Tag Archives: child welfare leadership

Child Welfare Intervention Outcomes: What we know and what we see

What outcomes do you expect to see as a result of my service provision? This is a question I routinely ask in my work. Put another way: These are, perhaps, the fundamental questions that get at the hopes of the … Continue reading

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What do children in care need to recover from relational trauma?

In recent posts I have referred to three things that children in out-of-home care need, and need adults who are responsible for their care and welfare to understand, to support their recovery from complex relational trauma. These three things are: … Continue reading

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How long does it take for therapeutic care strategies to work?

The ‘failure’ of a therapeutic care strategy to achieve the desired outcome on first administration does not necessarily mean that it will not or that it is a worthless strategy. Children and young people who are recovering from a tough … Continue reading

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Why is the child I am caring for unsettled after contact with their birth parent?

Children and young people who could not be safely cared for at home by their mum and/or dad are afforded contact with their birth parents where it is safe and appropriate to do so. Contact done well preserves a sense … Continue reading

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Why is my child’s room always messy?

Messy bedrooms are not necessarily evidence of a chaotic mind or wilful disobedience. For children who are recovering from a tough start to life due to abuse and neglect or other forms of hardship, it can be a sign that … Continue reading

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Supporting Strong Developmental Outcomes: The case for CARE and Attachment Security

Raising children who have the best chance of achieving their potential involves connection with our task. It involves parenting with intention; thinking about what we are doing, and why. It involves holding the child in our mind; especially their experiences … Continue reading

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More than a spare room: What kids really need from foster carers

I have been thinking about what children and young people who cannot be safely cared for at home need from their foster carers. I want readers to adopt a broad definition of foster for the purposes of this post, including … Continue reading

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Is your service trauma-aware, trauma-responsive, or trauma-informed?

Borrowing from ideas underpinning culturally safety in service provision, where a distinction exists between being culturally aware, culturally responsive, and culturally safe, there is worth in distinguishing what is trauma-informed practice, as opposed to trauma aware and responsive. Culturally safe … Continue reading

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Relationships Regulate and Repair

Relational trauma, such as that which occurs as a result of abuse and neglect, impacts three key areas of relational connection: The relational connection a child has with others, including those who care for them; The relational connection the child … Continue reading

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All relationships are important for attachment security

All attachments are significant. All influence our approach to life, roles and relatedness. This is particularly important in child welfare and related endeavours where the focus is facilitating recovery from a tough start to life and traumatic relationships, including through the promotion of attachment security. Continue reading

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