Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies
ISSN 1447-0039 (Print); 1447-0047 (Online)
Clearinghouse Coordinator : Judy Adams
Newsletter compiled by Katie Kovacs
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In this Issue
In November of 2001 the Western Australian Government announced that it would undertake a special inquiry into the response by Government Agencies to complaints of Family Violence and Child Abuse in Aboriginal Communities. This announcement came in response to the release of findings from a Coronial Investigation into the death of a fifteen year old Aboriginal girl, Susan Taylor.
The findings of the inquiry are now published in the report, Putting The Picture Together, commonly known as the Gordon Report.
Susan Taylor lived at the Swan Valley Nyoongar Community in Lockridge and on 12 February 1999 she was found dead by hanging in an ablution block within the community complex. Susan had previously made a complaint of assault and sexual assault against her uncle.
Neil Hope, the Western Australian State Coroner who conducted the Coronial Investigation into Susan's death, suggests that evidence was presented at the inquest hearing which indicated that there is 'widespread rape and sexual abuse generally committed against young Aboriginal persons like Susan throughout Western Australia'. He also suggested that there is a clear and urgent need for ongoing work in developing more effective responses by organizations to disclosures of child sexual abuse in the Indigenous Australian context.
The terms of reference for the inquiry were:
Evidence and information was obtained by the Inquiry in several ways: through written submissions from government, non government agencies and individuals; through documents and information provided by government agencies; through consultations with Aboriginal communities; through consultations and visits to government agencies, non-government agencies and to other facilities and individuals; through formal hearings before the inquiry members and through the collection and analysis of relevant research material.
The National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies was asked to carry out a detailed literature review of research and information available about issues of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities for the Inquiry. Clearinghouse staff, Janet Stanley, Katie Kovacs and Adam Tomison carried out the review with assistance from an Indigenous Advisor, Kyllie Cripps.
The literature review conducted by the Clearinghouse lead to several recommendations. One of the key recommendations was that measures to address Indigenous family violence should be less ad hoc, more coordinated and have more of a long term focus. It was also suggested that there is an urgent need for significant resources to be made available to reverse the trends which suggest that violence in Aboriginal communities is increasing. The Clearinghouse suggested that resources are needed to repair associated traumas and increase the number of counselling services available for sexually abused Aboriginal children.
The Clearinghouse suggested that a paradigm shift needs to occur where Indigenous people take responsibility for preventing violence and protecting their children and this can only be achieved by offering support and training by statutory child protection services and long term generous funding and resources. The Clearinghouse also found that there appears to be significant knowledge gaps about Indigenous family violence, especially in the area of program evaluation. It was found that there was little documentation about the process of program development by the Indigenous community, details of the programs and information about the success of the programs.
It was suggested that research is needed in a number of other areas. For example, the literature does not provide any sense of whether family violence occurs across all communities or whether it is concentrated in particular communities or is more common in urban, rural or isolated Indigenous communities. Similarly, information is not available on the distribution of substance abuse within Indigenous populations. Few studies appear to examine family violence within Indigenous communities in urban areas. Of particular relevance to the Inquiry, the Clearinghouse suggested that there is a lack of information on the association between sexual assault and the suicide of children and youth, with the literature providing no voice from the Indigenous youth and children about the issues in relation to family violence.
The Clearinghouse noted that there have been many reports into aspects of family violence in Indigenous communities, often covering the same ground. In fact it was suggested that many of the causal factors, barriers to change, and steps needed to address the violence and prevent further violence, are known in broad terms, with similar findings being repeated in the many reports, while several key recommendations of these reports have not been responded to. Therefore the Clearinghouse suggests that it would seem that action to address the issues, rather than further reports, is needed.
Finally, the authors of the Clearinghouse brief supported the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse in WA and the mandatory reporting of sexually transmitted diseases throughout Australia. The Clearinghouse suggested that the child protection system must be governed by the needs of children, not the level of resources allocated to child protection on some other basis.
A report of the findings of the Inquiry was produced and is entitled 'Putting the Picture Together'. A full copy of the report can be downloaded from http://www.slp.wa.gov.au/publications/publications.nsf/DPC/FEB7D71FB3A6AF1948256C160018F8FE?opendocument. This report outlines 197 recommendations for addressing issues of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities throughout Western Australia. While there is not space to detail all of these recommendations here, some of the key recommendations are outlined below.
The Inquiry recommended that an Implementation Body be established at the highest level of government, reporting to the Premier, which should provide a progress report no later than 12 months after the formation of the body. The inquiry also recommended that membership of this body should include membership from both within and outside government to ensure a range of perspectives are brought to the reform process. It also recommended the appointment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission State Chairperson to the Implementation Body.
It was also recommended that every government agency affected by the recommendations be required to report on their plans to implement the recommendations within at least three months of the report. Any government agency which does not intend to implement a recommendation should be compelled to justify their position to the Implementation Body and provide an alternative strategy to overcome the identified problem. Thereafter, at least every six months government agencies should be required to report to the Implementation Body on their progress towards implementation of the recommendations.
The Inquiry made several recommendations for ways in which the Department of Health can improve its response to family violence. For example it was suggested that the Department should be resourced to expand the delivery of sexual assault services in the metropolitan and rural and remote regions of the state. It was also suggested that existing counselling services provided by both the government and non-government sector should be expanded to provide Aboriginal specific services. The Inquiry also recommended that the Department of Health place an increased emphasis on improving the education and training of health care workers, agencies and schools about issues surrounding family violence while also providing regular training for nursing staff in the clinical management of child abuse.
It was also recommended that the Office of Aboriginal Health should develop specific policies to address issues of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities and that key Aboriginal community members should be identified for training in sexual assault education and support service so that they can become a resource in their own communities.
Another recommendation made was that the Princess Margaret Hospital Child Protection Unit Services be extended to include education for all health workers, and that the Unit should provide psychiatric and psychological and counseling services for victims of child sexual abuse and their families. The Inquiry also supported moves being made by the Department of Health for the improvement of the working relationship between the Unit and Aboriginal Health Services to enable the establishment of a specific clinic with an Indigenous focus and the establishment of rural regional units to better respond to families and children.
The Inquiry made several recommendations about how the Department of Education and the school community can assist in addressing issues of family violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities. The Inquiry emphasized the need to address issue of truancy by Aboriginal children and suggested that there is a need to continue to explore and expand initiatives designed to increase school attendance by Aboriginal students.
The Inquiry also recommended that the 'Child Protection Training for Teachers' package be used to provide guidance to all staff. It also recommended that the Department of Education establish a mechanism for reviewing, and then subsequently clarifying, its Child Protection Policy and the procedures for it implementation to ensure there is consistency in policy and implementation of child abuse reporting procedures. The Inquiry also supported the implementation of mandatory training for all teachers about recognizing the signs of child abuse.
With regards to students, the inquiry recommended the provision of basic education in 'protective behaviours' to students in all schools through existing curriculum frameworks in the Department of Education.
With regard to the way in which the West Australia Police Service responds to the issue of family violence a number of recommendations were made. With regard to statistics it was suggested that the WA Police Service needs to improve the method and quantity of data it collects concerning family violence and child abuse. The Inquiry also endorsed the purchase of the 'Protect' data collection program and the program be made available through the Information Management System as soon as possible.
It was suggested that reports of child abuse be given priority and that a review should be carried out either by the police service or another body to look at how reports of child abuse are currently prioritized.
The Inquiry found that additional cultural sensitivity training about and in conjunction with, local Aboriginal communities be introduced into the service as part of the induction process for all new recruits into the police service. The Inquiry also expressed concerns about transfers and leave arrangements for police stations in isolated areas where stations are manned by one staff member and are left unattended when the officer is on leave. The Inquiry recommended that in such areas leave and transfer arrangements should be managed to ensure that the policing services are maintained continuously.
The Inquiry also stated that Community Police Relations Committees are valuable tools in facilitating communication between police officers and the Aboriginal community. These committees were found to be useful in giving communities an opportunity to convey concerns to the local police members and assist police to establish strategic directions for policing the community. The committees also offer a forum where information can be shared and opportunities for pro-active conflict resolution. The Inquiry also found that these committees are currently set up in an ad hoc fashion and recommended that such committees or similar bodies be established and maintained across the state.
Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers are employed by the West Australian Police Service and their role is to assist in the manner in which an investigation is conducted, identify witnesses and encourage witnesses to give evidence to police. The Liaison Officers also advise police on protocols and the best way to approach a community. Currently, Western Australia employs 109 Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers and the Inquiry recommends that another 40 positions be created over the next four years with an emphasis on encouraging more Aboriginal women to apply for these positions.
It was suggested that the Joondalup Family Violence Court Pilot Project be extended as a result of positive findings from an evaluation. This project began in 1999 and attempted to provide a collaborative approach to issues of family violence while recognising that often people from Aboriginal backgrounds do not use the resources of the court or court based interventions. The project aimed to improve the criminal justice response to family violence, support the victims and reduce the incidence of family violence in the pilot area. The project was based on interagency cooperation and collaboration, and used alternative sentencing approaches for dealing with matters related to family violence.
The Inquiry found that the coordination of services to Aboriginal people with regards to family violence and child abuse has not been very effective and that this may be in part due to the difficulties in servicing remote areas. The Inquiry therefore recommended that legislative or policy framework is needed to facilitate effective collaboration between departments and the coordination of service delivery. The Inquiry also suggested that middle-management committees should be created to act as intermediaries between the upper level management committees and on-the-ground service providers. It was also suggested that if the barriers to effective sharing of information are addressed then that will increase the effectiveness of collaborative service provision. The Inquiry calls for the allocation of an independent lead coordinator to oversee coordinated service delivery.
With regard to the provision of services for Aboriginal communities it was suggested that an analysis should be undertaken to identify the gaps in service delivery. The Inquiry suggested that these gaps should be considered as part of the framework for incorporation into the Department of Community Development planning process.
