responses of troubled and traumatised adolescents, has
been extremely effective. This has been complemented by a stable and dedicated staff team
which proved to be the key ingredient in helping Kate to develop and overcome her difficulties,
particularly those involving relationships. Despite very difficult personal attacks and property
damage, the strong staffing group continued support to Kate, never abandoning or rejecting
her and provided her with the consistency of care and emotional safety she needed. Kate’s
milestones were celebrated and a wonderful birthday, Christmas and her first holiday were all
lovingly provided by the staff. These were all new experiences for Kate, which demonstrated to
her that she was a special and valuable person.
Kate has made considerable progress. She is now better able to manage her feelings and
behaviour while at the TRU and in the community, all of which give her very positive feelings
about herself. Her time in therapeutic care has given her a sense of safety that has allowed her
to reflect on her early life experiences in care and continue to put the story of her life together
while focusing on her future. Kate is now planning to leave the TRU and enter a leaving care
program as she will soon be 18 years old.
The voice of the young person: Kate’s voice
When asked: ‘What does the therapeutic residential unit mean to you?’ Kate answered: ‘The
world!’ This is her story told by her.
The TRU is my family and without one of you it doesn’t feel right. You have taught me skills
from cooking and cleaning, to my manners and vocabulary becoming better. You all have
shown me what love is, and what it’s like to be cared about. You let me have the childhood I
missed out on, but kept me long enough to mature and be ready to leave.
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I’ve received the best love, affection and experiences imaginable. You took me out on my first
holiday, gave me the best birthday and Christmas, so many memories created. You put up
with my shit just to help me. You did everything for my benefit. You did more than what your
job title is. You are not just youth workers but incredible people.
I would love to thank you all, for the time and dedication spent, to make me a better person,
and to help make me really understand who I am. I will miss every single one of you, but I will
still annoy the living shit out of you!
Of her therapist Garry, Kate says:
‘You’re so intelligent, so aware. You remind me of the person I know I can be. You have led me
in the right direction, and given me many opportunities and possibilities to think about. You’ve
worked hard to get me to where I am, and you’re definitely someone I’d like to thank. You gave
me the time to express myself, and realise that everyone has their differences. You really have
taught me a lot’.
Residential care staff, Program and Senior Residential Care Managers, Westcare
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30.
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Supporting children and young people
Take Two
Robert’s story: Learning to kick a footy and other important things
This is a poignant story about an eight-year-old boy who is finally developing a
sense of belonging. It is about a dedicated clinician and other professionals who
reached out to him to help build a sense of positive identity and the importance of
stability in the boy’s chaotic world, which enable him to begin to experience the
normal and important things in life.
Hi, my name is Robert and I’m eight years old. I’ve been in out-of-home care since I was a
baby because Dad hurt me and Mum didn’t know much about looking after kids so we often
didn’t get what we needed to grow up strong and healthy. In fact, we were often sick, smelly,
itchy and sad.
I’ve stayed in lots of places; sometimes for just a few nights and other times for more than a
year. When I was younger I got to stay in places with my sister too, but now it is just me with
other kids who have been told by the judge that they can’t live with their parents.
I know that I can’t live with my mum and dad but I would like to find a place that I can stay
in forever rather than moving all the time and feeling more and more unhappy and not really
understanding what is going on and why things keep changing, just as I get used to new
people and a new place.
I just want adults to see how hard it is for me not having one person in my life that really
knows me, understands me and stays with me. This means that adults keep making mistakes,
getting confused, missing things and making me angry. Sometimes I get so angry that I
explode like a volcano with no way of stopping until all the lava inside is out.
My school said I could never come back after I got really angry and hurt some staff and kids.
Child protection were not sure what to do so they called a big meeting and made a decision to
talk to a team called Take Two who could stay with me through all the changes and hold on to
the information about me so it no longer got lost, forgotten or misunderstood.
After my fourth placement went bad, I was placed in a residential care unit. Even though I was
not the smallest and youngest, all the other kids pushed me around and because the unit was
so busy, the carers could not always see what was going on.
The unit had lots of carers so it was hard to really get to know them but they did write down
some things about me in a Looking After Children book, which meant carers got to know
some of my favourite foods and things I like to do. They also started to collect photos and
special things in an album, so some of my good memories are kept and I can make sense of
all the people in my life.
The unit always took me and the other kids to the park and were really surprised when they
realised that I wasn’t very good at throwing a ball, running, riding a bike and even kicking a
footy. They said that I would need lots of practice and got more carers to work at the unit so
they could spend time helping me practice footy and other important things.
About the same time I went to this unit, some of my family had been talking to Aboriginal
people and they worked out that I was Aboriginal. I did not know much about Aboriginal
people and culture but the carers started to take me to meet lots of Aboriginal people and to
Aboriginal dance lessons. I’m learning what it means to be an Aboriginal boy.
Take Two helped child protection see that when I felt safe and had an adult with me to help
practice the things I had missed out on, I was less often angry, didn’t hurt people and was
able to learn and do things that other eight-year-old boys do. So they agreed that having an
adult in placement, school, access and activities would be part of their big plan for me.
A safe and welcoming school with a principal who always has a smile on her face and knew
me in prep, offered for me to come back to school as long as the adults kept up their deal
in helping out too. For a few months, I could manage a few hours before I was worn out but
by the end of term I was at school almost all day every day. The kids in the class encouraged
me to try my best at school and did not make me feel bad when I had to go home early.
They gave me a ‘high 5’ when it was time for me to leave. The school thinks it is so important
that I stay at school that they have hired a guy from the martial arts therapy program with big
muscles to hang out with me and show me how to sit in class, play with other kids and help
me when things get too much.
I have been visiting Take Two every week with my carers and I play with a person named Kate.
At the start, I just played in the sand tray, played peek-a-boo and with play-dough like little kids
do, but now I show Kate what it has been like to have experienced so many battles, so many
changes without understanding why and therefore having so many feelings and emotions that I
cannot make sense of.
I’m in a smaller unit now and I feel really happy that some of the carers from the big unit
came to work at my new unit so they were able to keep some things the same, tell the other
carers all about me and what helps me stay calm, what I like and don’t like and who are the
important people in my world.
I haven’t been told yet about what is happening next but I have a feeling that I am ready to
move to a place that I can stay in forever and that things are going to stop changing.
Kate Forbes, Senior Clinician, Take Two Berry Street, Western Metropolitan Team
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Youth Justice
The Youth Justice program oversees sentences imposed by Victorian
courts on young people aged 10 to 20 years for criminal offences.
