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© State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services, August 2016
Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this publication show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. This publication may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Throughout this document, the term ‘Aboriginal’ is used to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Use of the terms ‘Koori’, ‘Koorie’ and ‘Indigenous’ are retained in the names of programs and initiatives and, unless noted otherwise, are inclusive of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Available at <www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/reports-publications/children,-youth-and-families-good-practice-publication>.
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Contents
Introduction 7
Working with families to address intergenerational histories of trauma 8
Borrowed from our children 8
Putting Ben first within a trauma-informed approach 10
Towards a bright future: Jack and his sister 11
Meeting a family at a crossroads 12
A focus on cultural planning for Malaki 13
Supporting Liam and Lily’s connection to family, community and culture 14
Journeying together: Hamish and his dad 16
Breaking the cycle 17
Anna’s story 18
Effective engagement with youth who display high-risk behaviours 19
Leading the way 19
Shoring up Bobby’s supports 20
Kimberly’s resolve 21
Giving Jess a space to be heard: transitioning to secondary school 23
Benjamin returns home 24
Not giving up: achieving the impossible 25
From a lead tenant program to independence 27
Connor’s courage 29
Making connections through sport and outdoor activity 30
Supporting families to parent infants 31
Enhancing the relationship between Mum and baby David 31
Walking alongside Susan and her grandchildren 32
A therapeutic approach to contact laying the foundation for reunification 33
The power of partnership 34
A reflective approach to reunification 35
Cradle to Kinder: helping Emma meet Blake’s needs 36
Innovative programs 37
Pizza and parenting 37
Paws for thought 39
Enhancing engagement and intervention through joint visits 40
Working across traditional program boundaries to promote permanency 42
It’s the small things 43
A safe haven for Annie 44
Brothers 46
The moment it ‘clicked’: reflecting on the Family Drug Treatment Court 47
A therapeutic approach to contact between mother and daughter 49
Responding to family violence 50
Exploring the ingredients for success in addressing family violence 50
A mother’s determination to regain stability and connection 52
Safety for Maggie and her children: the High Risk Response Conference approach 54
Staying the course for Oliver 56
Protection and connection 58
Ruby’s joy – her journey back to Dad 58
Promoting healing through connection to culture 59
Thriving together 60
Grandparents united for children’s best interests 61
Acknowledgements 62
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Introduction
Once again we have been overwhelmed by the many strong stories submitted for Good practice: a statewide snapshot. We are very pleased to be able to continue an invaluable annual tradition of sharing examples of good practice related to vulnerable children and their families.
The main themes reflected in this 2016 edition of the snapshot are:
• working with families to address intergenerational histories of trauma
• effective engagement with youth who display high-risk behaviours
• supporting families to parent infants.
This collection of stories forms part of the narrative describing practice approaches that have made a difference to the lives of vulnerable Victorian children and their families. The stories are shared in a spirit of openness and learning. As always, the names and other identifying details of the children and families reflected in the stories have been changed.
Through the recently launched Roadmap for reform, Victoria continues its firm commitment to striving for the best outcomes for vulnerable children and their families, with a focus on: strengthening communities to better prevent neglect and abuse; delivering early support to children and families at risk; keeping more families together through crisis; and securing a better future for children who cannot live at home.
Stories such as ‘Borrowed from our children’ demonstrate the life-changing outcomes that can result when a practitioner thoughtfully engages with a child and their family and strives to gain a real understanding of their experience. The practitioner who wrote this story provided a powerful insight into her developing understanding of the devastating impacts of intergenerational trauma on Aboriginal families.
These stories showcase the skills of Victoria’s committed practitioners across the areas of child protection, out-of-home care, family services, youth justice and health. The day-to-day work of these practitioners is invisible to many. They must work skilfully in partnership with families and services to effect lasting change.
I sincerely thank all these hard-working practitioners, including those who have taken the time this year to document a good practice story from which a wider audience might benefit. Thank you also to the children and families who have provided the artwork featured in this year’s snapshot. The works stand alone as inspirational pieces while also adding meaning to the stories they accompany.
Practitioners have told us that they value this annual opportunity for reflection and recognition and that they use the snapshot in a variety of innovative ways to enhance their work. Some have found value in using particular stories as the basis of reflective practice sessions, others, to demonstrate the possibility of adopting a particular intervention that has been used successfully elsewhere to address a local issue. Practitioners have said they feel reassured that they are not alone when reading of the many challenges amid the triumphs.
I applaud the examples of innovation and collaborative work that you will read in the following pages and the many stories that affirm the deep commitment of our workforce and, most significantly, the great strength and resilience of the children and families with whom we work.
Tracy Beaton Chief Practitioner/Director Office of Professional Practice
Working with families to address intergenerational histories of trauma
Borrowed from our children
Author: Shpresa Selimi, Senior Child Protection Practitioner
Organisation: Department of Health and Human Services, North Division
Program: Child Protection
A child protection practitioner’s role is multifaceted and important. We meet unique families, some, but not all, facing a multitude of issues. We enter their worlds and are allowed into their homes. We learn about the family’s struggles, structure and dynamics, the family’s culture and, most importantly, the family’s history. What a privilege!
We were taught history in school. We learnt about Australian land, songs, animals, sports and explorers and we learnt about our First People.
We were taught things about Aboriginal land, art, Dreamtime and, most frequently, Aboriginal communities’ struggles. I can honestly say that it was not until I worked in child protection that I was able to truly begin to understand the issues Aboriginal families and communities faced and the vulnerability they still held in Australian society. I further learnt about intergenerational trauma and the impact this has on future generations.
