Working with children and families
Our relationship with families should acknowledge and understand their individual and family circumstances. This includes experiences of discrimination, grief, loss and violence.
Understanding trauma and resilience
When a person experiences fear, terror, loss and feelings of helplessness they can experience trauma. All types of abuse, including exposure to domestic and family violence, can lead to trauma.
Families who are involved in the child protection or out-of-home-care service system may have experienced significant trauma. This trauma may have been a result of their previous experience with the child protection or out-of-home-care system. Trauma can change the way a person's body responds to stress, how they see themselves and others, and their ability to concentrate and learn.
It is important for professionals and carers to talk to children and their families to understand how they responded to these distressing events and whether they need support. The symptoms of trauma can manifest in many ways depending on the person, their situation and their current environment. Cognitive, emotional, physical and behavioural changes can signal that someone is experiencing a response to trauma. Being exposed to ongoing danger can disrupt how a person learns about safety, and many children and adults often find it hard to trust others. For example, the intergenerational trauma experienced by many Aboriginal people continues to adversely affect Aboriginal families and communities today.
Children and adults can heal from their experiences, and practitioners have the opportunity to restore a person’s dignity and contribute to their healing by:
- creating partnerships with children and adults who have experienced a traumatic response
- understanding the relationship between intergenerational trauma and oppression
- building hope and resilience.
As a practitioner, you can assist children who have experienced trauma to develop their own resilience. Strategies based upon connection, mastery and emotional regulation are essential to this process. Practitioners should also consider whether specialist trauma counselling may be helpful, and refer to an appropriate service with consent. Practitioners should also consult with specialist services on individual cases if they are unsure of their assessment or of appropriate responses. Agencies should have local referral pathways should children or their families require specialist services.
Beyond Blue provides a resource on building resilience in children. The Blue Knot Foundation provides trauma-informed care and practice information, and delivers trauma-informed professional development training to personnel across sectors.
The United States National Child Traumatic Stress Network also has a range of resources for child welfare professionals exploring the essential elements of trauma informed practice.