This involves supervising young people subject to community-based
orders and the detention of young people in youth justice centres on
sentenced orders or remand.
The aims of the Victorian Youth Justice program are to maximise
appropriate diversion of young people from court, minimise progression
into the youth justice system and adult corrections, minimise the
likelihood of re-offending and maximise rehabilitation.
At the heart of Youth Justice work is engaging with and motivating
young people (such as Tylar) to help them get their lives back on track.
Tylar’s story: breaking the cycle of offending
Tylar is 18 years old and has been involved with the Youth Justice program since
early 2010. Tylar and his siblings moved a number of times during his childhood and
he was bullied by other young people and sometimes acted aggressively. Tylar left
school when he was 14 and lived away from his parents several times. He started working
a casual job as a farmhand far from the family home. When he was about 16, he had an
argument with his parents and moved permanently out of home to live with friends. In a
downward spiral of alcohol and cannabis use, Tylar started to commit crimes, offending in
partnership with the other young people he lived with. His offending consisted mostly of
stealing cars and stealing from cars and was largely motivated by the thrill and adrenalin
rush it produced for him.
Tylar was caught by the police and when he faced court he was assessed as being suitable
for a youth justice group conference. The conference process provides all participants, in
particular the young person and the victim, with the opportunity to tell their story about the
offending and how it has affected them. At the end of the information sharing, participants
provide suggestions about how the young person might repair the harm caused to the
victim. The young person usually apologises to the victim for their offending and completes
a plan designed to repair the harm. Subsequent to his participation in the group conference,
Tylar was sentenced by the Children’s Court to a Probation Order, a community based order
supervised by Youth Justice. The magistrate felt that Tylar needed additional support to stay
on track and cease his offending lifestyle.
When Youth Justice began working with Tylar, he had very little understanding of his offending.
He understood that he was not allowed to steal things and drive while unlicensed; however,
he often tried to justify his behaviour. Moreover, Tylar did not seem to foresee the
consequences that his offending may have had on his victims, the community, his family or
himself. Youth Justice worked closely with Tylar to help him identify goals while he was on
his Probation Order and to put in place a plan to enable him to achieve these goals and
regularly attend his mandated supervision appointments with his worker. Youth Justice also
assisted Tylar to access an engineering course at his local TAFE and referred him to the
Youth Justice motor vehicle offending program to educate him about the risks related to
his offending and give him strategies to prevent further involvement in motor vehicle-related
offences.
Tylar had regular involvement with his Youth Justice case worker over several months, but
despite some improvement in his attitude, he was still offending occasionally. Consequently
Youth Justice made a decision to breach Tylar’s Probation Order, which meant that Tylar
had to return to court. In the weeks leading up to the hearing, Youth Justice encouraged
Tylar to keep on track with his goals and consolidate the achievements he had made.
Tylar had, with youth justice support, returned to live with his mother in the family home.
He started attending his course more regularly, however he realised how far behind he was
in the required assessments. Tylar, with the help of his Youth Justice worker and his mother,
initiated a meeting with the course coordinator, who verified that Tylar’s poor attendance was
putting at risk his chances of successfully completing the course and confirmed that Tylar
would have to attend two extra days a week or two nights a week to catch up.
Tylar’s mother encouraged him to make the most of his opportunities and offered to help
him get to his extra classes whenever she could. For the rest of the year, Tylar attended his
course on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Two days a week after school, Tylar went
home and had dinner, and then returned to school to do night classes. As a requirement of
his Probation Order, Tylar had counselling sessions every second week after his course. When
counselling finished he returned to his course for night classes. Tylar also attended lessons
with a tutor from the Department of Human Services funded Youth Justice Community Support
Service, who assisted Tylar in developing his literacy and numeracy skills, which was necessary
for him to complete his written assessment tasks.
Towards the end of the school year, Youth Justice spoke with the course coordinator
about Tylar’s progress. Tylar was described as a model student who had made enormous
progress. The course coordinator was very impressed with Tylar’s application and
commitment to completing the course, describing him as the most dedicated student
in the course. At the end of the year, Tylar completed his assessment tasks and his
Certificate 2 in Engineering.
It would have been an easier option for Tylar to have continued to cruise along with his course
and not pass. Instead, he demonstrated significant effort to achieve the goals he had set for
himself, with the help of his mother and his Youth Justice worker. In Tylar’s view: ‘If it wasn’t
for the commitment and involvement of my youth justice worker, I would still be getting into
trouble with the cops and may even have been locked up in a youth justice centre. My worker
really helped me stay on track and helped me think about my life, as well as assisting me to
get into TAFE and to counselling, which also helped me avoid trouble.’
On 2 December 2010, Youth Justice was proud to award Tylar with the inaugural Warren
Spratling Award for demonstrated progress, consistent attendance and motivation to
completion of their order and tasks in the education, training or employment fields. The award
was presented by the Child Safety Commissioner, Mr Bernie Geary OAM.
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At the time of writing, Tylar had successfully completed his Youth Supervision and Probation
Order. Tylar’s TAFE teacher helped him obtain full-time employment as a concreter and he
has maintained this job since leaving TAFE in December 2010. Tylar has further ambitions to
undertake an apprenticeship as a welder and he is working towards achieving this goal.
Tylar continues to attend TAFE night school and is studying for a Certificate 3 in Engineering.
He is also saving hard so he can buy his own car.
Tylar and Cord Sadler, Acting Deputy Regional Director, Youth Justice Manager,
Grampians Region
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Connecting families
Jemma’s story: unravelling conflict creates a way home
Jemma is a 12-year-old girl who has had a tumultuous life, characterised by numerous
disconnections and losses, and in particular, the fracturing of her relationships with important
family members.
Jemma first came to the attention of child protection when she was four. Her parents had
separated and she was living with her father, her older stepsister Naomi, and her three older
brothers, Jason, Adam and Ben. Due to conflict between her parents, Jemma had not seen
her mother for many months and her father was struggling to care for the five children and
experiencing considerable stress.
When Jemma was 7, she disclosed being sexually abused by her brothers Jason, then 14,
and Ben, then 10. Jemma was initially placed in the care of her paternal grandparents, Adam
remained in his father’s care, and Jason was placed in a residential care unit with Berry Street
Victoria. Adam subsequently moved out of his father’s care into a community placement as
a consequence of conflict with his father and challenging behaviours. Naomi had returned to
the care of her mother, who was not able to care for any of her other children. Given Jemma’s
disclosures of sexual abuse, she did not have contact with her brothers. She had little if any
contact with her mother and over time her contact with her father diminished. Soon after being
placed with her grandparents, Jemma was removed from their care due to concerns about her
safety, and a subsequent placement with her aunt broke down due to Jemma’s emotional and
behavioural problems which were very difficult to manage.