This story is about a 14-year-old girl named Lucy. Lucy was born interstate. Her parents separated when she was an infant, and her mother became her primary carer. One year later, her mother moved to Melbourne and started a new relationship with Tim. Together, Lucy’s mother and Tim had six other children. Lucy and her siblings were removed from her mother and Tim when Lucy was six years of age due to exposure to family violence and her mother’s drug use. They were placed voluntarily in the care of Tim’s parents, Morris and Rita.
Morris and Rita are not Aboriginal. At the age of 12 years, Lucy began engaging in high-risk behaviours such as criminal activity, absconding from school and from her home. She would often become frustrated and angry with Rita and would physically hurt her siblings and animals in the home.
When the report came to Child Protection, Lucy’s behaviours had escalated and Rita and Morris had relinquished care of Lucy.
When I first met with Lucy, she explained her trauma growing up, exposure to family violence and her mother’s drug use. Lucy stated that she was angry because her mother never told her about her extended family and about her Aboriginal identity. Lucy stated that she couldn’t connect to Morris and Rita like her siblings did. She stated that she understood she was not a biological grandchild to Morris and Rita. She loved them both but felt lost and, at times, unwanted.
A care team was established including a professional from the Royal Children’s Hospital, a Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) worker, a Victoria Police Aboriginal liaison officer, an Aboriginal family therapist, a school representative, a Department of Education and Training Aboriginal liaison officer, Morris, Rita and Child Protection.
The first goal set in the care team meeting was to understand Lucy’s lineage and culture. Morris and Rita had no information about Lucy’s parents or heritage. I contacted the interstate child protection service, who were able to provide me with names of Lucy’s grandmother and great grandmother. I provided this to VACCA, and together we collated information about Lucy’s family history.
Lucy and I became educated about the trauma experienced by Aboriginal people as a result of past government policies, such as forced removal of children, and the devastating consequences. The cultural disruption and the negative impacts on the cultural identity of Aboriginal people passed from generation to generation. This was the case for Lucy’s family. We learnt that Lucy’s great grandmother was part of the Stolen Generation and died of long-term drug issues. We learned that Lucy’s great grandmother spent time in jail for drug-related offences and we knew that Lucy’s grandmother was also incarcerated. Lucy was exposed to her mother’s drug use and now Lucy was engaging in high-risk behaviours.
In a therapeutic session with Lucy’s psychologist we discussed Lucy’s family and together we completed a family tree that she was very proud to see. Lucy didn’t understand the intergenerational trauma in her family and blamed her grandmothers for her mother’s current situation. In discussion with VACCA, Lucy and I attended an information session on intergenerational trauma, which helped Lucy understand what her mother and grandmothers may have experienced. Lucy became interested in this and often would tell me that she had read an article in the newspaper about the Stolen Generations and thought of her great grandmother’s experience. Lucy stated that she did not want to repeat her family’s history of drug use and committed to work towards her future in a positive way.
Lucy now attends school on a regular basis and engages in an after-school Reconnect program supported by VACCA. Lucy also engaged with a Victoria Police Aboriginal liaison officer and completed a youth diversion program. Lucy no longer engages in high-risk behaviours and with support has returned to live with her siblings, Rita and Morris.
Working with intergenerational trauma requires a practitioner’s sensitivity, patience and understanding. Being able to engage a family with this form of trauma is challenging. Helping young people like Lucy to understand their history can have a positive impact on the way they proceed into the future.
At the end of every care team meeting we would thank each other and remind ourselves ‘We do not inherit this land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.’
Putting Ben first within a trauma-informed approach
Author: Emily Lomax, Youth and Family Counsellor
Organisation: Bentleigh Bayside Community Health
Program: Youth and Family Counselling
Bentleigh Bayside Community Health Youth and Family Counselling provides individual counselling, family therapy and parenting support to families referred through Bayside Peninsula Child FIRST Family Solutions. The service offers home-visit counselling.
This story highlights a multidisciplinary approach to working with a vulnerable infant from a family with a history of intergenerational trauma.
Ben was 16 months old when his mother, Sally, began receiving counselling for trauma-related issues. Sally was referred to counselling via a supported playgroup for women with postnatal depression. The success of Sally and Ben was due to multidisciplinary team members working under one roof in Ben’s best interests.
Sally struggled to respond consistently to Ben’s cues and expressed doubt in her ability to parent effectively because of her traumatic history. Sally attended many appointments with Ben, and over several months it was noted that he was not meeting developmental milestones for his age and stage of life, such as using signing rather than speech, issues with balance and fine motor skills, and low scores on maternal and child health tests. It had also become evident that there was an insecure/disorganised attachment between Sally and Ben.
Sally reported that childcare and the maternal child health nurse had raised concerns about Ben’s development and suggested that Sally take Ben to a paediatrician. As a result of Sally’s traumatic history, she expressed reluctance to trust new services or workers. It was suggested to Sally by her counsellor that Ben be referred to the Bentleigh Bayside Community Health paediatric speech pathologist for assessment and that her counsellor could attend the initial appointments with them. Due to the rapport established and the familiarity of the service and building, this was a course of action that Sally agreed to.
The speech pathologist assessed significant delays in speech and concerns regarding the attachment relationship, particularly in relation to Ben demonstrating dissociative behaviours and presenting as unresponsive to people. The speech pathologist and the counsellor worked collaboratively with Sally and Ben, with a focus on the attachment relationship. Sally developed a trusting relationship with the speech pathologist and, as a result, further services, such as occupational therapy, were able to be introduced over time.
The positive outcomes for Ben and Sally from being able to work with a multidisciplinary team were that the attachment issues and trauma work could be approached from angles that were less confronting to Sally. For example, the two workers were able to collaborate to give Sally homework aimed at developing speech and improving the attachment relationship. As a result, Ben benefited from the engagement in paediatric services and made significant developmental advances. Ben and Sally remained engaged in paediatric services after Sally herself no longer needed to be engaged with adult services.