In general, the iInquiry found that there was an inadequate provision of ongoing intervention services for children and families in Aboriginal communities and therefore endorsed an increase in funding allocated to the Department of Community Development to increase counselling, treatment and support services in both metropolitan and country areas. The Inquiry found that there should be more clarity in the coordination of counselling, treatment and support services delivered to Aboriginal people by the various departments and that a lead agency be identified for the delivery of service.
The Inquiry also recommended that a review needs to be undertaken of the resources, functions and effectiveness of the Crisis Care Unit. The Unit offers an after-hours and alternative day response to calls that range from family support assistance to child maltreatment allegations across the whole state. The service is located in the metropolitan area and is operated by paid staff and volunteers offering advice and assistance in situations of child abuse and domestic violence on a 24 hour basis. The Inquiry placed particular emphasis on the need to review the response times and coordination of the unit with other agencies.
The Inquiry found that projects which are time limited, with insufficient funds, and inflexible service specifications, are not desirable and that projects which rely too heavily on the supervisor or manager may fail or lapse when that person moves. The Inquiry found that Aboriginal communities need ongoing planned and consistent service provision and the nature of certain pilot projects being implemented are unlikely to have that outcome. Instead the Inquiry recommended that in fact pilot projects should not be used when there is no intention to roll out the project and should only be used if they are specific models being tested which fits into the community plan for the development of social infrastructure within that community.
The Inquiry supported the introduction of the 'one stop shop' so that every community has a central building that delivers integrated prevention, early intervention and support services. It was recommended that these centres should form the link between specialist services and assist with the delivery of services to assist communities where family violence and child abuse has occurred. The Inquiry also recommended that these centres must hire personnel who possess skills in community development and, where possible, existing staff should be relocated to these centres.
The Inquiry suggested that the buildings from which these services are offered should be welcoming and seen as nonstigmatizing by those who attend and should incorporate a range of other government facilities such as health clinics. It was suggested that these centres will allow for more permanent staff to be employed within communities and will therefore address concerns surrounding hiring short term staff.
The Inquiry called for both policy and legislative change for the effective coordination of service provision to Aboriginal communities, particularly in relation to the sharing of confidential information in order to ensure more effective communication practices between agency responses in the area of family violence and child abuse. The Inquiry noted that the Government is currently considering issues relating to the privacy of information and suggests that the Implementation Body process the required legislative changes as a matter of urgency.
One of the key recommendations of the Inquiry was to improve systems of data collection across government and non government agencies. In particular it is recommended that more data should be collected on child sexual abuse, allowing for aggregation and to illustrate pathways through the justice and child protection systems.
The inquiry recommended the immediate establishment of an independent Children's Commissioner who would directly report to the Premier. It suggested that the Implementation Body should consider the structure and responsibilities of Children's Commissioners in other states and decide on the most appropriate model for Western Australia. It is also suggested that a Deputy Commissioner should be appointed who should have the responsibility for issues relating to Aboriginal children.
The Inquiry supported the introduction of Child Death Review Teams in Western Australia to review the deaths of all children but particularly where there is suspicion of abuse or neglect. It is suggested that the structure and operation of Child Death Review Teams in other states should be considered and that the CDRT should be the responsibility of the proposed Children's Commissioner.
The issue of mandatory reporting was one of the most contentious issues raised by the Inquiry, as currently Western Australia is the only state in Australia which has not introduced mandatory child abuse reporting legislation.
With regard to whether WA should introduce mandatory reporting laws for suspected child abuse the Inquiry suggested that at the very least existing reporting protocols should be strengthened but that further consideration of possible legislative changes should occur after the release of a report by the WAChild Protection Council. Adiscussion paper was released in July of thus year by the Council entitled: 'Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse : Evidence and Options' which is available on the Department of Community Development website, with a final paper on the topic to be released at a later date.
However, the Inquiry did suggest that serious consideration be given to requiring that all medical practitioners likely to come into contact either directly or indirectly with children under 13 years of age who have sexually transmitted diseases to be obliged to report the presence of disease to the Department for Community Development. It also suggested that with regard to children over 13 years of age presenting with sexually transmitted diseases, medical personnel should be given appropriate training and information so that they are aware of the possibility of sexual abuse and understand the importance of reporting such abuse.
Katie Kovacs is the Project Officer for the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
Last summer, and again already this summer, Australia is experiencing extensive bushfires. On 27 December 2001 it was reported that there were at least 100 separate fires burning in New South Wales (Ellicott and Pryor 2001: 1), many of which were lit by young people. This article explores what is known about children and young people who light fires, with the aim of understanding approaches which are, and could be, taken to prevent this happening. The article refers to young people as those who are 18 years of age and under, and uses the term 'fire-lighter' as a universal term for people who illegally light fires.
The costs of bushfire can be measured in terms of loss of life and injury, psychological trauma (immediate and longer term), environmental destruction and degradation, physical loss of buildings and other possessions, personal dislocation, and the consumption of personal and community resources. While media coverage was extensive during the peak of the fire destruction, there does not appear to have been a final tally, or review, of the costs once the emergency and subsequent clean-up was over. Some indications of the extensive costs of the New South Wales bushfires can be gleaned from the newspapers and Internet reports at the time, for example:
The extent of loss to the environment, and personal emotional traumas of the fire-fighters, support staff and victims, did not seem to be reported.
Many of the fires were thought to have been deliberately lit - a figure of 40 of the 100 fires burning on 28 December 2001, was suggested (Chulov 2001). Included in the firelighters were young people, although again, a complete picture is not available. The media reported that:
While one media article described fire-lighters as 'thoughtless and irresponsible juveniles', almost no information was given about these people (Findlay 2002: 11). An exception was a description of the 20-year-old Rural Fire Service volunteer, reproduced in part here. Although he is above the age limit under consideration, the description offered the only insight from the media that could be found (Chulov 2002: 1 and 4). He was described as a 'loner', as having 'good parents', liking 'action games and risk-taking', as being 'smarter than most', as a person with 'pyromania - an immature, attention-seeking drifter' who was 'raised on a diet of action movies'. The article said that he had a 'longstanding desire to emulate the feats of firemen', which became 'a lust after watching TV images of firefighters hauling people from the wreckage of the World Trade Centre'. He wanted 'the same accolades and recognition'. The article stated that his method of starting fires was the same technique used in the war film, 'Stalag 17', but police were unsure if he 'had drawn inspiration from the movie'.
The few comments made in the newspapers about what should be done about fire-lighters commonly called for tougher penalties (Findlay 2002). The Premier, Bob Carr, is reported as saying that young offenders needed to be 'taught a lesson', and the New South Wales Government would 'force juvenile arsonists to tour fire-ravaged areas and make them face fire victims in hospital burns wards' (Ellicott and Stock 2002: 2). New laws 'would make offenders also meet those who lost houses and help regenerate burnt-out bushland' (Brown 2002: 3). However, the complexity of the problem was at least partially recognised by Bone (2002) who recommended that responses needed to be targeted to individual offenders. She concluded that a 'return to a harsher, less compassionate, shaming and punitive society would be worse for everybody' (2002: 7).
While few conclusions can be drawn from these press reports, it would appear that these New South Wales bushfires proved to be very expensive; that many were deliberately lit, often by young people; that the response to offenders was largely punitive; and, that there was little consideration about what could be done to prevent fire-lighting behaviour in the future.
The research literature was explored in the hope that this would reveal more information about the reasons why young people light fires, with a view to understanding the processes needed to prevent this behaviour.
The state of the literature
Before an overview of the literature is given, the state of this literature needs to be understood. Many terms are used to describe the actions of young people who light fires, such as: fire-setting, match-play, fire-play, arson and pyromania. Often these labels carry assumptions about the intent, and mental state, of the young person, and sometimes even their age. Although some authors define how they are using these terms, there is rarely consistency in use. While some authors describe the mental condition and behaviour of some children who light fires in terms which are never used in an adult context (such as Attention Deficit Disorder), other authors offer no differentiation between the child, young person, and adult fire-lighter. There is no clear answer in the literature as to whether fire-lighting is seen as a distinct disorder, or as a symptom of another disorder, or even part of a package of delinquent behaviour.
In part, the context in which a person seeks to understand firelighting behaviour will strongly influence the conclusions they draw. The history of seeking to understand fire-lighting in young people pre-dates present-day understanding of child development and child maltreatment. Thus, there is a need to sort out ideology from empirical data, as well as historical positioning of information. Often, those studied are young people who are in residential care due to severe, and often multiple forms of behavioural problems, one of which may be fire-lighting. Unfortunately there is a tendency to generalise about all young fire-lighters from these often small, unrepresentative samples.
Size of the problem
It is not known how many young people light fires, as United States researchers say that not only are the majority of small, deliberately lit fires usually undetected (Epps and Hollin 2000) but the offender is not known in 80 per cent to 85 per cent of 'suspicious' fires (Stadolnik 2000: 13). However, it is believed that in the United States, 60 per cent to 75 per cent of fire-lighters are young people (Dittmar 1991).
Characteristics of young people who light fires
The literature consistently reports that it is mostly males who light fires, in the order of nine males to one female (Sakheim and Osborn 1999). While children may be as young as three when they light fires (Slavkin 2001), there is controversy about the intent of these very young fire-lighters. Some research suggests that it may be relatively normal for boys to play with fire out of curiosity (Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Fire Administration 1994, Kafry 1980, reported by Epps and Hollin 2000). On the other hand, it is also reported that older children who light fires started doing this at quite a young age. An Australian study of 134 young people who light fires found that the average age for first playing with fire was 5.3 years, the age range being one to 14 years (Adler et al. 1994). This study also showed that young people who light fires often light multiple fires, those studied lighting an average of 7.1 fires in the 12 months prior to referral to an intervention service (Adler et al. 1994).