Jemma has remained in out-of-home care in the seven years since then. During this time,
she has experienced numerous placement breakdowns. Her behavioural and emotional
disturbance has escalated over time, exacerbated by changes in caregivers and schools.
Child protection and an array of professionals, including very committed staff from Jemma’s
special school, have worked diligently to keep her safe, and provide her with consistent care,
routines, stability and an individualised learning program. Consequently, Jemma has appeared
to settle over the past six months and her high risk behaviours have somewhat abated.
On undertaking a case review and clinical consultation on Jemma’s case, the principal
practitioner noted the efforts child protection had taken to ensure Jemma’s safety, and the
collaborative work of a large care team in focusing on Jemma’s needs. What was striking
was the absence of relationship or any form of contact between Jemma with her family, and
the sudden fracturing and loss of key relationships following her sexual abuse disclosure
many years before. For Jemma, the lack of connection with family members was a source of
immense sorrow and loss.
Child protection had maintained minimal contact with Jemma’s mother – who now had
her youngest son, Ben, living with her – liaising mostly with her in regard to court matters.
It appeared that in similar ways, all involved felt stuck. Child protection did not feel able to
progress a relationship or visits to her mother by Jemma, given Ben was in the family home.
Jemma’s mother felt guilty for not being available to Jemma while also feeling excluded from
Jemma’s life, and Jemma felt stuck because she maintained a desperate longing and desire
for her mother and her siblings but could not find a way to be safely in their care or embraced
by them. Meanwhile, the carers and professionals involved were trying to ameliorate Jemma’s
distress and disturbed behaviours.
A planned intervention that sought to investigate the possibilities of a safe and renewed
connection with family. The principal practitioner and child protection practitioner met Jemma’s
mother and each of her siblings and held two important sessions between the boys and their
mother. At the same time, the child protection practitioner, supported by Jemma’s carers,
progressed discussions with her about her family and in particular, her feelings about contact
with her mother and siblings.
It was in the process of these individual and family sessions that critical information was
revealed, profound changes were enabled and significant opportunities for healing and
resolution resulted for Jemma, her mother and her siblings.
Jemma’s mother articulated her strong desire for Jemma to come and live with her, stating:
‘I want my daughter back’ and ‘I want to be a family again’. Conscious that no plans could be
made to progress this goal without first meeting Jemma’s siblings, discussing past events and
assessing the level of safety for Jemma, her mother facilitated a meeting between the principal
practitioner, Jemma’s child protection practitioner, herself, Jason, now aged 20, Adam, 17,
and Ben, 15. It was at this session, amid many tears for all, that the boys spoke for the first
time of their experiences of physical and emotional abuse by their father, relaying how they
would band together to try to protect and comfort each other. Ben also bravely told the story
of Jemma’s abuse. He revealed that he was witness to Jemma’s abuse and that it was their
father who had sexually abused Jemma, but fearful of the consequences of her disclosure he
had forced the boys to admit responsibility for deeds they had not done. The boys spoke of
their fear and isolation as children, of their sense of anger and injustice at being blamed for
acts they did not commit, but mostly, of the sadness and grief over the loss of their little sister.
Fittingly, their mother provided validation and comfort to her sons as they did to each other,
and there was palpable relief amid the terrible sense of pain and sadness.
In subsequent sessions, Naomi disclosed being sexually abused by her father when she was
six, and independently, on hearing that her brothers loved her, missed her and wanted to see
her, Jemma was able to disclose that it was her father, not her brothers who had hurt her. She
was anxious to know they were not angry with her because she had also been forced by her
father to say what she had said.
A plan for increasing contact with Jemma and her mother was enacted and they spent some
enjoyable time together. A moving (and well planned) reunification soon occurred between
Jemma and her brothers. They had not seen each other for seven years. Amid excitement,
tears, hugs and a beautifully baked cake made by Jemma, the siblings were reunited. On
driving back to placement after this amazing day, Jemma said: ‘My brothers just love me
too much!’
Further work has resulted in a plan being put in place for the reunification of Jemma with her
mother. The shift from Guardianship Order to a return home plan has signalled a significant
change in Jemma’s trajectory. It is still early days and there is still much thoughtful and
considered work required of all to support Jemma’s transition. While child protection staff and
all the care team members involved have no illusions about the challenges ahead, everyone is
committed to ensuring that Jemma can and will have enduring relationships with her mother
and her much loved siblings. Jemma’s mother says she isn’t giving up, and Jemma just can’t
wait for her 13th birthday – a party at home with all her family!
Dr Karen J Sutherland, Acting Principal Practitioner, Children, Youth and Families
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SHINE for Kids
SHINE for Kids is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership
with children and young people with a parent who is incarcerated.
The SHINE for Kids in Victoria’s Connecting Kids and Dads program is an
innovative program that brings together children and their incarcerated
fathers. The program is a collaboration between SHINE For Kids, other
services and families.
The following two stories reflect the experiences of children and families involved in the
SHINE for Kids Connecting Kids and Dads program. By adopting an innovative and flexible
perspective, the program has been able to adapt to the specific needs of each individual
client. The result has been remarkably positive. Workshops and programs run within the
prison have had 36 referrals in nine months, with an average of more than 90 per cent
attendance. Considering that these activities and referrals are voluntary, this is a significant
accomplishment.
Jim’s and Jo’s story: positive and practical ways to connect
Jim was sent to prison at the age of 20. His son Jo, was born while Jim was in custody and
Jane, his partner, is raising Jo on her own with limited family support. The day the Connecting
Kids and Dads program began, Jim was very keen to be involved in the program.
He saw it as an opportunity to have a positive impact on his son’s life and be the kind of father
to his son that his own dad had not been for him. Jim’s father was in prison for about the
first ten years of Jim’s life and on reflection, Jim believed the disconnection between himself,
his son and his partner would result in his own child experiencing a similar life. Through the
Connecting Kids and Dads program, Jim has been given an opportunity to establish, maintain
and enhance his connections with his young son and his partner.
At Easter time, the SHINE for Kids child and family worker hosted a surviving special occasions
workshop. This allowed Jim and 11 other fathers to create Easter presents for their children.
