Our collections pull essential resources on important subjects together in one place. For example: Are you looking for help with behaviours that challenge? Please select it from the drop-down and go.
Australian Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Understanding the Complexities of Intergenerational and Vicarious Trauma by Lynne McPherson, Kylie Day, Kathomi Gatwiri, Janise Mitchell, Noel Macnamara and Samara Kim. Health & Social Care in the Community. 09 January,...
The summer holidays are over, and it’s time to get back into our daily structured routines. For those who look after children and young people in care, the change in the school year can be...
The big wins—like smashing an exam or bringing home a shiny sports trophy—are easy to celebrate. But today, in this brief blog, I want to shine a light on one of the little moments that,...
Christmas time can be a whirlwind of joy, excitement, and emotions. However, supporting foster and kinship children during the Christmas period requires thoughtful planning, empathy, and an understanding of the unique challenges they may face....
The concept of organisations as living systems is not new. Extensive work, particularly in the area of systems thinking, has brought this perspective into the limelight. Out-of-home care (OOHC) organisations are living systems, alive with...
The iconic opening line of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities perfectly sums up the whirlwind that was this year at CETC: Through the ups and downs of 2024, the CETC team has celebrated...
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 a residential care home, I...
As we near the close of 2024, many of us look forward to a break from work or study, while others prepare for the extended school holidays. For children and young people in care, this...
In August 2024, the Australian Children’s Commissioner released the report ‘Help Way Earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve the safety and wellbeing of children. The report investigates gaps in, and opportunities for,...
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 therapy has fostered individual and...
The past year has seen alarming regressions across Australia in youth justice policy, with some governments moving towards more punitive measures and stepping back from evidence-based reforms like raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility....
Control-seeking behaviours are one of the most common challenges in caring for children and young people impacted by abuse, neglect, and violence. Children and young people will communicate their need for control through their behaviours,...
The Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care (CETC) has submitted its response to the Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System. This submission highlights the urgent need for a nationally driven therapeutic approach...
Harmful sexual behaviours displayed throughout childhood development is a serious and complex problem. This issue has sustained increased attention from policymakers following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. While much of...
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 our bodies? These senses –...
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 into online gambling harms. Among...
In Australia, children and young people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in out-of-home care are at critically greater risk of getting involved with the youth justice system. The issues at this intersection are highly...
Today in Australia, the preference for and growth of kinship care has meant that the majority of children in out-of-home care are now placed in relative or kinship care arrangements (Australian Institute of Health and...
Last week, CETC facilitated an insightful panel about trauma-informed care and young people in youth detention. CETC welcomed Joanne O’Connor, Associate Professor Tim Moore and Murray Robinson to share their insights, reflections, experience and ideas...
As I approach seven years in the out-of-home care (OOHC) sector, my journey has taken me from studying Early Childhood and Primary Teaching, to pursuing Criminal Justice, and eventually earning a Master of Child and...
Working with trauma-impacted children and young people can be exhausting and overwhelming. This feeling is often compounded by not having the resources to help these children and young people in the ways we know they...
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 current policies to understand...
The Australian Institute of Family Studies recently released a report titled Improving the Safety and Wellbeing of Vulnerable Children: A Consolidation of Systemic Recommendations and Evidence. This report aims to bring a national focus on...
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 or professionals safe across discussing...
We are excited to announce Professor Lynne McPherson‘s appointment as Chair of Out-of-Home Care Research. This Chair role, the first of its kind in Australia, is a joint position funded through the Australian Childhood Foundation...
Over the past 18 months, we have been asking ourselves how online training can help meet the knowledge and support needs of foster and kinship carers. What are the benefits and challenges of on-demand learning,...
A few years ago, I met Rhett when he was collaborating with the Advocate for Children and Young People on a report about experiences of Aboriginal children and young people in NSW. By then, Rhett...
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 so many ‘aha’ moments and...
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. The research team presented findings...
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. In the realm of addressing...
The focus of this submission The Australian Childhood Foundation and Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care (CETC) are dedicated to upholding the rights of children and helping them to heal from trauma. This is joint...
What comes to mind when you think about the child protection or youth justice system? Protection and safeguarding? Rehabilitation? Trauma-informed care? These two complex and often interacting systems are intended to keep children, young people,...
For children with complex trauma, the out-of-home care sector is more often reactive rather than proactive or preventative. Not many programs exist to provide significant early intervention support, as opposed to waiting for a crisis...
Alternative Care Arrangements are the symptom of a care system in crisis ACAs have no place in a modern trauma-informed and child-centred out-of-home care system. The retention of foster carers is a major challenge facing...
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, it is the surge of...
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 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)...
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 part of the individual worker’s...