As noted previously, much of the research on young people who light fires use a sample of those who have come to the notice of authorities because of either the severity of their firelighting behaviour or because of other behavioural problems. Thus, perhaps not surprisingly, a review of these studies found that young people who light fires commonly had a range of problems, including mental illness, suicidal intentions, other criminal histories, a history of sexual disturbance, as well as a history of upbringing problems (Lowenstein 2001). Young fire-lighters in an in-patient psychiatric setting were found to have greater problems than non-fire-lighting in-patients, with a greater likelihood of having a major mental disorder, as well as alienation, thought disorder and poor reality testing (Sakheim and Osborn 1999 reporting Moore et al. 1996). It has also been shown that some young people who light fires may also suffer from a Personality Disorder (Raesaenen et al. 1995), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Raines and Foy 1994), a Conduct Disorder (Sakheim and Osborn 1999), and they may engage in animal cruelty (Slavkin 2001) and frequently commit other crimes (Raesaenen et al. 1995).
Why young people light fires
Given the lack of clear understanding in the literature of the characteristics of young children who light fires, it is not hard to understand why the literature is not clear why particular young people light fires. A range of broad motivations are suggested. These include the need to express intense personal feelings, particularly anger and hatred (Epps and Hollin 2000, referring to Regehr and Glancy 1991). There also may be a need to attract adult attention to feelings of loneliness, distress and unhappiness, a general cry for help, and/or a need to be seen as important or a hero by discovering the fire, or assisting in putting the fire out (Epps and Hollin 2000, Sakheim and Osborn 1999).
Child maltreatment and fire-lighting
The problems described above would appear to be very similar to problems experienced by many young people who come from a severely child abusive background. These are summarised as, 'developmental delay, low self-esteem, learning problems, behavioural problems and psychiatric symptoms' (Jones et al. 1987, reported by Goddard, 1996: 62). These similarities have been noted in the fire-lighting literature. Epps and Hollin (2000: 45) say that children who suffer from abuse and neglect, and those who light fires, may come from a similar background of 'high levels of parental absence, family breakdown and disorganisation, parental psychopathology, erratic styles of parental monitoring and discipline, and low levels of parental involvement with their children'.
Early studies found a higher incidence of physical abuse in children who light fires than in children who don't light fires (Jayaprakash, Jung and Panitch 1984; Gruber, Heck and Mintzer 1981). A later study found young people who light fires to have been both physically abused and emotionally neglected (Raines and Foy 1994). A few studies make a link with child sexual abuse and fire-lighting, particularly in relation to female fire-lighters. A small study of children in residential care found that 14 per cent of males, and 50 per cent of females, who light fires, showed 'undisputed evidence of sexual abuse' (Epps, Swaffer and Hollin 1996: 46). Examination of adult female fire-lighters found that 44 per cent had a history of sexual abuse (Puri et al. 1995).
Looking at this issue from the perspective of child abuse and neglect researchers, there is very little said about fire-lighting as an outcome of child maltreatment. This is not surprising because, again, the literature is small, beset with definitional confusions and ideological complications, and findings are often based on small, unrepresented samples. However, the connection between fire-lighting and child sexual abuse is directly made in writing based on clinical work on child sexual abuse in the 1980s (Giarretto 1989), and another author describes lighting fires as one of nine indicators of male child sexual abuse (Sebold 1987).
The child abuse literature reveals that there may be associated characteristics between the outcomes of child maltreatment and the needs/actions of children who light fires (see above). For example, like children who light fires, children who have been severely abused suffer from altered cognitive processing (Perry 2002). Links can be seen between the desire to be a hero found in some young people who light fires, and the low self-esteem found in many children who have been sexually abused (Conte and Schuerman 1988). As with children who light fires, children who have been severely abused are described as lonely and distressed (Dominguez, Nelke and Perry 2002).
Similar findings come from the juvenile delinquency literature. Aten year study of the developmental outcomes of 182 children in the United States reported that child maltreatment was a significant predictor of delinquency, accidents, injuries and illness, arrests for violent crime, and physical aggression to a partner (Bank and Burraston 2001). Without providing clear definitions, a link is made between 'neglect', 'child maltreatment', and 'delinquency' where fire-lighting is 'part of the spectrum of anti-social behaviour' (Epps and Hollin 2000: 45).
Conclusions about the characteristics of young people who light fires
It would seem that while few conclusions can be drawn from the literature on the characteristics of young people who light fires, there would appear to be considerable overlap between those who have been severely abused, those who have a severe mental health problem, those who engage in delinquent behaviour, and some young people who light fires. Certainly, almost no research is available on the young people who light fires who do not come to the attention of mental health or juvenile justice authorities. The size of this population and the extent of their fire-lighting, is unclear.
An adequate response to fire-lighting by young people requires a full range of services. This includes primary prevention programs which encompass the whole community, secondary prevention programs aimed at young people known to be a fire risk, and tertiary prevention programs aimed at preventing re-offences. Gaining an understanding of current prevention services is difficult, as it would seem that information on this is often held within the fire-fighting and emergency personnel professional interest groups.
In the United States it is reported that primary prevention programs involve schools, law enforcement agencies and firefighters providing fire safety and education to young people (Epps and Hollin 2000; Federal Emergency Management Agency/ United States Fire Administration 1994). These comprise both media campaigns to increase knowledge and hopefully improve parental referrals to services, and teaching packages included in the school curriculum, usually around fire safety awareness messages.
In Australia, considerable importance is given to primary prevention programs that relate to removal of potential fuel sources from around rural properties, as well as the householder having a plan in place for a response, should a fire occur (Webster 2001). Some education on fire-awareness takes place in schools but this seems not widely funded, nor comprehensive. The rationale for these programs seems to be that they will prevent fires being lit out of curiosity or by accident, and perhaps make disturbed offenders more aware of the consequences of their actions and therefore less likely to light a fire.
No specific secondary prevention programs could be identified in the literature, that is those targeting the young people who may have the predilection for lighting fires. The few services which could be identified appear to be directed towards young people who have started fire-lighting, and they combine both tertiary prevention and intervention services. Literature from the United States recommends that the 'minor' fire-lighters need child and parent counselling, fire-safety education and social skills training (Sakheim and Osborn 1999: 432). On the other hand, 'severe' fire-lighters need a comprehensive intervention program in an in-patient setting encompassing long term psychotherapy and behaviour modification, augmented by case work with parents (Sakheim and Osborn 1999: 432).
It proved difficult to find Australian literature comprehensively reporting on tertiary prevention/intervention for young fire-lighters. An exception was the previously reported study on young people, aged five to 16 years, in the Melbourne metropolitan area, who had engaged in 'at least three incidents of fireplay within the previous 12 months or at least one episode of firesetting which either caused or threatened to cause significant injury or property damage' (Adler et al. 1994: 1196). The young people were divided into three groups receiving: education about fire danger only; home directed treatment in the form of behaviour modification; and, professional intervention. While fire-lighting was reduced in all three groups, the 28 per cent of young people who were lost to the study represented those with the greatest problems and those who had set the most number of fires prior to intervention (Adler et al. 1994).
In South Australia, the Fire Brigade is reported as participating in a scheme where young offenders are presented with factual material about the consequences of their offence (Putnins 1995). While this particular scheme needs to be reviewed, the US literature recommends against use of 'scare tactics' and having the offender visit burn victims in hospital. This is viewed as being neither fair to the burn victim nor an effective educational tool for the fire-lighter (Federal Emergency Management Agency/ United States Fire Administration 1994: 26).
This article explores what is known and being done in relation to preventing young people from lighting bushfires in Australia, a problem clearly identified last summer, in New South Wales. Unfortunately, it would appear that the literature on fire-lighting is 'confusing and contradictory at best' (Raines and Foy 1994: 595). Fire-lighting is poorly understood, the field being 'hampered by a lack of empirical research and an excess of armchair theorising and speculation' (Epps and Hollin 2000: 54) resulting in many knowledge gaps. Current knowledge is predominantly from researchers in United States, with a little from the United Kingdom. The literature almost exclusively relates to the problem of fire-lighting in an urban environment - no literature being found specifically on fire-lighting in an Australian bush setting. Thus the research literature has proved to be little more enlightening than the written media.
From the literature it is not clear who are the young people who light many of the bushfires, how many engage in this behaviour, and why they do it. Neither the personal history of fire-lighting, nor why the behaviour would appear to diminish into adulthood, is understood. It would be interesting to consider whether, when the country is very dry and there is a high risk of bushfire, more young people take the opportunity to light fires or whether the numbers of firelighters remain constant, but more fires become problem fires due to the adverse conditions. It may also be that, as with the problem of suicide, publicity generates copycat events, or media reporting of high risk conditions invites opportunities for fire-lighting for some young people.
While a fire crisis may lead to a knee-jerk type response to 'punish' young people who light fires, what is needed is clear guidance by research if effective prevention programs are to be put in place. Research needs to be funded in Australia, as well as the establishment of bridging conversations between fire authorities and child protection services. Knowledge should be followed by the translation of these findings into policy, and comprehensive and effective programs.
However, while the research evidence is sought, there would appear to be sufficient indicators to suggest that children who have been severely abused and neglected are likely to engage in disturbed behaviour, one manifestation of which may be lighting fires. Thus, it is likely that another consequence of a failure to provide sufficient services to prevent child abuse and neglect is the high cost to the community of bushfires. 'There has never been a time in the history of humankind that we have asked a single adult to provide the ongoing and continuous needs of multiple children with so little support' (Perry 2002). Australian society needs to move to a position where all children are cared-for, valued and loved, and those parents who are having difficulties in raising children are offered assistance through a range of high quality service options aiming at preventing child abuse and neglect. The cost to the community of such pre-emptive responses is likely to be significantly less than the cost of putting out bushfires.