Many of these gifts were posted to children. In Jim’s case he was able to give the gift to his
son on Easter Sunday. Jim also participated in the building bridges workshop, a scrapbooking
program that gives fathers an opportunity to document their child’s development stages. At a
weekend visit, Jane’s face lit up at the prospect of Jim creating a scrapbook for their son and
said: ‘Jo makes so many things for Jim at day care, and I get so upset that we can’t send
them in, that he can’t see them.’
Jim showed enthusiasm and commitment to the scrapbooking program, not missing a session
and commenting on the feedback form that: ‘Building bridges is a great program for me with a
young son. It helps me show him that I haven’t forgotten about him and that his Daddy loves
him a lot.’ The workshop also helped Jim celebrate his son’s birthday, dedicating a whole page
to this milestone.
A key aspect of the Connecting Kids and Dads program is practical parenting and family
support. Through these one-to-one weekly or fortnightly sessions, Jim learnt for the first time
how to change a nappy, give his child a bath and safety-proof his home. These innovative
and personalised sessions have a practical skills focus, and enabled Jim to explore positive
parenting strategies in a relaxed and non-judgmental atmosphere.
When Jim and Jane experienced a challenging situation with Jo at his local day care facility,
the family support and collaboration between SHINE and his parents was important. Jo had
begun to bite other children, a behaviour he had never displayed at home. Jim brought this
issue to the practical parenting ‘table’ and in response, the family unit was presented with
information that was practical, positive and delivered in a personalised and flexible manner,
specific to their situation. As a result, Jim and Jane developed practical and positive strategies
for discouraging negative behaviour; ones they will use throughout Jo’s life.
Louise Billman, Child and Family Worker, Shine for Kids Victoria
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Rob and Ralph’s story: building bridges with loved ones
Rob is also involved with the Connecting Kids and Dads program. His child, Ralph, is placed in
kinship care with Rob’s mother and father-in-law. Ralph has been physically disconnected from
his father for more than a year, and limited news about Ralph’s life had been available to Rob.
Ralph had been referred to a case worker at Wesley Mission and also had involvement with
child protection.
Rob was experiencing sadness, anger and frustration at being so disconnected from his son.
Despite wanting to be involved in his child’s life and to participate in important decision making
about Ralph, Rob had difficulty expressing this in constructive ways and often got caught up
in anger and oppositional stances, which did not help. For example, Rob was refusing to sign
documentation to allow Ralph to go to school or be administered medical assistance due
to lack of understanding of the child protection process and as a protest about his general
disconnection from his child.
Through the SHINE For Kids child and family worker, Rob has been supported to better
understand the role of services involved with his son, and to begin collaborating with them
constructively. He is developing a positive relationship with his child’s child protection case worker
who is regularly providing information about Ralph, including updates on his development. To
further improve his connection with his child, Rob is participating in building bridges workshops
and reflecting on the potential he has to be a positive presence in his child’s life.
For these programs to continue to have such a clear and positive impact, collaboration between
services and innovative, tailored and flexible approaches need to be applied. In so doing, more
holistic intervention is possible, supporting connections between children and families.
Louise Billman, Child and Family Worker, Shine for Kids Victoria
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Working collaboratively for good outcomes
South East Centre Against Sexual Assault (SECASA), Sexual Offences
and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) and Child Protection
Belinda’s story: protecting and encouraging victims
In the Peninsula Sexual Assault Centre (Frankston), counsellors from South Eastern Centre
Against Sexual Assault (SECASA) work collaboratively with Victoria Police from Frankston
Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team (SOCIT) and child protection to respond
effectively to sexual assault cases in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula areas.
Child protection received a notification that Belinda, aged 15, could be a victim of childhood
sexual abuse. However, as Belinda had not disclosed sexual abuse and her parents had been
assessed as acting protectively, child protection referred the case to SECASA to ensure that
Belinda had a safe place to discuss any concerns about her wellbeing. The child protection
practitioner patiently discussed the concerns with Belinda and her mother and arranged for a
SECASA counsellor to introduce the counselling service to them.
Belinda and her mother were responsive to the referral to SECASA and Belinda agreed to
attend weekly counselling. In her counselling sessions, she disclosed that she had vivid
memories of being sexually abused by a member of her extended family when she was seven
years old. She described feeling very alone and blamed herself for the abuse. She believed
that her parents and younger sister, Carly, aged 12, would not believe her because they
seemed to have a close and loving relationship with the offender. She further explored her
suspicion that the offender could also have sexually abused Carly. She discussed her deep
sense of shame and guilt for not disclosing sooner, stating that she would not be able to
forgive herself if Carly had suffered the same fate as her.
The SECASA counsellor worked with Belinda on her goals for counselling and explored with
Belinda what she felt she needed to achieve in order to recover from the painful impacts of
her abuse. She was clear that she wanted to first disclose her past abuse to her parents and
then have a separate discussion with Carly. She requested that SECASA play a supportive
role in facilitating a session for her and her parents. While her parents were shocked by
Belinda’s disclosure, they were very supportive of her and, most importantly, they believed her
immediately. Her parents agreed that, given Belinda’s close relationship with Carly, she should
be the one to tell her about her experience of past sexual abuse. They promised to support
her in doing so.
At the joint session, her father expressed concern that the offender was caring for two family
members, Adam, aged three and Amy, aged four, and he feared for their safety. Belinda was
immediately distressed upon hearing this. She requested that the counsellor arrange for her
to meet the child protection practitioner who had first referred her, as she felt safe to disclose
her abuse and discuss her concerns. With the support of the SECASA counsellor and child
protection practitioner, Belinda felt empowered to report her abuse to Victoria Police. However,
it was important for her to disclose to Carly before reporting to the police.
Belinda was relieved to find out that Carly had not been sexually abused by the offender
and was moved by Carly’s loving and understanding response. Belinda now felt ready for
the SECASA counsellor to arrange for a meeting with SOCIT, who were very responsive and
offered Belinda a meeting time within 24 hours. They also ensured that the SECASA counsellor
and child protection practitioner were aware of the meeting details and available to support
Belinda if required. After hearing of the available options, Belinda decided that she wanted to
formally report the abuse and continue with a video and audio taped interview.
Child protection was quick to act and ensured that Belinda and her parents were aware they
would be contacting Adam and Amy’s parents to inform them about the allegations made
against the offender, who was caring for their children while they were at work. The parents
acted protectively and ensured that the offender was not allowed further contact with the
children. They also consented to SOCIT interviewing Adam and Amy, but given their young
age, no disclosures were made.
While the offender was ultimately charged with her sexual assault, Belinda advised that it was
the belief, support and encouragement received from SECASA, child protection and SOCIT
that she most valued. She advised that this experience changed how she sees government
services. She strongly encourages children and young people to come forward, to name their
abuser and be heard.
