Can you share an example of changes you have witnessed in young people after time being supported in residential care?
May 2024
You may be interested in: Child & youth development Residential care Therapeutic care
This guide has been developed to support the implementation of Essential Element: Physical Environments from the Ten Essential Elements of Therapeutic Care. It explores how to create therapeutic care contexts...
Sometimes you might wonder why you need to learn about theory. I have heard people say: Residential work with young people is often conducted amidst high anxiety, uncertainty and...
After four years working in residential care, both on the floor and as a clinician, I wanted to better understand what stability really means for young people in residential care?...
Sarah is 14 and has been in placement for 18 months. She lives in a residential house with two boys and one girl. The boys display aggressive behaviours and are...
How do we keep to the therapeutic care principles of safety, consistency, predictability, and routine in a world that feels like it has turned upside down overnight? It’s near impossible!...
What creates high quality therapeutic residential care? This is the question often asked of agencies, of staff, of policy makers and of the young people themselves. There is no simple...
Curiosity is something that has excited me my whole life. I am sure a lot of you share my fascination and enthusiasm for curiosity. There seems to be wide support...
This blog is to introduce my recent research with therapeutic residential workers. Further blogs and practice guides relating to finding, keeping, acknowledging and celebrating the best person for the job...
In this blog, I’m keen to offer practitioners in therapeutic residential care some ideas about how to involve young people in decisions that affect their lives. Many young people in...
Therapeutic residential work can be conceptualised as a dance. It works best when therapeutic workers display therapeutic presence, are in sync with the young person, can making meaning of the...
Some of the young people we care for in the ITC programs deal with emotional distress and pain by hurting themselves physically. Young people hurting themselves is distressing to them...
We can see each of our daily interactions with each of the young people we care for as bids for connection and opportunities for change. By choosing to turn toward,...
Indigenous children and young people face unique challenges in the child welfare system. The dimensions of this problem are complex and multifaceted. Providing culturally safe and traumainformed therapeutic care to...
It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in the fun and happiness of Christmas and forget that, for others, the season isn’t necessarily a joyful one. For some the...
This guide has been developed to describe the 10 Essential Elements that form the basis for Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) service provision in NSW. The 10 Essential Elements have been...
This resource has been developed to support professionals to unpack and plan how to respond to identified behaviours that are concerning, challenging and disruptive for young people in their search...
Trained staff and consistent rostering are essential elements of therapeutic residential care. The purpose of this guide is to consider more broadly what makes an excellent therapeutic residential care worker...
In the first part of the Blog, we explored limit and expectation setting, maintaining a state of occupancy and the planning process for a successful transition. In part two of...
This is a two-part blog and will focus on the transition of young people into an Intensive Therapeutic Care house; however, most of the content is transferrable to other placement...
Whilst the following Arabian proverb takes a bit to get your head around it leads rather nicely into this blog and our brief introduction on the relevance of the conscious...
Lockdown means we lose touch with many things: friends, family, freedom. For young people, therapeutic youth workers and other staff in Intensive Therapeutic Care, however, it also offers an opportunity...
Children and young people need adults who can co-regulate with them and teach them about feelings and their inner world. This Trauma Informed Relationship-Based Recovery Reflection tool can be used...
Many of those of you who know me, know that I have a big interest in sleep hygiene and the children and young people in out of home care (OOHC)....
When you think of grief and loss, what comes to your mind? You may think of the immense sorrow one may experience. For some of us, we can seek solace...
"The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter." Mark Twain We all like to laugh. It makes us feel good. Among humans, laughter begins as...
Relationship-based practice is at the core of effective therapeutic care. Key to understanding how to build effective relationships with young people who have experienced trauma is to understand how the...
Client mix and the process of client matching is one of the 10 Essential Elements underpinning the Intensive Therapeutic Care (ITC) system in New South Wales. This guide has been...
This research briefing aims to define and clarify what trauma, complex trauma and trauma informed care are. Extensive literature has now surmised that exposure to adverse experiences such as child...
Working with young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviour is complex and challenging. Cyra Fernandes and Dan Howell have spent over a 1000 hours in the past year helping carers and professionals...
What is this research about? Young people in residential care face major challenges that can prevent them from forming healthy relationships and a strong personal identity, which are critical building...
The ITC Pulse Check Survey and Outcome Report provides a point-in-time reflection on the experiences of the reform process by ITC agency staff. To this end, the survey results clearly...