References
Adler, R., Nunn, R., Northam, E., Lebnan, V. et al. (1994), 'Secondary prevention of childhood firesetting', Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 1194-202.
Bank, L. and Burraston, B. (2001), 'Abusive home environments as predictors of poor adjustment during adolescence and early adulthood', ournal of Community Psychology, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 195-217.
Bone, P. (2002), 'Firebugs need to feel the deep agony of remorse', The Age , January 12th p. 7.
Brown, P. (2002), 'Girl, 16, on arson charge as toll rises - Bushfires day 12', The Weekend Australian, Edition 1, 5th January, p. 3.
Bushfire Information Update (2002), http://nswfb.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?sectionid=323# (accessed 2nd August 2002).
Chulov, M. (2001), 'Arson suspected in 40pc of bushfires - The bushfire crisis', The Australian, Edition 1, Friday 28th December, p. 3.
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Janet Stanley is a Senior Research Officer at the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institue of Family Studies.
In 1993 the Australian Association of Young People In Care (AAYPIC) was established as the first-ever voice of children and young people in care. AAYPIC became CREATE Foundation in July 1999, and since that time has gone from strength to strength establishing offices in every capital city, delivering innovative services and programs to children and young people in rural and regional Australia and effecting changes in the care system as a whole.
CREATE Foundation exists to provide opportunities for the 20,000 children and young people in foster and out of home care in Australia. CREATE is an organisation with and for children and young people, and is their voice in the child welfare sector. CREATE works with all stakeholders in the child and family welfare system - Federal and all State governments, service providers, foster carers, community organisations, indigenous groups, church agencies and others to achieve participation of young people - in their lives and in their communities.
CREATE works to build community - to fulfil its purpose:
Earlier this year, CREATE delivered mission:be - a powerful personal development and leadership program in Victoria's Gippsland Region. A program with a difference, mission:be was last year awarded an Australian Drug Foundation award for Excellence in Community Initiatives. mission:be is a 3 month journey for 14 -18 year olds in care that allows participants to discover their true potential, gain new skills in areas they are passionate about, build motivation and self esteem, and develop lasting relationships within their lives and their local communities. mission:be achieves this through focusing on leadership, self advocacy, goal setting, presentation skills and building a sense of self through taking community action. All achieved while having an extreme dose of fun and adventure!
mission:be is about creating a fun and friendly environment in which young people in care can really shine, a space that reflects their strengths, a place that inspires, supports and encourages them to achieve amazing things.
Sasha
mission:be facilitator
mission:be is a 7-module strengths-based program that has been delivered in rural and urban communities right across Australia over the past 3 years. The program includes a series of weekend camps, one day workshops and a period where participants work with the support of mentors to achieve a personal goal or project. A celebration and evaluation signify the end of mission:be but not their journey!
Not everyday normal stuff - they were different experiences to keep you cool
Natalie
mission:be participant
Gippsland, Victoria
A strong sense of community ownership is important to the success of mission:be and contributes to the long term sustainability of the program's outcomes - to empower young people in care to make decisions and create opportunities in their own lives.
Stronger networks and relationships with community and agencies, and most importantly the young people - the feedback from young people was most valuable.
Cindy mission:be Community Action Team
Gippsland, Victoria
This is achieved through CREATE facilitating community stakeholders to resource, promote, develop and deliver the program. The training and participation of local volunteers and youth workers in delivering mission:be also serves to strengthen relationships and promote positive representation of young people in care within the local community.
She has changed so much in the past month, a lot more positive, confident, open to hugs and showing affection, and more aware of others
Jenna
Youth Worker
Gippsland, Victoria
CREATE works with and for children and young people in care in all states and territories, building pathways for the future through offering opportunities both within CREATE and the wider community. CREATE's Young Consultants program is an opportunity for young people in or ex care to share their experiences and help improve the care system from the inside out. All services and programs delivered by CREATE (including mission:be) are developed and delivered by Young Consultants with the support of CREATE staff.
mission:be and the range of services and programs offered by CREATE Foundation successfully connect, empower and create change in the lives of children and young people in care - arguably the most vulnerable and disempowered young people in our society. CREATE works with optimism, vision, creativity and fun alongside all stakeholders to ensure that children and young people in state care are afforded the same life opportunities as all young Australians.
CREATE is a highly participatory, strengths-based learning organisation. For more information call your local CREATE Centre on 1800 655 105 or check us out in cyberspace www.create.org.au !!
'Creating the Future' is a package that has been specifically designed to work with children who have experienced domestic violence. The package contains a leaders workbook, a manual of suggested activity sheets for specific sections of the program, a video, a music CD, posters and stickers. The package has been developed by Chris Burke, Director of the Jannawi Family Centre in New South Wales.
The aim of the program is clear:
'Creating the Future aims to assist children and families to talk about their experiences of domestic violence and abuse, to understand the effects on their lives and relationships , and to develop and strengthen positive relationships based on equality and respect.'
The objectives are as follows:
Creating the Future will assist children and adults to:
Family Services at Wesley Uniting Mission Inc, Adelaide were invited to be involved in this programme by the Conflict Management Research Group at the University of South Australia who are currently being funded to evaluate the program materials and its effectiveness in working with children. We were one of several organisations who were invited to use the package.
Family Services chose to use the material to run a 6 week group program for primary school aged children. All children selected had lived in families where domestic violence was part of their life. All children involved were no longer in violent situations when they agreed to join the group. Two children, however, were still vulnerable as mum remained in the cycle of choosing boyfriends who were violent.
The rest of this article is about some of the lessons, experiences and challenges which we faced as we embarked upon 'Creating the Future.'
The organisation, planning and thinking ahead involved was exhausting, but crucial for the success of this venture. Initially twelve children were invited to join the group, all of whom were visited at home in the pre-group phase. As this was a pilot scheme all parents were obliged to sign consent forms and the children completed pre-group questionnaires. One week prior to the commencement of the group, all children received a personal invitation to come along.
As Wesley Uniting Mission are a non-profit, non-government organisation we had very limited resources to work with. The University of South Australia allowed us to use their premises for free and two male sports studies students volunteered to organise a time for sports and recreation for the children at the end of the group. This period was included in order to allow the children to 'let off steam' at the end of a quite intense program. It was also hoped that this would encourage the children to bond together, provide self discipline and to encourage some of the more withdrawn members of the group to join in and grow in confidence. We particularly requested that the volunteers were male, in order to provide more male role models for the children. All other workers and volunteers involved were female.
In the pre-group phase it was also important to involve other agencies and volunteers to assist. Family Services has only one full-time worker(myself), one part-time social worker(15 hrs) and one part-time male counsellor(15 hrs). A local church kindly offered to provide food each week for the children as they arrived at the group after school and we supplied lots of paper plates, paper cups and plastic crockery (don't forget to bring the hoover? seriously.) A local coffee shop provided a 2 for 1 coffee deal so that mums had somewhere local to wait for the two hour period that their children were in the group. This proved to be quite an enjoyable time for mums.
There was also a volunteer counsellor who went along with the mums each week in order to address any subsequent behaviour problems arising from memories and emotions evoked by the sessions. The children's group was completely confidential, however, I chose to inform the parents of the particular topics that we would be covering each week.
Group Phase
The actual routine of proceedings remained the same each week:
It may appear strange to provide food just prior to physical activity, but most children required this. After the first week, it became apparent how unfit some children were. Some lacked energy, some were bright red and puffing, all required water and one or two required asthma inhalers. If you plan to include sport, please ensure that you have staff or volunteers who have first aid training and that there is access to a fully equipped first aid kit. Having said this, the children thoroughly enjoyed the time, often throwing frisbies, doing obstacle courses and team games etc.
Strategies for maintaining attention and good behaviour were crucial. Unfortunately we do not have a strategy with which we can guarantee success in these areas, but involving the children in deciding upon the consequences of difficult behaviour seemed to have some merit. The children appeared to be familiar with this system from school and they decided upon the following:
Three other factors in maintaining attention were:
The small children responded particularly well to individual attention. In our group there were five adults and nine children, every adult was fully stretched constantly. The behaviour of the children was not violent but more so distracting. For example, several requests for toilet trips (one pair of wet pants when we refused), running out of the room and around the building, banging and clattering, asking for food etc. The group progressed through the forming, norming and definitely the storming stage. However, we did move to the 'performing' at week 5 of the 7 weeks.
Despite adult frustrations with group behaviour we held our cool, as it was so clear to see the anger and emotional pain that some of the sessions were producing. It is essential that the group is a safe place for the children to talk. Each week we re-iterated the confidentiality of our sessions. Conversation would usually follow a pattern of disclosure followed by distraction. For example, one seven year old girl said to me: 'Sometimes I feel like running away at night, but I can't open my bedroom window (slight pause) Can I have a biscuit please?'
Small injections of very important information were said quickly, often as though the children knew that they were not supposed to be talking about these issues. Breaking the secrecy was a new and uncertain task for the children. It was significant in the post-group follow up that one child spoke about missing the other children in the group. She said that she no longer had anyone to talk to about her life and she couldn't really talk to her friends at school. It would seem that the children were benefiting from the simple event of meeting together and building friendships with others in similar circumstances to themselves.
A particular emphasis within the program and a theme with flowed through each session was that of identifying and releasing feelings. Anger, fear, sadness and uncertainty were all recurring feelings. One particular boy filled his activity book with violent drawings.
In his pictures he drew himself shooting people with revolver type guns, he drew his school being blown up, and on the final page under the heading 'One thing I would like to change..' he drew an aeroplane flying into the Twin Towers. The nine year old boy declared that he would like to 'blow up the world.'(this boy and his family are currently undergoing further individual therapy, as are most of the families involved in the program.)
Another boy drew a picture of a 'scary experience.' In this picture he depicted his father throwing a plate and a clock at his mother. His father had a huge grin on his face and his mum was crying. The boy himself was hiding under the kitchen table.