Marilyn Lok and Carolyn Worth, SECASA
37
95
The Gatehouse Centre, Royal Children’s Hospital
The Royal Children’s Hospital Gatehouse Centre provides assessment
and treatment for children and young people who have been sexually
abused and who have engaged in problem sexual and sexually abusive
behaviour. The Gatehouse Centre includes family members in the
assessment and treatment process.
Mark and Daniel’s story: supporting carers to stabilise a risk-filled world
This story is about two brothers, Mark, aged eight, and Daniel, aged six, who have
a history of sexual abuse and neglect and have been exposed to severe family
violence, parental substance abuse, an itinerant lifestyle and multiple separations
from their primary caregiver. The children were referred to the Gatehouse Centre
after their mother had abandoned them at Melbourne Children’s Court. The
children had been placed in a residential care unit because all prior placements
with foster carers had broken down due to their extremely difficult behaviours.
Upon referral to the Gatehouse Centre, both boys presented with behaviour including
sexualised language, sexual innuendo, sexually intrusive behaviours towards one another,
violent and aggressive behaviour towards one another as well as other adults and children
coming into contact with them. Risk taking behaviour included frequent absconding from
their home environment and school, challenging authority figures as well as difficulties
following instructions. Mark was also defecating in public places (school grounds, home
backyard and the shower floor) and bedwetting almost every night. Intervention to address
these behaviours was desperately requested by child protection, the residential care unit
and the children’s school.
We spent time thinking and discussing about how best to proceed with intervention for these
children who had experienced extensive trauma in their short lives and whose behaviours were
clearly showing extreme levels of disturbance. Moreover, we were acutely aware of the distress
experienced by the care team who were in daily contact with the boys. There was a palpable
sense of ‘needing to do something as soon as possible because this is too much’. The
children were extremely challenging and the workers involved were visibly struggling to cope.
During one of our initial meetings, it was apparent that a mirror process was occurring: the
children’s lack of inner containment, traumatic experiences and extreme emotional distress
was ‘spilling over’ and was reflected in the workers’ own difficulties maintaining control in
these circumstances. It was a desperate situation. The pressure to begin therapy as soon as
possible was immense. Furthermore, it remained unclear where the children would be living,
with whom and for how long. Nothing seemed stable in their world.
What could we do?
A child’s emotional development and capacity for experience informs whether change will
be facilitated by therapy because the child’s ability to form a relationship with the therapist is
significant in successful therapeutic treatment.5 Assessment is needed to determine treatability.
5. Rustin, M (1982). Finding a way to the child. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 8(2), 145–150.
Child psychotherapist Susan Dyke explained that assessment is never neutral, particularly
when the child’s external world is in turmoil and he/she does not know who is in charge.
She says children need to have parents or carers who are permanent, reliable and committed
to their care so that therapy (and the therapist) does not feel like an intrusion. Susan came to
understand that even assessment may be threatening to a child.6
Several attempts by workers to contact Mark and Daniel’s family were unsuccessful. The
residential unit staff represented a caring framework which we hoped would provide the
children with a solid foundation from which to explore their inner world.
Assessment for therapy needed to wait until the boys felt their world was safe and predictable.
Factors such as interim care arrangements, ongoing legal proceedings, and the absence of
parental figures unhinge a child’s life. Despite considerable pressure experienced from our
discussions with the professionals, we decided to hold off the therapy. Instead, we argued that
our introduction in these boys’ lives would be experienced as yet another intrusion providing
more evidence of lack of boundaries and instability.
Intervention
Given the instability of Mark and Daniel’s lives and serious concern and sense of
powerlessness which the case evoked in all those working with the children, we felt it was
more beneficial to provide support to the children’s direct carers at the residential unit and
the school principal and teachers, assisting them with coping with the children’s fears and
anxieties. Although indirect, this intervention was felt to be invaluable to the children whose
development (while under the care of the unit staff) flourished. Our rationale was based on the
idea that if we could support the care team, the children would internalise their new carers and
develop a capacity to make use of other helpful adults.
Our intervention with the professionals consisted of:
• highlighting the children’s personality traits (such as sense of humour) that elicited positive
and nurturing responses from the adults in their environment
• providing practical strategies on how to manage challenging and oppositional behaviours.
• regular care team meetings with child protection, residential unit staff, school principal and
teachers to review progress and share ‘good news’ stories
• attendance at residential unit staff meetings to provide secondary consultation, including
debriefing
• highlighting the markers that indicated the children’s positive behavioural changes
• encouragement for all the professionals’ ongoing good work and support of the children.
Our involvement with the children before they attended the Gatehouse Centre consisted of:
• weekly visits to their residential unit for child-directed play including basketball, ‘dancing
demos’, talent shows and just ‘hanging around’ with the boys and their carers
• classroom observations
• interactive classroom support.
Using this approach, we found that the boys experienced us as non-intrusive, respectful and
approachable workers. Our genuine interest in the person of the child led to Mark and Daniel
asking us about where we work. This provided the platform from which to start in-house
therapy, which began three months after our initial contact with the boys.
6. Dyke, S (1987). Saying ‘no’ to psychotherapy: Consultation and assessment in a case of sexual abuse. Journal of
Child Psychotherapy, 13(2), 65–79.
97
Indicators of good outcomes have included significant improvement in the boys’ development
and attachment as reported by all involved. Chaotic and oppositional behaviour has ceased
dramatically. They have internalised the capacity to contain and can now listen and follow
instructions. Bedwetting and defecating in public is no longer an issue, and the problem sexual
behaviour has stopped. They have engaged in learning and for the most part, stay in their
classrooms without concern. They are curious about others’ lives and ask frequent questions
about their carers’ families and personal histories. They are developing a template from which
to begin to write their own life script.
The children are now ready for psychotherapy as they have developed a capacity to engage
and make use of the containing framework provided by their carers, teachers and us, as
their therapists. The children’s world was seen as part of the system in which it exists. The
care team’s commitment to regular case conferences and liaison symbolises the analogous
extended family that these children have missed in their lives.
Impact of our service
Our work consists of providing direct assessment and treatment if the child is ready for
psychotherapy. Supporting the unit staff and teachers to cope with the children’s behaviour
and emotions proved to be a key factor in abating the workers’ fears. Approaching these
highly traumatised children ‘from the outside in’ has shown us that not all children are ready
for psychotherapy at the point of referral. This case has again demonstrated that a systemic
collaborative approach is the most effective method by which to engage children who have
experienced significant abuse and trauma.
