Tag Archives: childwelfare

Practice alignment: How important is it in child welfare?

Posted on September 25, 2022 by colbypearce

A child leaves their placement to attend school, where acceptance and belonging are contingent on adhering to the school’s behaviour expectations. They leave school to go to sports practice, where acceptance and belonging are contingent on being good enough to … Continue reading →

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Achieving best outcomes from care

Posted on September 7, 2022 by colbypearce

Twenty-seven years continuous work in child protection and child welfare, including ongoing work with young adults who have transitioned from Care, has taught me some extremely valuable lessons about long-term outcomes of a childhood spent in State Care. In particular, … Continue reading →

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Children (and Young People) who Foster

Posted on July 31, 2022 by colbypearce

I need my mum and dad to be there for me without me having to ask; to say the words that show that they understand what is happening for me and our family right now; to show that my needs are important without me having to explain them; and to sit with me and experience what I am feeling. Continue reading →

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What is the infant’s experience of early trauma?

Posted on June 17, 2022 by colbypearce

Below are my notes from a twenty-minute presentation I delivered on 15/6/22 on behalf of The Tweddle Foundation, at their event marking Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2022. Good morning. My name is Colby Pearce, and I am a practising … Continue reading →

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Why does my child need ‘therapeutic care’?

Posted on April 1, 2022 by colbypearce

A child’s adjustment, like many aspects of their functioning, is usefully thought of as sitting on a spectrum ranging from maladjustment at one end to positive adjustment at the other end. Where a child is on this spectrum depends on … Continue reading →

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Why does my child chew their clothes?

Posted on March 16, 2022 by colbypearce

Chewing their clothes is not necessarily evidence of wilful damage or a lack of respect. For many children it is an exaggeration of a very natural way in which they regulate their nervous system. As such, it is better conceptualised … Continue reading →

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What does my child’s recovery from early trauma look like?

Posted on February 27, 2022 by colbypearce

Anyone who has played Spotto (Spot the yellow car) with children knows that there are many more yellow cars on the road than you typically notice when driving. Similarly, when playing I Spy there are many more things starting with … Continue reading →

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Why does my child antagonize others and then complain of being bullied?

Posted on February 24, 2022 by colbypearce

Antagonizing others and then complaining of being bullied, though it is easily viewed as irrational and self-defeating, stems from very real (and justified) feelings of being poorly treated in life. Children and young people who have experienced relational trauma are … Continue reading →

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Why does my child lie?

Posted on February 22, 2022 by colbypearce

Lying is not necessarily evidence of a character flaw or lack of connection with reality. Children and young people who are recovering from a tough start to life due to abuse and neglect lie for self-protection. Such is their profound … Continue reading →

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Why does my child smile when I am angry?

Posted on February 22, 2022 by colbypearce

Smiling when you are angry is not necessarily a sign that the child or young person in your care is feeling self-satisfied and smug. Many children and young people who are recovering from a tough start to life due to abuse and neglect are unsettled by heightened emotion in adults. For them, it is associated with something bad happening. Continue reading →

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