All the children in the group echoed the theme of self-blame. The audio visual material used on the course was particularly good at dispelling this lie. It was clear that although some children were able to say out loud 'I am not to blame', inside they were not convinced. However, it seemed that by the end of the 7 weeks, more children were able to believe this. It was necessary for constant re-enforcement from the adults involved, for re-enforcement from the materials used and perhaps most importantly from each other. We also encouraged parents re-enforce this point individually with each child.
One final point which must be mentioned is that despite their circumstances most children were quite defensive about their fathers. Often the children displayed anger and frustration at their mothers for not being able to protect them. There was also some anger at mothers for taking the children away from their fathers. In one session that focused particularly upon relationships with mothers and fathers, one child stated that 'It's not Dad that's the problem, it's Mum. Dad would like to see us more, but Mum won't let him and now we have to go to mediation.' She even felt it necessary to speak this out in front of the group.
In one particular video scenario, it is left to the audience to decide what has happened to dad at the end. It is interesting to note that when the same scenario was shown to a group of adults and to a separate group of children, the responses were quite different. The adults made statements such as: 'Dad moved out.', 'He's locked up' and 'He's buried in the garden.' The children made responses such as: 'Dad got a job, and now he has some friends to talk to so he's calmer', 'Dad went to counselling' and 'Dad moved out for a while.' The children still seem to have hope that circumstances will change.
As a reward for 6 weeks of intensive work, week 7 was a Party and Presentation evening. Each family brought a plate of food to share and parents stayed for the first half hour. When all the food was eaten, the children played party games, had loud music, did the limbo etc. for approximately one hour. It was a pleasure. In the final half hour, parents returned to see their children receive a certificate, a piece of cake and a balloon(budget constraints!) All the children were sad that the group was ending.
As workers, it seemed that the group was only the beginning. It had been like 'opening a can of worms' and now work had to start within the individual families concerned.
In the 2 weeks following the group, each child was visited and a post-group questionnaire completed. All the activity sheets, brainstorms, booklets and questionnaires are currently with the research and evaluation unit at the University of South Australia. The results of these findings will be published and passed onto the government authorities by the end of the year.
Currently Family Services are working with all except one of the families involved in the group. We are also grateful to the Grange Domestic Violence Support group who have supported and continue to support the mothers.
Unfortunately continued support is not offered in our area for children in domestic violence situations. 'Creating the Future' goes some way towards addressing this problem and therefore we are happy to announce that we have recently received a grant from Morialta Trust for $3000 which will enable us to run the Kids Club Program again.
For further information contact the Wesley Uniting Mission, 80 East Street,Torrensville South Australia 5031. Phone: (08) 8352 8492.
In June 2002 the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) produced three publications under the heading Through Young Black Eyes. The Handbook and pamphlets aim to inform Indigenous parents and families about the impact of family violence on children and strategies for dealing with these issues. These publications come in the wake of a book produced by SNAICC ten years ago Through Black Eyes which was a national resource handbook aimed at assisting communities to develop the strength to talk and take actions against domestic violence.
The new series of publications consists of a handbook, a community leaders guide and parents leaflet and all can be obtained free of charge by contacting SNAICC. The material aims to provide Indigenous communities with longer term strategies to address issues of family violence and child abuse and in particular to raise awareness about the impact of abuse and neglect on children. The handbook offers explanations of family violence, child physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect, how violence impacts on children, how child abuse and family violence be identified as well as offering explanations about child protection reporting procedures and mandatory reporting legislation.
For Further Information: Contact SNAICC, Ground Floor, 48 High Street, Northcote, Vic 3070. Phone: (03) 9482 9380, or Fax (03) 9482 9157, Email: snaicc@vicnet.net.au
The Engaging Fathers Project is part of an international initiative to improve children's well being by involving their fathers in all aspects of their upbringing. The project in Australia is based at the University of Newcastle in the Family Action Centre. During 2001, project staff worked in partnership with schools to attract fathers (and father figures) from low-income areas to participate in enjoyable, father-friendly activities in schools. As part of their work, the Engaging Fathers Project team has developed a course for dads: The Nuts and Bolts of Kids and Schools.
In order to determine what fathers needed to become involved in the school and with the children, Ken and Craig, community workers from the Engaging Fathers Project (EFP), ran a series of 'smokos' with fathers. Communicating with children came out on top. The resulting seven week TAFE Outreach course covered communication skills, parenting and partnerships, child development, confidence building and safety measures for children.
Each week a presenter covered the main topic area while Ken facilitated. Craig attended most sessions to ensure that the links were maintained with the Aboriginal men in the group. The presenters were strongly advised to make the sessions interactive and to leave plenty of time for discussion. Particular care was taken to build a respectful atmosphere where different (even unpopular) notions could be openly discussed. The men were not pressured into speaking on each topic, but there was no shortage of conversation. Getting men to talk about all aspects of parenting was easy. The challenging part was managing a group of men who were not used to 'group discussion'.
What the dads said about being in the course
'I didn't really know what to expect so it was a plus for me. I don't think anyone really knew what it was going to be all about. I've never been in this situation before, as far as a bunch of blokes who are talking their own problems.'
'Everyone is in the same situation, you're not just the only one sitting out there on a limb; I also met a few top blokes in the course in the last five to six weeks. It's been interesting.'
'There's nothing out there that teaches parenting. I mean, when I had a kid I was hoping that the wife - because she's a girl - would know it all, but in fact she didn't. In fact I think I knew a little bit more than her, which is really nothing, but there's no course for parenting. You have the kids and then it's all trial and error and flying by the seat of your pants, so it's good to get some information on parenting.'
'It helps clarify your own feelings on parenting, because you're doing things and you're wondering, 'Am I going about it the right way or the wrong way?', and then you come here and there's a lot of feedback. So you think, 'Oh, am I doing it right or not? Should I pull up on that and change?' So it's giving you a larger view of parenting from a lot more people and it's also good to understand there are other people going through the same difficulties as yourself. You're not Robinson Crusoe.'
Comments from dads on the effect of the course
'I just seem to be more relaxed, I feel, in explaining things now. Rather than jumping down their throats I think about it first.'
'I've relaxed in my situation around my children and all that. The way I speak to them. Instead of jumping down their throat I'm talking to them on their level and it has calmed me right down.'
'The funny thing is with the whole situation, if I was sitting at home I'd say something. Obviously it was noticeable, but not to me. I'd say something and Vicki would say, 'Oh, that's the course coming out of you.' So she noticed a difference there, and she said that to me probably about three times over the course of this course we've been doing, so obviously there is a difference and you don't really notice your difference till it's pointed out to you.'
'I'm relating to adults even different than what I was before, but it's good. It's a good course and I'd recommend it.'
'Yeah, it teaches tolerance and acceptability of other people as well. It's just not dealing with kids and that, it's a whole communal thing. It's how to be tolerant and accept everybody in your community.'
'My nine-year-old daughter said to me, 'You don't shout as much dad'.'
'I have also noticed it in the school. When I was at the other school and I had a conflict I really jumped down their throats. And then at this school I was called to the office because my boy had done something; I went in and just talked about it. It came out a lot better because I just talked and didn't go in angry. It wasn't the different school principal, it was me. I knew that principal when she was at the other school. And I would get so worked up, my wife wouldn't come in with me, she stayed outside behind me, and so it must be different 'cause she went right in there with me.'
'I take time for things. Now I have two nights a week playing darts, she has Friday and Saturday nights playing Housie. I used to go five nights a week and didn't let her go out. Also, I used to get migraines two or three times a week and now I haven't had one in seven weeks. Its because I don't get stressed now.'
'My wife was in Melbourne and I was getting a bit stressed and my little fella, I told him to get out of the car and he just ignores me so I grab him by the shirt front to get him out of the car and I was a little bit stressed and I don't hit but I yelled at him and he went into his bedroom and didn't come out, normally he'd be out on his bike. And that night as I went to bed I saw he was still lying awake. So I went in and apologized. He said that he didn't hear me telling him to get out that he was playing Nintendo. So I apologized and kissed him goodnight . . . I felt relieved to tell you the truth. Normally I'd sit there stewing about how to tell him and still be the boss and I'd go over it in my mind and then I'd say it but still be the one up here, and then still think about it a lot afterwards. So after I apologized this time I felt better and went to sleep.'
'We've got to let kids be kids. My girl and boy were having milk and the girl spilt the milk and she looked at me like she was expecting something, like me to blow my top, and I said, 'You'd better go and get a cloth', and she did. As soon as we'd done that the boy spilt his Milo right beside where her milk had gone. They were both looking at me and I could see this fear and they were waiting for me to blow up. And I just couldn't do it. And I think my wife's changed too. She doesn't go at them so much.'
'I have learnt to step back a little. My kids say, 'He's going schitzo', and now I step back. The kids don't want to hear the lecture again from me.'
Other spin-offs from the course
Every indicator from this course comes up positive. Feedback from the teachers, the principal, the community worker, the fathers, their kids and partners all attest to the changes this course has made. Significantly, the improvements in the way the fathers relate to their children has had positive repercussions in their family life but has also impacted on their children at school. Fathers have become more interactive not only with their own children but also interested in helping other children at school. They have discovered that they have something unique to offer.
Richard Fletcher manages the Engaging Fathers Project at the University of Newcastle's Family Action Centre. He can be contacted on 02 4921 6401.
In 1980 Save the Children Queensland received funding from the Department of Housing to employ a Masters Graduate to research the social problems within caravan parks. One of the issues identified during this research was concern over the safety of children and the need for the provision of safe play opportunities was evident.
Caravan parks have become an alternative form of accommodation for an increasing number of families, who due to prior residential history are considered 'undesirable' as both public and private tenants. Bond is rarely required, utilities are affordable, sometimes even fixed, and yet contrary to popular belief, rent is not cheap. Average rent is approximately $130.00 per week without a toilet or shower, however if families are forced to reside temporarily in 'holiday' style park cabins, costs can exceed $200 per week. For some families, there is no alternative.