Mary Raftopoulos (psychologist) and Kellie Foister (psychologist), Royal Children’s
Hospital, Gatehouse Centre
38
39
99
Supporting young people in out-of-home
care
Evolution Arts Program
Evolution is a youth arts program for disengaged young people within
the City of Melbourne. The program aims to assist at-risk young people
aged 13 to 19 to transition successfully back into education, further
training or employment while incorporating pathway support for
participants.
The program is a partnership between Melbourne City Mission’s
Frontyard Youth Services for homeless and disadvantaged young people
aged 12 to 25 who spend time in Melbourne’s central business district,
the City of Melbourne’s Signal Youth Arts Space (the first arts studio
specifically for young people), the Inner Melbourne VET Cluster (IMVC)
and the University of Melbourne and initiated by the Capital City Local
Learning and Employment Network (City LLEN). Funding is provided by
the Newsboys Foundation and the Australian Council for the Arts.
Participating in an arts program such as this often leads to a greater
willingness by young people to engage about the issues affecting their
lives, thereby addressing the barriers they experience and increasing
their chance of engagement with other support. Their lives are often
transformed by being help to develop self-belief, a sense of pride in
their achievements, skills in the creative arts, and confidence in their
own abilities, as well as providing an opportunity to engage with peers
in a positive environment.
Elise’s story: a young person discovers her talent
Elise was 15 years old when she entered residential care in July 2010. Since then, she has set
herself challenges and persevered to reach her goals and ambitions, using photography and
art to express her emotions and help her manage stressful situations in her life.
Elise has natural photography skills which were explored in an eight-week arts program. The
Evolution Arts Program ran for two days a week and the young people were able to expand on
their knowledge and interests in photography.
Below is her case practitioner’s interview with Elise about her experiences.
What is the Evolution Arts Program about?
It’s a creative arts course which is photography based. They also had other arts including
spray painting and computer work.
What did you learn at the Evolution Arts Program?
I learnt basic skills of photography and how to edit photos on the computer using Photoshop.
What happened when you completed the course?
An art exhibition was held to present all of our artwork which was done over the eight weeks
at Signal Youth Arts Space in the central business district.
Who attended the exhibition?
Workers, family, people from Melbourne City Mission, the Journeys group and teachers from
the course.
Who approached you at the end of the exhibition?
A lady from Melbourne City Council approached me and stated that she was interested in my
talent in photography and wanted to expand it further. She told me that she believed that I had
real talent and requested that I take photos for her of my own perspective of Melbourne so she
could put them in her office.
Did you sell any photos?
I sold four of my photos.
What are your plans now?
To pursue my photography even more.
What did you get out of the course?
I gained confidence to believe that I did have something going for me in that area. The
comments the teachers made about my work made me realise that I have talent that was
worth working with.
What other programs are you involved in?
I’m involved in the Journeys Program.
How do you find the Journeys Program?
Journeys is the best. It’s the time that you can go away with people that care about you and
want you to grow as a person. When I go on Journeys, I can be myself and feel that I don’t
need to impress anyone. Journeys is pretty much another part of my family.
Due to Elise’s motivation and willingness to participate in extra activities, she has been
nominated to be involved in the ‘As Eye See It’ project by the agency practitioners. The project
is a photographic exhibition sponsored by the office for the Child Safety Commissioner and
will provide another opportunity for Elise to express herself in a positive manner about her
experiences of being in care.
Elise continues to attend the Journeys Program and is looking into further photography
courses to expand her knowledge and skills. She hopes to take up further training in creative
photography.
‘Elise’ and Jodie Rushton, Case Manager, MacKillop Youth Services
101
40
41
MacKillop Kitchen Rules: food brings young people together
MacKillop is one of the largest providers of specialised support services
to vulnerable and disadvantaged children, young people and their
families in south-eastern Australia. It works to promote justice and
foster hope for some of our most marginalised groups, particularly
those who experience distress, disadvantage and abuse.
This year saw the launch of MacKillop Kitchen Rules, an initiative
developed by the young people in care at MacKillop Family Services. It
aims to promote and develop independent living skills and teamwork,
and brought together the skills and creativity of five residential care
units in a competition that culminated in a ‘cook off’ in front of
celebrity guest judge, Ian Curly.
The young people in the five residential units were given the brief of creating their own theme,
menu and three-course meals to be scored by a judging panel made up of MacKillop executive
team members and staff. Over the five weeks, the judges were impressed by the teamwork
displayed by all units and the delicious meals and creative concepts produced as a result.
Themes included ‘A Taste of Italy’, ‘Rock Star Night’, ‘Mad Hatters’ and ‘Farm Yard’
and reflected the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of the young people involved.
Residential units were ‘made over’ from top to bottom with young people and staff going to
great lengths with their decorations and their costumes.
One unit was transformed into a haunted house, complete with rats, bats and iced hands
floating in the punch bowl as part of ‘Horror Night’. The main dish, Stuff Me Dead Chicken,
was served to the guests.
MacKillop Kitchen Rules shows how the power of food can help young people build their
sense of identity and self-esteem while providing skills to help them move forward in life. One
of the most important roles of out-of-home care is to equip young people with the living skills
they will need to successfully transition to independence. The competition gave the young
people the opportunity to develop their cooking skills, as well as confidence to work as part of
a team, develop and implement their own ideas, express themselves creatively and feel part of
a larger community.
The competition culminated with young people, family and carers, MacKillop staff and
management, members of the Department of Human Services and sector professionals
coming together to celebrate the achievements at the finale. Ian Curley, host and mentor on
Channel Seven’s Conviction Kitchen, headed the judging panel including Anastacia, a past
winner of the show and MacKillop staff. The celebrity judges added to the excitement of the
evening and provided the young people with inspiring examples of how challenges can be
overcome and dreams achieved.
The winner of MacKillop Kitchen Rules won a dinner at The European restaurant with
one of the celebrity judges, two people of their choice and the competition organisers.
The camaraderie and respect developed between all of the young people throughout the
competition was demonstrated with the winner choosing to invite a young person from a
‘competing’ residential unit.
103
As she says ‘MacKillop’s Kitchen Rules was an extra-ordinary experience and from the
experience that I’ve had, I realise that cooking is a very hard job but fun’.
MacKillop Kitchen Rules is an innovative way of showcasing skills while facilitating a sense of
pride and achievement within the young people in the units. The competition demonstrated
that when given an opportunity to shine, the young people involved can do so – and amaze
those around them, and themselves.