Many of you will have experienced something like the following… A residential worker is observing two young people playing table tennis in the rear yard of the residential unit. One...
Lyn was 16 and had grown up in foster and residential care. Lyn was interviewed about her experience and views about out of home care. She was extremely positive about...
Remember that time when you put the child you care for back to bed for the fourth time? Your thoughts suggested a level of desperation and wishful thinking, hoping that...
What are Compassion and Self-Compassion?Compassion is the ability to feel and connect with the suffering of another human being, self-compassion is the ability to feel and connect with one’s own...
In almost every session I have run for foster and kinship carers, someone tells a story about a child or young person in their care who regularly lies. I can feel...
Christmas is a time of joy and celebration for many Australians, but it can also bring pressure and unrealistic expectations. The shops are decorated, Christmas songs are everywhere, and cheesy...
Many of you who know me know that I have a big interest in sleep hygiene and the children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC). To this end, I...
Can we provide trauma-informed care for children without changing our beliefs about their behaviour?
This blog article was written by Noel Macnamara, Executive Manager - Research and Policy and Deputy Director, Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care, CETC. There is a growing tendency to...
This blog article was written by Glenys Bristow, Senior Specialist, Therapeutic Residential Care, CETC. Restrictive practice in therapeutic care The Royal Commision into Violence, Abuse and Exploitation of People with...
Fear is a fundamental human emotion triggered by a perceived threat. It serves as a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight, flight,...
Not everyone is suited to being a therapeutic residential worker. Working in therapeutic care requires special skills and qualities, some that can be taught or mentored, and others that are...
In honour of FASD Awareness Month this September, the CETC brought together esteemed thought leaders Dr Julia Shekleton, Prue Walker, and Noel Macnamara to delve into the complex intersection between...
The most difficult aspect of working in residential care is not managing the behavioural challenges of the children and young people, the demanding shifts, or the lack of resources. Rather,...
The Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care (CETC) is engaged in ongoing research to understand how positive, trusting relationships and social connections can be fostered for young people in Therapeutic...
CareSouth was recently awarded the Outstanding Therapeutic Residential Care Team Award at Youth Action NSW's Youth Work Awards. The CETC proposed the new Outstanding Therapeutic Residential Care Team award category...
Christmas, for many, is an exciting time of year. However, for some children and young people, particularly those who have experienced attachment difficulties, trauma and/or adverse childhood events, Christmas can...
Over the recent decades, we have seen leaps in research and practice promoting the importance of taking a holistic trauma-informed approach to caring for children and young people with trauma....
One of our most frequent requests at the CETC is for more training on how to respond to the behaviours of young people in out-of-home care that caregivers can find...
The 2nd of April is World Autism Awareness Day, celebrating and promoting understanding and inclusiveness of people on the autism spectrum. In out-of-home care, neurodiversity is a highly prevalent and...
As a clinician supporting young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviour, I have the privilege of travelling across the northern region of Victoria and engaging with many residential workers....
The Create Voices in Action conference was held in Adelaide in March 2024. Three compelling voices at the conference belonged to Professor Suzie Attiwill and Create Consultants Hayley and Ella. ...
Recently I listened to the Brené Brown podcast Unlocking Us episode from 20th March 2024, where she spoke with Esther Perel on the new “AI” – Artificial Intimacy. There were...
In July 2023 we asked for your help to better understand how ‘restrictive practices’ were understood and interpreted in therapeutic residential care (TRC) across Australia. Through a blog on our...
At the CETC, we know how important it is to listen and learn from residential care workers about what works for young people in care. Recently, we interviewed several residential...
Having meaningful conversations with children and young people in out-of-home care about consent, while critically important, can be tricky. These consent conversations need to keep both young people and carers...
Phase 1: Policy Analysis This document presents an overview of the findings from Phase 1 of the Strengthening Relationships and Connections in Therapeutic Residential Care project. This phase focused on analysing...
Online gambling is a significant risk for young people, particularly those in out-of-home care. The Australian Government is currently considering its response to the 31 recommendations from the parliamentary inquiry...
You’re probably familiar with the five basic senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. But did you know there are three additional 'hidden' senses that we use constantly to guide...
The 21st-27th of October is OT Week, honouring the vital role of occupational therapists in improving lives across Australia. This year’s theme, "Celebrating 80 Years of Connection," highlights how occupational...
In a world dominated by instant, swipeable, and disappearing photos—where Snapchat, TikTok, and digital galleries rule—the humble printed photo may feel a bit “retro.” But during a recent visit to...