Children under five years living with their parents and carers in caravan parks in marginalized, socially isolated circumstances, are at high risk of abuse and neglect. Child protection issues are magnified in caravan parks as many children live in dysfunctional, economically deprived families who are highly mobile and lack supporting networks of family and friends. Children are constantly exposed to issues of substance abuse, criminal activities and domestic violence because of the overcrowded and isolated environment in which they live. This can include impact from other residents, not just the family unit.
In 1982 as a response to this environment Save the Children began operating the Mobile Playscheme, a supported playgroup program for pre-school age children and their carers residing in suburban caravan parks.
Residence in a caravan park often means there are limited opportunities to provide children with the types of experiences vital to development in the early childhood years. Limiting factors often include lack of space, poor communal facilities, social isolation and reduced access to local services.
The Mobile Playscheme seeks to address these factors by conducting activities from a purpose fitted van equipped with a comprehensive range of toys, games, craft and gross motor equipment to enable children to engage in safe, appropriate and constructive play. In addition the program provides an opportunity for carers to participate in activities with their children, interact with each other and seek advice and information regarding a variety of areas.
Currently the Mobile Playscheme has three vans which service the Brisbane North, Brisbane South and the Gold Coast/Tweed Heads regions, providing free, weekly, two-hour playgroups in 15 caravan parks.
Each service has two staff, one an Early Childhood specialist, and the other a Community Worker with social welfare qualifications. The Early Childhood Worker's focus is to ensure that appropriate play and craft activities are available, that give children and their carers input that is educational, challenging and above all fun! The Community Worker has a particular focus on engaging carers and working with them informally on a range of issues including child health and development, parenting information, education and support, self-concept, relationship and living skills.
Playscheme has successfully engaged families living in marginalized circumstances for over 20 years and has seen many positive outcomes for families. Our model of service delivery has remained predominantly unchanged, but has continually striven to meet the changing needs of the communities in which we work. Like many successful projects, our strength is the program's simplicity. The playgroup has an inviting appearance, and we find that parents therefore feel comfortable to engage in an activity that focuses on their children in a positive way without feeling judged. Our playgroups are free of charge and place no immediate responsibility or expectations on parents. We have a 'no exclusions' policy and would never turn a child away regardless of their presentation. We encourage participation, in a relaxed, informal environment.
We focus on establishing relationships with our families. Taking the time to develop real rapport and to establish trust enables us to better engage carers around issues of concern as they arise. In our experience, many families residing in Caravan parks expect rejection, criticism and disapproval, as this is commonly their experience of the wider community. Playscheme staff focus on the strengths of families, using humour, modeling and encouraging our carers towards the best outcome for their children. Our creed is simple: if you lose the relationship, you lose the ability and the opportunity to influence change. We model positive interaction with the children, and share all achievements that carer and child make, no matter how small or insignificant.
One of the main aims of the Mobile Playscheme is to reduce the sense of social isolation felt by many park families by encouraging small links to the wider community and thereby assisting parents to further address their issues. Over the years we have worked hard to develop links with services within the wider community, and even harder at supporting parents to access these services. It is evident that many residents struggle to move out of the park to access external services. They are often hampered in doing this by fear of how they will be treated and issues such as lack of affordable transport. Coupled with this, many community services have limited opportunities to provide genuine outreach services to this community, so often families from caravan parks are not accessing any other service than the Playscheme. Hence our results have been mixed, and the difference between success and failure has ultimately rested with community services ability and willingness to adjust their service delivery to include the needs of this client group.
Families living in caravan parks do not typically own or have access to private cars. Most caravan parks are in isolated areas with limited access to public transport. Profiles of park residents demonstrate an over representation of high unemployment, low educational achievements including low literacy, poor budgeting and financial management, and poor family and social support networks. More inhibiting however, is the increasing stigma attached to living in a caravan park.
In response to these issues, Playscheme is currently participating in a National Pilot Project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services under the Families in Crisis Program. This pilot has taken the existing supported playgroup model and incorporated the skill of a Family Support Worker (a trained social worker/psychologist) who is able to work more intensively and provide greater individual support to park families, outside of Playscheme group time. Nearly eighteen months into the pilot, we have seen some remarkable outcomes for families, who with additional guidance and encouragement have been able to navigate real change for themselves.
Caravan parks continue to have many residents who are struggling to provide a safe environment for their children. The Mobile Playscheme has been a highly successful program for over twenty years, which has continued to engage successfully with families to provide an opportunity for them to see their role as carers as important. This program has afforded Save the Children the privilege of meeting many families who are struggling to meet the needs of their children and allowed us to add to their efforts in a positive way.
For further information contact Lisa Hillan, Save the Children Queensland, 349 Queen Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4000. Phone: (07) 3221 4600.
On 9 September 2002 Mr James Priest, Chief Commissioner of Scouts Queensland announced the launch of a new booklet which aims to help both parents and the wider community talk about and address the serious issue of child abuse in Australia.
The 38-page booklet was launched by the Honourable Paul de Jersey, AC, Chief Justice of Queensland who congratulated the Scout Association for its 'pro-active and up-front approach to the vexing issue of child protection' and said that the new booklet is an excellent and practical publication of 'great potential value to all parents'.
Scouts Australia is the largest Youth Organisation in the country and maintains a zero tolerance level for any and all forms of abuse. Chief Commissioner Priest states that: 'Unfortunately, historically, children have been accorded little, if any, status in society. Deprived of rights and perceived as the property of their parents, children used to be treated any way their 'owners' saw fit'.
The Chief Commissioner suggested that 'there is a tremendous misconception that any application of the notion of children's rights will mean an erosion of parent's rights, which is absolute nonsense'. Mr Priest also said that educating parents on the issue of child abuse is one way that Scouts can help protect the children of Queensland.
The Protecting Your Children booklet explains the various types of child abuse and signs which may indicate that a child has been abused, how to prevent child abuse, basic rules of safety for children and it also offers advice for those who work with children. The booklet is one of a series of guides for parents and is available free of charge from Scouts Queensland. It can be ordered on Phone: (07) 3870 7000 or via email qldhq@qldhq.scouts.com.au
The Fathers' Support Service operates in Western Sydney. The Service aims to develop programs that support fathers in focusing on their child's needs and the development of stronger family relationships. The service aims to reduce the negative impact that relationship breakdown has on children, to provide crisis counselling for fathers and to support men in their awareness of, and capacity to access other appropriate services, networks and parenting resources.
The service also aims to develop group work and counselling services for fathers that aim to reduce the incidence of family conflict and reduce the incidence of depression and suicide within men's lives following family separation while also enabling fathers to recognise their strengths in parenting. Currently the service employees 1 fulltime and 2 part-time staff plus several casual group facilitators.
These staff provide a minimum of 11 fathering/ relationship focused groups every school term, four times per year. Groups include one-day information workshops, emotional support groups and psycho-educational groups where a structured design is used to help participants develop knowledge and skills for coping with potential/ immediate problems, separation or other life transitions. Also group counselling programs are offered in a less structured format focusing on normal human relationship issues.
Issues concerning child protection are also regularly addressed within all the groups and a key motto for the program is 'keeping children safe'. To ensure this, three key principles are used together with mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Firstly, fathers attending the programs need to take responsibility for their actions, Secondly they are encouraged to think about the connection between how they react in the family, amongst their friends and in the workplace. Thirdly, the men are encouraged to develop a greater empathy in understanding their children's needs which increases the safety of their children. However, this is difficult for non-resident fathers who feel they can no longer protect their children from a variety of a wider range of dangers.
The UnitingCare Burnside's program 'Keeping Children Safe'(described below) is also used to help men teach their children protective behaviours. The men need support to manage crisis periods rather than letting the pressure build up. The Fathers' Support Service peer support and group programs encourage men to address proactively child protection issues by talking about them before they lose control.
The service also offers crisis telephone counselling, particularly for separated fathers, to at least 200 new service users per year. These calls range from 15 minutes to 60-75 minutes. As well as offering groups, a fathers and kids playgroup has proved to be popular on a Saturday morning. Weekend BBQ's are regularly run on weekends that allow fathers and their children time to interact together while being involved in the program.
The Father's Support Service program has been successful in developing and delivering models of counselling, education and skills training that support and assist fathers in improving their relationships with partners, ex-partners and children. Over the past two years the service has provided services to 580 men who are father to 1171 children. The program is based on a collaboration/ partnership model between UnitingCare Burnside, Lone Parent Family Support Service, Northcott Society, and Fathers' Resource Centre Inc. These organisations combined together several years ago to pool resources instead of working separately in providing services to fathers.
An external evaluation of the program is currently being completed which will provide important information about the effectiveness of the service. An interim report was available in July 2002 with the final report due in December 2002. As a snapshot for term 1 2002, the statistics are as follows:
Over 90 men attended 11 different groups that were facilitated by Fathers' Support Service. 96% of these service users stated that they benefitted from attending the various groups and 89% grasped two major ideas for each group. 98% of service users said that the service was worthwhile, while 78% of men said that the group covered what they expected. On many occasions, the men initially had a negative image of what would happen in the group. This suspicion and hesitancy needs to be addressed before men can be engaged in family relationship/ support programs. In regards to interpersonal skills, at the end of the groups for that term, 93% of men felt more positive, 84% were more confident, 82% stated they were better at communicating and 93% of service users stated they understood all the material.
At least 50% of service users who attended Fathers' Support Service groups used the following words to describe the various men and family relationship groups: relevant to my family, confidence building, enjoyable, informative, encouraging, supportive, and helpful. Fathers' Support Service has found these words useful for advertising groups and in generating men's interest in attending subsequent group programs.