Gee Bilal, Journeys and Drug and Alcohol Counsellor, MacKillop Youth Services (NW)
42
43
105
Transitioning to independence
Leaving care support
The Department of Human Services has funded post care support
services in each of the eight regions which are provided by a range
of agencies. These services are co-ordinated by regional leaving care
alliances. The aim is to enable a stronger focus on supporting young
people transitioning to independence.
The programs provide support to young people aged 16-21 who have
been on either a Custody or Guardianship Order on or after their 16th
birthday and have subsequently left care.
All young people require ongoing support not only in developing their
independence but also sustaining independence. Many young people
who have left care have had limited opportunities to develop appropriate
living skills and lack experience in navigating the adult world.
Post care support services are flexible and responsive, able to meet
young people’s needs by identifying and building on their strengths.
The services aim to provide a safety net that many young people in
the broader community have with their families and friends throughout
their lives.
Berry Street’s Post Care Support Information and Referral Program
(PCSIR) began in February 2010 as part of a suite of leaving care
services and planning processes initiated by the Department of Human
Services’ North West Metropolitan Region to enable a stronger focus on
supporting young people as they transition to independence.
Nyah’s story: home at last
At 20, Nyah was consumed by stress, had limited positive relationships, poor health, no place
to call home, inadequate personal possessions and had not been able to create a sense of
stability in the years following her leaving out-of-home care. “I give up on this world!” she said.
Nyah and her sibling were born with a mild intellectual disability and were removed from their
parents’ care by child protection when she was aged three years old. After numerous attempts
at family reunification, Nyah and her sibling, then aged 10 and 7, were placed on Guardianship
Orders. Nyah grew up in various placements including kinship care, foster care, residential care
and lead tenant.
Nyah reported that the best placement she had was her last, a lead tenant program.
She was well supported by the lead tenants, provided with intensive case management,
living skills support and access to 24-hour-on-call support. Despite her positive experience,
Nyah struggled with independent living and was not adequately linked into other services. She
lacked the skills to follow up with services and the service systems’ complexity made it difficult
to provide integrated, enduring follow-up with Nyah.
The inability of young people who have left care to advocate or express their needs adequately
in a complex service system and in the broader community is an issue that presents time and
time again.
Subsequently Nyah was referred to a transitional housing accommodation program which did
not address her complex support requirements. When she moved into the transitional property,
she found it incredibly difficult to manage the tenancy. The support focused on maintaining the
shared tenancy and preventing eviction rather than securing a long-term housing option. Nyah
continued to receive limited outreach support in relation to developing living skills via disability
client services; however she required more support than could be offered. She was referred to
a mentor program but sadly, this could not continue.
Nyah, then aged 18, was evicted from the transitional property for antisocial behaviour and
began her seemingly endless search for a home, feeling overwhelmed. She had no long-term
housing applications, outreach support had stopped and no referrals to any other support
services were in place.
She then found insecure accommodation in rooming and boarding houses, youth refuges,
caravan parks, motels or couch surfing. In 2010, after having again ‘worn out her welcome’
and facing sleeping on the street, Nyah questioned why she was in such a predicament. She
couldn’t understand why her fundamental need of shelter was unable to be met when ‘she
didn’t do drugs and was not a bad person’. In desperation Nyah reached out to a former case
manager who referred her to Berry Street Victoria’s post care support program.
Nyah was unconvinced that the post care support program was going to provide her with the
help and resources that she needed to achieve her independence. ‘This is hopeless, youse are
all hopeless!’ she said. Despite these feelings, she agreed to try again.
Nyah refused special residential services accommodation saying that she did not want to be
institutionalised. The post care support worker assisted Nyah to contact other accommodation
and after many ‘knock-backs’, a vacancy was found in a caravan park. The post care program
was able to financially support Nyah with funding to secure the vacancy and purchase items
for the property including linen and kitchen items.
PCSIR continued to provide intensive case management to Nyah over the next twelve
months. Disability services were re-engaged, an application for disability services assessment
completed and a request made for a long-term disability services case manager. Once her
application was approved by disability services, it was anticipated that an individual service
plan application would be completed.
Constant advocacy with the caravan park owner and other residents, intensive support
to improve personal hygiene, social relationships and numerous brokerage applications to
support and develop Nyah’s independent living skills, educational activities and short courses,
driving lessons, clothing, health and wellbeing including gym membership and social activities,
meant that against all odds, Nyah was able to remain in her accommodation for nine months
until she chose to move to a short-term boarding house.
107
She again utilised brokerage funds to buy furniture, bedding and for set up costs. Her post
care support worker helped Nyah to continue to seek long-term accommodation options.
Collaboration with disability services increased advocacy to accommodation services to
prioritise Nyah’s applications for housing. In July 2011 after years of instability and transience
Nyah was made an offer of permanent accommodation in a two bedroom unit in the area of
her choice.
At age 21, Nyah has finally found a home of her own.
Berry Street’s core value statement We never give up, has been clearly demonstrated by the
ongoing advocacy and support provided by the post care support program. The ability to
deliver responsive, flexible, committed supports with adequate financial aid to Nyah who had
high support needs, is a critical factor in the program’s successes with this young woman.
Lyn Fletcher, Manager Youth Housing and Support Programs
Rebecca Prowse, Team Leader PCSIR Program
Berry Street Victoria
44
MacKillop Lead Tenant Services
MacKillop Family Services provides Lead Tenant Services in the Barwon,
North West and Southern regions, supporting young people aged 16
to 18 to have their first experience of semi-independent living after
having been in residential care. Some young people are very keen for
the opportunity while others struggle to adjust to the changes required.
The Lead Tenant Service provides young people with accommodation
and the help and support of volunteers who act as positive role models
and mentors. Volunteers focus on assisting young people to develop
independent living skills. Upon entry to the program the young person
receives furniture and household items that they are able to keep and
these items include a TV, stereo or computer that has been donated by
business or industry.
In addition, MacKillop Family Services provides a specific enhanced life
skills program called the Way Out There Program and a care team in
response to the needs of some young people who leave the service
without being fully equipped for independence. Many of the past lead
tenants have commented on the value of this program and said they
wished they had been given the opportunity to learn about many of
the life skills required for independent living when they were younger.
Allan’s story: moving to independence
Different perspectives from Allan and his practitioner Tanya.
Tanya
Close your eyes and think back to when you were 16 years old. What was your life like?
Where did you live? Who with? What were you asked to do in the family home? I was in
Year 11 living with my mother, father, sister and brother – enjoying most weekends with
friends and knowing that when I came home I would be welcomed with open arms, always
with a meal on the table for myself and whoever I brought home with me.