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, or freeze response. As such,...
Being in out-of-home care (OOHC) often means loss: loss of parents, siblings, extended family, pets, home, school, and friends. Grief is a normal and healthy response to loss. Children can experience grief and loss from...
Foster carers are a crucial human resource in responding to children and young people who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma. The design and implementation of foster care programs varies across Australia and internationally. However,...
This blog article was written by Tayla Howard (she/her), Team Leader of Therapeutic Services and OurSPACE NSW at Australian Childhood Foundation. June is recognised as Pride Month, a time of celebration and commemoration of the...
“Let’s talk about the summer holiday, even though I’m in detention in was still fun aye. Because it was so hot, there was no time to use the indoor gym for a shot and I...
A system in crisis: A call for transformation The out-of-home care system in New South Wales (NSW) should be a safe haven for children, young people and families. It is a system in crisis. Children,...
World Care Day is a global event held on the third Friday of February every year to celebrate the voices of children and young people with a care experience. The theme this year is “don’t judge...
When I was a teen in care, I found the (well-intentioned) focus on my progress from case workers and other adults exhausting. If I tried hard, I made “progress”, but then those goal behaviours became...
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 ads show happy families celebrating....
This month, we are thrilled to welcome Billy Black to our team at the CETC as a Care Experience Resource and Training Specialist. Billy has advocated for children in care since she was 15 years...
This post is written by Jade Purtell, a multidisciplinary researcher and practitioner focused on out-of-home care and transitions from care experiences and policy. This research is funded by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship....
The significance of sibling relationships for children and young people in out-of-home care is well documented by national and international scholars (Luu, Conley Wright, & Cashmore, 2020). These relationships offer an opportunity for children to...
Kinship care placements in Australia are now more prevalent than foster care. They are the fastest growing form of out-of-home care in this country (AIHW, 2021). On 30 June 2019, 93% of Australian children in...
Much has been written about understanding and managing the challenging pain-based behaviours of children and young people who have experienced trauma and live in therapeutic or out of home care. Anglin (2002) coined the phrase...
This practice guide aims to support carers and professionals working in and around the out of home care system to know how to best understand their role when responding to children and young people who...
When someone says ‘self-care’, what image comes to mind? What are the positive and negative aspects of this image? Do you have clear intentions for self-care and your self-care protocol? Last month, we explored self-care...
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 show that the process of...
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 blocks for their wellbeing and...
“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 early as four months of...
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 and take comfort in mourning...
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). To this end I have...
This submission addresses the question of whether the age of criminal responsibility (MACR) should be increased and submits that the age should be raised from 10 years old to a minimum of 14 years...
The Safe Connections resource kit has been designed for use with young people at risk of or experiencing child sexual exploitation in care. Child sexual exploitation is a form of sexual abuse that can have...
The literature on how young people participate in decision-making in residential care identifies three main aspects of participation: being able to access information to take part in decisions that matter; having opportunities and capabilities to...
This resource was developed to provide a range of tips and insights on supporting young people during the COVID pandemic. It covers a range orf areas across Realstionships and staying connected, pre planning and predictability,...
Young people who are same sex attracted, trans or gender diverse – a population who will be referred to in this document as LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer/ questioning) except in particular...
This research briefing is an introduction to therapeutic care as a preferred response for children and young people who have experienced complex trauma and are unable to live at home. Whilst therapeutic care programs have...
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 based on considerations about the...
This guide has been developed for use by Therapeutic Specialists and Supervisors who have a role in supporting and developing the practice of staff. It covers the critical elements of effective approaches to coaching in...
Concepts of ‘complexity’ and ‘evidence’ are often heard in discussions that seek to find ways to better meet the needs of traumatised young people requiring more intensive forms of care. Debates about ‘evidence-based’ versus ‘evidence-informed’ practice have emerged in policy and practice debates as everyone struggles to find ‘what works’. Similarly, debates about locally developed …
Over the past two decades, the term therapeutic care has emerged as a new paradigm used to integrate constructs that had traditionally been considered separate – therapeutic processes and the care of young people, many of whom have experienced significant trauma and present with a range of complex needs and challenging behaviours. National and international …
Sometimes you might wonder why you need to learn about theory. I have heard people say: “caring for kids in residential care is common sense” “theory is OK for academic’s but not for the everyday work of residential care” Residential work with young people is often conducted amidst high anxiety, uncertainty and emotion. Within …
The role of emotions within human service work may at first glance appear to be intuitively obvious and incontestable. Indeed, Howe (2008) described the day of a human service worker as ‘suffused with emotional content’. The role of emotions is at the core of literature regarding relationship-based practice and the separation of feelings from professionalism …
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