A key element of the success of the program is the child-focused approach that the whole centre adopts. Many men express their appreciation when they contact the service saying, 'It's great that you are not an angry men's group!' The centre uses solution-focused counselling and group work techniques to support the men in making changes. Men accessing the program can choose from a wide range of groups, selecting the most relevant one for their current needs and goals.
Providing a range of different groups for fathers has been effective in meeting the wide variety of needs of the service users. In a given school term, many of the groups have a full number of participants while often the newly developed groups have a lower number. This balance helps staff to attempt new initiatives without being despondent if there is initially little response from fathers booking into groups. It takes a while for an organisation to gain credibility amongst men and for men to recommend programs to other men.
The centre is currently funded for approximately $135,000.00 per annum. The program is due for closure in June 2003 unless further funding for the Men and Family Relationship Programs is obtained.
For further information about UnitingCare Burnside Fathers' Support Service, please contact Andrew King on (02) 9806 0200, or via e-mai: aking@burnside.org.au
'Keeping Children Safe' is a six-session course that discusses Child Protection in the context of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 and guides parents in the best ways to ensure their own children remain safe. It is suitable for caregivers of children of all ages.
The course examines the five types of abuse: physical, neglect, emotional, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. In each session there is a positive parenting section with strategies that parents can use to develop their own behaviour management skills. Protective behaviours are also discussed and are based on the child protection material that is taught in public schools. Parents are usually particularly interested in this section, as they are keen to know what their children are being taught and like to have activities they can do with their children at home.
'Keeping Children Safe' was launched on 6 November 2001 by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Gillian Calvert who heartily endorsed the initiative. Parent groups have been run in three locations in NSW: Ermington, Shalvey and Wentworthville. One Train the Trainer has been run in Moree where more than one third of the participants were Aboriginal workers.
The program is suitable for all parents and caregivers including those who may struggle with low literacy, mild intellectual disability, difficulty managing their own or their children's behaviour, those who have faced abuse in their own or children's lives abuse or neglect from themselves and/or others.
Facilitating the groups is a great experience as parent reactions to the course are so positive. However it is necessary to have two leaders facilitating the program because of the sensitive nature of the issues that are discussed. At one centre, during the session on sexual abuse, the emotional tension in the room was high, escalated by the fact that over one third of the participants had personal experience with sexual abuse. The Train the Trainer program also requires two leaders as it may bring up issues or memories for many people.
Parents had very positive comments to make about the program. Some felt it would be suitable to be run in hospitals, pre-schools and elsewhere in the community.
Some of the comments made by parents are below:
Based on pre and post evaluations completed by two of the groups there was a notable increase in parents knowledge of abuse and neglect and the New South Wales Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 and also in how comfortable they feel talking with their children about safety issues. Most parents stated that they now have the knowledge to protect their children more adequately.
A groupwork manual is available for purchase from UnitingCare Burnside for $60 (including GST and postage). This is all that is needed to run the course, however, for those in New South Wales, Train the Trainer in 'Keeping Children Safe' will be run in various locations around the state. This course provides tips on running the course effectively and enhances group leadership skills. Assistance in running 'Keeping Children Safe' groups for families in your NSW community may also be available from Burnside.
For further information or to purchase the manual, please contact Jennifer Tung, Project Worker, Keeping Children Safe, Family Work Program, Western Sydney, UnitingCare Burnside. Phone: (02) 9768 6866, Fax: (02) 9630 0664.Or PO Box 6866, Parramatta. Via email:jtung@burnside.org.au
Raising a family is a very challenging and sometimes daunting task. It is one for which new parents receive very little training, and in today's society it is possible for parents to feel isolated and unsupported as they endeavour to deal with all of the issues that arrive with a growing child.
If this is true for all parents, how much more must it be for parents who may have been poorly parented themselves; have suffered childhood abuse; are involved in a violent relationship; have some level of drug and/or alcohol dependency; or have an intellectual or psychiatric disability. The family situations may be further complicated by the necessity to parent alone or with partners who are not the biological father/mother of at least some of the children in the household. Add poverty, social isolation and the lack of capability to sustain and nurture relationships, and you have parents who cannot, despite their best intentions, offer their child/children the start in life they need and deserve.
In 2001, Child and Family Services, Ballarat (CAFS), combined with Lisa Lodge Ballarat to develop a mentoring program to support such families with young children. Funding obtained from the Ian Potter Foundation has enabled this pilot project to proceed for the current year.
Some families who have been involved with CAFS Parenting Assessment and Skills Development Service (PASDS) were identified as having long term, lower intensity support needs. PASDS is a Victorian Government funded program for high-risk infants. Families who utilise the mentoring program are no longer clients of PASDS, however require an on-going level of service and support in order to ensure that gains made from that program are sustained. We recognize that there would also be long term benefits for these families if they were more fully integrated into their local communities; knew how to use universal services, and were provided with some monitoring of their child's safety and development.
In simple terms, the family, (in particular, the mother), often needs a friendly visitor, a reliable person with whom to develop a relationship of implicit trust and unconditional support and assistance. It was believed that a mentor as a positive role model could play a strategic role of non-professional support in the lives of a family of a high-risk infant. At that time there was no service in the Ballarat community that could take on this type of role.
Therefore, an 8-week training program for potential mentors was adapted from Lisa Lodge's award-winning initiative, 'The Champions Mentoring Program', which offered intensive support, via a mentor, for high-risk adolescents. Modules on parenting skills, developed from CAFS Parenting Assessment and Skills Development Service, were incorporated into this new program.
Recruitment of the mentors began in December 2001, with advertisements placed in the local newspaper. An editorial article accompanied the original advertisement. Anumber of women aged 30 to 60 from various walks of life responded, attending an information evening. As a result, 12 applications were received and ten women went on to complete the training course.
Training ran weekly from February to April, and covered topics such as 'Understanding the Client Group'; 'Values, Trust and Confidentiality'; 'Communication Skills'; 'Assertiveness, Conflict Resolution'; 'Developmental Stages of Children 0-5 Years' and 'Parenting Skills'. The program co-coordinators conducted the program in a way that stimulated much discussion, questioning and sharing of the personal experiences of the would-be mentors, who bonded relatively quickly into a cohesive group. We are sure that it was this and not the delicious suppers that kept absenteeism extremely low.
After training was completed an extensive accreditation process then took place. The women were required to complete an interview booklet, which explored their values and attitudes toward the raising of children. This formed the basis of a 1/2-hour interview in their own homes. From the information gained, personal profiles of the women were constructed displaying their strengths and weaknesses in relation to parenting, personal motivation, values and family dynamics, lifestyle, and coping strategies. At this point, two women withdrew from the program for personal reasons. Also, the coordinator resigned to take up full-time employment. A mentor, who had the required professional qualifications, took up this role. Having completed the training, the knowledge she had of both the course content and the potential mentors was valuable in ensuring continuity of the program.
A panel of professionals from CAFS and Lisa Lodge sat on 19 June for the purpose of assessing the mentors for accreditation. Agraduation ceremony was held on 1 July. and certificates and flowers were presented to each woman as a token of appreciation for the work that she had faithfully completed thus far. The harder work was about to begin!
Six families, former clients of PASDS, were approached to take part in this program. All accepted and it was encouraging to see the face of each woman light up with pleasure when the notion of having a friend was proposed. The matching of mentors with families was done by comparing the skills, background, attitudes and interests of mentors with the needs and interests of the families.
Mentors were informed regarding the relevant background of their families, three of whom were single mothers. The initial appointment was made to meet their family in the family's home. This meeting had both mother and mentor somewhat nervous. As one young mum said, 'It feels a bit weird!' For this reason the introductory meeting was limited to 15-20 minutes - enough time to get to know the basics about each other, to put a face to the name and to arrange another time to get together. All six mentor/mum dyads connected at this visit.
To this time, mentors have met with their families approximately four times. They are using this early stage to develop a trusting relationship and get to know the other members of the family. Some meetings take place in the mentoree's home, others involve outings such as a walk, a visit to an indoor or outdoor playground, a picnic, the library or just for a coffee and chat - in other words, the normal things that friends do together. The mentor uses opportunities, as they arise, to model good parenting skills and discuss issues, particularly those relating to the children in the family.
Each mentor is contacted weekly by the coordinator to discuss the progress of the relationship as well as any issues that may have arisen during their time together. The coordinator encourages the mentor in her role and researches any information that is requested, consulting also with the supervisor of the service. In addition to this weekly contact, the mentors are expected to attend a monthly meeting where they receive on-going training on topics dictated by need This also provides an opportunity for mentors to share information/experiences (within confidentiality boundaries) and receive feedback on their work.
Mentors are given a small amount of money each month to cover costs incurred in the program. This is a comfortable arrangement for both parties as neither is indebted to the other in monetary terms and it enables access to community facilities that might otherwise be out of consideration.
As with any program, the question arises: 'How do we know if this program is actually making a difference to the quality of life for these families?' Formal evaluation of the program will take the form of an initial six-month internal evaluation followed by an external evaluation at the end of the twelvemonth period. Information to inform the evaluation will be obtained through surveying the mothers and the mentors at six monthly intervals. For the mothers, a questionnaire has been prepared which focuses on self esteem issues and attitudes towards parenting. For the mentors, the survey details observable parenting skills. Anecdotal evidence from mentors is positive at this stage.
The mentoring program should prove to be cost effective. Costs include the salary of a part-time coordinator (0.4 EFT), mentor reimbursement, and training expenses.
A program such as this has great potential to enrich the lives of all participants: - the mentors, a group of caring, optimistic and lively women; and the mentorees, a group of women who are looking to improve their life situation. Most of all, through this relationship, which we hope will last for several years, we aim to improve the life opportunities for the infants in these families who are, at present, considered to be potentially at risk.
For further information contact: Child and Family Services Ballarat, 115 Lydiard Street, North Ballarat, Victoria 3350, Phone: (03) 5332 1434.