What would my life have been like if it been necessary for me to move into a home with
total strangers and look after myself with a couple of residential care workers for support?
Petrifying ...
For many young people leaving care, 16 years is a very long time to be in the care of the
Department of Human Services and for many, this translates to about 88 per cent of their life.
For most, a large part of this time is spent living within the out-of-home care system.
Allan
I remember when I was 10 and 11 years old. I was stressed and I didn’t know what to do,
I was so worried and all I wanted was to have a family. I was restless and lashed out at people
when they wouldn’t do what I wanted or give me what I wanted. I had major trust issues.
109
A lot of time I would push workers, bite them and throw things at them. By the time I was
14 or 15, I was thinking of suicide and I didn’t listen to anyone. I would sneak out at night and
steal, chrome, and do just stupid stuff. I misbehaved to the point that was not tolerable and I
was just getting worse. Workers were scared of me and did not want to be around me. Then
something shifted; I wanted to change because I was sick of how life was going. Workers
started to speak to me about the lead tenant service but I did not think that I was ready and
neither did some of my workers. I started to rebel against the idea.
At 16, I went through the desire to end everything – I wanted to get charged for offences that I
had wiped. These charges included assault, robbery and property damage, for which I was on
a suspended sentence. At this time I was attending community school but I did not like it.
I believe that at 16 and a half years old, I was a better person to be around and people liked
me more.
From the ages of 9 to 17, I was on medication but I can’t really tell you what it was for. One
day I just woke up and I was told that I needed to take the medication that I was given.
Tanya
When a referral landed on my desk, I looked at the name and I saw Allan. So many thoughts
went through my mind. I wondered how Allan was going to cope in the Lead Tenant Service.
Youth and social workers where Allan was living were very focused on helping Allan to be
prepared for the program. One main concern I had was that Allan was on a number of
medications for ADHD, conduct disorder and anxiety.
With the assistance and guidance of Royal Children’s Hospital, Allan was slowly weaned off the
medication. Transition plans, skills development and regular consultations occurred for about
six to eight months before Allan entered the program. All those who had worked with Allan
including Take Two came together as a care team to ensure that his transition was as smooth
as possible. One of the workers, Igor, with whom Allan had had a long-standing relationship,
was to continue to work and support Allan in the lead tenant service. This additional support,
which meant so much to Allan, was provided by the placement coordination unit until Allan
moved out of the lead tenant service.
At first it wasn’t easy for anyone, especially Allan who had lived in residential care for the
previous six years. But slowly and surely, with the support of his workers, which now included
MacKillop Family Services, education support, Take Two and Igor, Allan built on his skills and
developed new ones. The last six months saw astonishing progress. It was as if Allan just
woke up one day and he was more responsible and respectful, and had a sense of direction in
his life. He was also thankful for the support that he received.
Allan
Having Igor’s caring support really helped with the transition into lead tenant and also
throughout my placement. At 17 years old moving into the lead tenant service, I felt as though
I coped with the change. I learnt to look after myself, clean and budget. I felt more respected
as a person and that I had more control over life. One thing that I always wanted was to
attend mainstream school. Now I attend tertiary college and I am completing an Information
Technology diploma and doing well at this. My 18th birthday was celebrated by a dinner with
24 friends. Most were staff from the Department of Human Services, MacKillop, ex-foster
carers and staff that had moved on but wanted to celebrate this tremendous occasion with
me. My girlfriend and I have moved into student accommodation near college and the agency.
Tanya
I questioned the suitability of the lead tenant service for Allan; and wondered how he was
going to cope. However, he put in a lot of hard work and we are so proud of him. He will
always be welcome to walk through our doors whenever he likes. Allan is truly an inspiration to
all of us at MacKillop.
Allan recommends that young people should move into the lead tenant service only if they are
ready. It has made him more prepared for the life that he is now living than if he had continued
to live in residential care and not had this transition to independence.
When Allan moved into the lead tenant program, he felt as though he had to pull himself
together. He did not trust people, and it took him three to six months to trust the lead tenant
workers. Allan feels that the department can help if allowed to. Take Two are good helpers and
are passionate about what they do and they just don’t go away.
The lead tenant service is a very useful service for young people placed in out-of-home
care needing to prepare for independent living. Allan is a fine example of how this service,
supported by a care team of committed people. can ensure that young people build the skills,
competencies and confidence necessary for independent living.
Tanya Vella and Allan, Lead Tenant Service, MacKillop Family Services
45
111
Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge and thank MacKillop Family Services for allowing the
department to use a selection of paintings and photographs by children and young people in
their organisation.
Cover
Smile
Female
13 years
1
Different Love
Female
16 years
2
Circle of Friends
Female
15 years
3
The Day Dream
Female
8 years
4
Shapes
Female
4 years
5
The Love of Randomness
Female
12 years
6
Family
Female
7 years
7
Fish Face
Collective
Ages 10-12 years
8
My background and where I come from
9
Midnight Stars
Female
11 years
10
Rainy, Sunny, Flowers
Female
17 years
11
Remember
Female
14 years
12
Holiday
Female
71/2 years
13
Sir Juggler
Male
9 years
14
Australia
Female
20 years
15
Lost
Female
13 years
16
Poppy Field
Female
9 years
17
Six Eyes
Male
11 years
18
Sponge -Bob-R
19
Little fingers -hopeful hand
20
We are all free
Female
12 years
21
Behind the Curtain
Female
12 years
22
Untitled
Female
15 years
23
Ruby Reconstructed
Female
16 years
24
Our Collage
Collective
Ages 12-14 years
25
Hard Life
Male
14 years
26
Our Home
Female
14 years
27
Untitled
Female
16 years
28
In the Garden
Female
6 years
29
The Road of Life
Male
13 years
30
The Whatever
Female
14 years
31
Harley’s Car
Male
7 years
32
Freedom
Male
16 years
33
Confusion in shades of purple and black
Male
16 years
34
My Dad and Me
Male
1 year
35
Happy Birthday
Female
4 years
36
The Maze
37
The Rose
Female
11 years
38
A Pair
Male
16 years
39
Snoozing in a Tree
Female
15 years
40
Born free
Female
15 years
41
Over the River
Female
15 years
42
Kitchen Rules
43
Family Tree
Male
14 years
44
Butterfly
Female
20 years
45
Fireworks
46
The Beach
13 years
8 years
Female
20 years
113
46

a statewide snapshot 2011

Transcription

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all our children and new ones who have joined us over the summer

The story behind our new Group Home

Kinship Care Month - National Kinship Alliance for Children