The following selections from new additions to the Clearinghouse collection over the last six months may be borrowed from the Australian Institute of Family Studies library, via the interlibrary loan system. Please contact your own library to arrange loans. Compiled by JOAN KELLEHER.
Their future, our responsibility: making a commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, by J.Pocock,Fitzroy,Vic, Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, 2001, 20p.
Recognising the importance of children to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, this paper looks at some of the major issues impacting on them. The author discusses the current practice of the removal of children rather than addressing and correcting the issues that lead to family breakdown and child neglect. These issues, he believes, largely stem from entrenched societal problems including poverty and unemployment, and attempts to correct these beforehand would be far more valuable than the removal of children once it is too late. He also raises the issue of the placement of indigenous children with non indigenous carers, which poses a threat to their cultural identity.
Through young black eyes: a handbook to protect Indigenous children from the impact of family violence and child abuse, by K. Bedford, Northcote, Vic, Secretariat National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care, 2002, 120p.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over represented in child protection cases and are much more likely to be removed from their families than other Australian children. This publication was funded by Partnerships Against Domestic Violence, a Commonwealth Government initiative coordinated by the Status of Women. It focuses on the particular impact of family and domestic violence on children and children who are subjected to other forms of child abuse and neglect, and seeks to raise awareness of the relevant laws, legislation and reporting requirements of the respective States and Territories. This publication provides basic information to help clarify the issues of family violence and child abuse for communities, especially those lacking specific child protection services. Adirectory of related agencies, services and resources is also included.
'Children at risk: drugs, alcohol and violence from the New Zealand perspective', by C.M. Earl, in Food for thought: conference handbook: the 10th National Family Law Conference, Melbourne,Vic, Television Education Network, 2002, pp.103-107.
In New Zealand all matters relating to children at risk are heard before the Family Court regardless of whether the action has resulted from an intervention by the state welfare agencies or by allegations made as part of a custody dispute. The approach to the case and the consequent results will differ depending on the statutory base for intervention. The author looks at the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989 and points out some of the difficulties with state intervention in dealing with children at risk. He also considers the way in which the Family Court deals with allegations of children at risk in custody and access cases, and concludes that the custody and access process is not appropriate for addressing care and protection issues.
School counsellors' attitudes and beliefs about child sexual abuse, by J.D. Goldman and U.K. Padayachi, Journal of Family Studies, vol.8, no.1, Apr 2002, pp.53-73.
School counsellors are in a unique position to address child sexual abuse. However, little is known about their attitudes and beliefs on the issue. In order to examine these, all school counsellors in Queensland were sent a questionnaire to ascertain their attitudes and beliefs about child sexual abuse. Results show that the 122 school counsellors who responded, consisting of 52 males and 70 females, believe they have an important role in the detection of child sexual abuse.They believe they are the appropriate professionals to be part of programs aimed at preventing it. School counsellors strongly object to sexual activities between adults and children, and overwhelmingly believe that sexual relationships education should not be left to parents. Most school counsellors believe that children should help to legally prosecute adult perpetrators. Most school counsellors also believe that child sexual abuse is a moderate or serious problem in Australia, but is less prevalent in their local community than in the country as a whole. (Journal abstract)
Maintaining a focus on the child? by J. Horwath, Child Abuse Review, vol.11,no.4, Jul-Aug 2002, pp.195-213.
This article describes the UK Department of Health assessment framework entitled 'The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families' and examines ways in which the framework can improve assessment practices in child neglect cases. The effectiveness of the framework is found to be dependent on how managers, frontline staff in area child protection committees and social service departments, approach its implementation. Tensions can arise amongst those using this framework and if not addressed early can lead to distorted assessements that lose the focus on the child.
'Planning partnerships with families', by R. Bland and C. Craft, in Children, Young People and Communities: the Future is in Our Hands: conference proceedings, Hobart, Tas, Division of Child, Youth and Family Support, Department of Health and Human Services, 2001, pp.69-71.
The authors have put together a series of points to describe principles related to the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997 and how it caters for children in care facilities. The new Act is designed to provide care and protection of children, maximising the child's ability to grow up in a safe environment. The authors discuss the obstacles involved in this process and the skills needed for child protection workers to achieve a working partnership with families. They list what they see as the essential principles for working in a partnership including respect, honesty and privacy rights.
Quality protects: a commentary on the government's agenda and the evidence base, by A. Rushton and C. Dance, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, vol.7, no.2, 2002, pp.60-65.
This review explores the aims, origins and effects of the Quality Projects, the policy introduced by the government in 1998 to improve social services for children. Outlined in this article are four areas on which progress towards improvement of services will depend. These include 'better performance indicators; the extent and quality of research based evidence; the expansion of professional social work training and user feedback and involvement' (p.60). It was concluded that progress being made to aid troubled children and families will need assessing through systematic research in addition to consistent service performance indicators.
What should a good statutory child protection system look like?, by C. Peltola, Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, no.4, Winter 2002, pp.42-52.
There are two aspects of service provision in statutory child protection systems: the business side which focuses on management and administration; and professional service delivery which is concerned with services being delivered to families. The focus of this paper is to examine how these two activities are increasingly seen as separate from and unrelated to each other. The author argues that this separation is at the heart of the problems within child protection statutory service provision, and that these two approaches should be brought together.
Chain of violence, by C. Goddard and J.Stanley, Community Care, 4-10, Apr 2002, pp.32-33.
Discussing failures in child protection which result in the death of child, the authors suggest that a link exists between such failures and violence against social workers. They point out that while their training emphasises the need for child protection workers to build a partnership with abusive parents, little is offered on how to cope where such a relationship is impossible or unsafe because of violence. They claim that the literature on fatal child abuse generally fails to make a connection with violence against social workers. The authors suggest that while there are many possible causes of child protection failure, measures to support workers and alleviate their trauma, stress and sense of isolation would empower them and result in more effective interventions against child abuse.
Fatal assault of children and young people, by New South Wales, Child Death Review Team, Surry Hills, NSW, NSW Commission for Children and Young People, 2002, 160p, Online (2317K) http://www.kids.nsw.govol.au/publications/cdrt2000.html#fa; http://www.kids.nsw.govol.au/files/final_fatal_assault.pdf
This report examines the deaths of 60 children and young people who died as a result of fatal assault in the period January 1996 to July 1999 in New South Wales. Fatal assault of a child or young person is defined as death resulting from acts of violence perpetrated upon him or her by another person. It includes acts by which the perpetrator intended to kill the child and acts from which the child died, even though the perpetrator may not have intended the outcome. The key research questions for the project were: What are the social and demographic characteristics of the population of children who die from assault in NSW? How can the types of death be categorised? What involvement did families have with human service agencies prior to the child's death? What themes emerge from the data for avenues for prevention? Chapters in the report are: Introduction: the fatal assault of children; Methodology; Major findings; Fatal non-accidental injuries; Child fatalities and parents affected by mental illness; Family dispute and breakdown; Teenage victims; Implications of the findings for services.
A comparison of two programmes for victims of child sexual abuse: a treatment outcome study, by M. Nolan, A. Carr and C. Fitzpatrick, Child Abuse Review, vol.11, no.2, Mar-Apr 2002, pp.103-123.
This article compares two treatment outcome programmes for victims of child sexual abuse. Using a checklist, self report form, and inventory, analysis was carried out was on child sexual abuse victims before and after treatment. In addition, a comparative study was conducted on those receiving individual therapy, and those receiving group and individual therapy. Results showed that after six months, individual therapy and combined individual and group therapy were equally effective in the treatment of psychological effects of child sexual abuse, although there was only a small statistical significance in the rate of clinical improvement associated with treatment outcomes.
Cross-examination, sexual abuse and child witness identity, by H. L. Westcott and M. Page, Child Abuse Review, vol.11, no.3, May-Jun 2002, pp.137-152.
This article presents extracts from cross examinations with child witnesses who have allegedly been sexually abused. The discussion is about the impact the cross examination may have on the child's identity as child, victim and witness. Children may be portrayed as less than innocent and in some cases as instigators rather than victims. It is often perceived that children are poor witnesses - easily confused, untruthful, with poor memories. Finklehor's four trauma-causing factors of sexual abuse are oulined in the context of cross examination. These are: sexualization, betrayal, powerlessness, and stigmatization. It is suggested these four traumagenic factors in cross examination resemble those of abuse.
Developing a sensitive practitioner research methodology for studying the impact of child sexual abuse, by A. Durham, The British Journal of Social Work, vol.32, no.4,Jun 2002, pp.429-442.
Using a qualitative approach this study outlined methodology used to explore the impact of child sexual abuse on the lives of seven young men aged between 15 and 24. Research conducted combined a life story approach, feminist praxis, antioppressive research and social work practitioner research. It was concluded that a life-story practitioner research approach was a highly appropriate methodology for the creation of a safe climate for the production of sensitive knowledge on the experience and effect of child sexual abuse. Consequently, the knowledge generated was in substantial depth.
Exposing misinformation concerning child sexual abuse and adult survivors, by C.L. Whitfield, J. Silberg and P.J. Fink, Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, vol.9, no.3/4, 2001, pp.1-8 .
By way of introduction to the articles in this journal, the authors contend that information is widespread on the long-term effects and consequences of child sexual abuse. Society's denial and disbelief have often unknowingly supported the agendas of those wishing to discount and minimize the effect of these crimes. The media has contributed to this skepticism and has been in favour of claims such as the 'false memory syndrome'. The articles in this journal by well known and respected researchers and clinicians examine the different elements of the problem with the aim of countering misinformation and raising the level of discussion as to the real issues.
'Children's rights', by P. Ambikapathy, in Children, Young People and Communities: the Future is in Our Hands: conference proceedings, Hobart, Tas, Division of Child, Youth and Family Support, Department of Health and Human Services, 2001, pp.46-49
In this assessment of the impact of the Children, Young Persons and Their