Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies
ISSN 1447-0039 (Print); 1447-0047 (Online)
Coordinator : Judy Adams
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In this Issue
KATIE KOVACS provides a brief overview of some of the recent changes to family law, enacted to protect children and their caregivers from violence, and to make court process more efficient, and outcomes more satisfactory.
Domestic violence is often raised as an issue in Family Court proceedings with respect to determining children's residence and contact arrangements.1 This is likely to be related to the fact that compared with couples whose marriages are ongoing, couples whose marriages end are more likely to have experienced domestic violence2 at some stage of their relationship or as a result of post-separation negotiations (Sheehan and Smyth 2000).
These findings, combined with an increased recognition of the harm caused by children's witnessing of domestic violence, and the potential for ongoing violent acts between estranged intimate partners, has resulted in a demand for courts to take greater account of domestic violence when determining these matters.
This issue has come to the fore in response to evidence, in both Australian and New Zealand Family Court matters, that despite concerns for the safety of the resident parent and the child, the courts have ruled to grant contact to violent non-resident parents where the children are the subject of residence and contact disputes (Kaye 1996).
This article aims to provide a brief overview of some of the changes to family law in Australia and New Zealand that have been enacted to protect children and their caregivers from violence, and to make court process more efficient, and outcomes more satisfactory.
In June 1996, the existing Family Law Act (1975) of Australia was revised by the introduction of the Family Law Reform Act (1995). The Reform Act was developed partly in response to findings by the Australian Law Reform Commission (1994) that violence was not always being taken into account in residence and contact decisions.
The reforms mean that in any determination of the best interests of the child in residence or contact disputes, judges must consider a number of factors including:
The reforms also broadened the definition of domestic violence to encompass not only physically violent acts or threats but also 'other forms of abusive behaviour . . . [Such as] fear and intimidation' (Sheehan and Smyth 2000: 108). Other non-legislative changes which occurred alongside the reforms included 'the establishment of a register of state/territory protection orders to which judges . . . have access' (Behrens 1996: 36).
Much has been written about both the positive and negative impacts of this law reform (see Armstrong 2001: Behrens 1996: Hall 2000: Rhoades, Graycar and Harrison 2001). As Chisholm (2001: 12) states, 'it has probably had a cascade of interacting consequences, some good, some bad' and we can't yet 'say precisely what they are'. While the Act clearly states that domestic violence is a relevant factor in residence and contact decisions, what has not been outlined is how it should be taken into account (Parkinson 1996).
Research by Rhoades, Graycar and Harrison (2001) found that despite being intended to provide better protection for children and their caregivers, the changes may have resulted in an increased reluctance by judges to refuse contact to a parent. It has been suggested that this occurs because 'the violence provisions seem to have been outweighed in practice by the general statement of the child's right to contact' (Dewar and Parker 1999: 104). This apparent reluctance illustrates the conflict inherent in the Act which requires the court to ensure the rights of the child to contact with both parents and also to protect the child from child abuse both direct and witnessed (Nicholson 1999). In 1998, in a further bid to improve the Family Court's response to child residence and contact disputes where there were allegations of child abuse, the Melbourne Family Court introduced the Magellan Pilot Project. The project aimed to 'improve outcomes and reduce delays in the children's matters, particularly those in which children may be at risk' (Nicholson and Harrison 2000). It involved 100 cases filed in either the Melbourne or Dandenong registries where 'serious sexual or physical abuse allegations have been raised'.
Since the Pilot only involved cases where the allegations of abuse have arisen in an affidavit, in a statement to the court, in an interview, or by a staff member who was mandated to report, cases where children had witnessed domestic violence between their parents (commonly defined as emotional abuse or psychological harm) did not meet the criteria for inclusion. Further, since abuse is not defined in the Family Law Act 1975, there is no statutory obligation for court officials to make a report although they may choose to make a notification to child protection services without risking liability or breaching professional ethics.3
Brown, Sheehan, Frederico and Hewitt (2001) recently evaluated this project and found it to be an 'outstanding success' (p. V). The authors state that: 'Project Magellan's pilot program provided more rapid, less costly and longer lasting resolutions of disputes in the cases that were selected into the program. There were fewer changes in residence and contact for the children and fewer children suffered extreme emotional distress. The program attracted wide support from the legal practitioners, from professional staff in the participating organisations and from the parents.' (P. 89)
Due, in part, to these positive findings, the Family Court of Western Australia introduced a sister project in late 2001, one which explicitly addresses the issue of children's witnessing of domestic violence. Based on the Magellan Project, the Columbus Pilot Project is an early intervention approach for cases in the Family Court where allegations of child abuse or domestic violence have been made and there are concerns for the safety of the child. Unlike Magellan project, the Columbus project ensures that 'children who have witnessed domestic violence between their parents and [where] that violence has been assessed as posing a significant emotional and physical risk' were specifically catered for and addressed as a separate issue for intervention and case management (Draft of the Columbus Project Pilot, Family Court of Western Australia, unpublished).
Like Australia, New Zealand has also introduced innovate legislative reform in residence and contact disputes in response to concerns for the safety of children who live with domestic violence. The reforms mean that in residence and contact disputes where a parent has used violence against a child or spouse, residence or unsupervised contact with the child will not be given to the violent parent unless the court can be satisfied that the child would be safe during contact periods.
Originally recommended in 1990, the reforms were not introduced until 1995 in response to a Ministerial Inquiry into the murder of three young Wanganui girls by their father. The father had been given interim residence of the children even though the Family Court had previously granted the mother a protection order4 and a current application for a further protection order was before the Court.
In response to the Ministerial Inquiry, a new Domestic Violence Act was introduced and amendments were made to several other Acts (Guardianship Act, Family Proceedings Act, and the Legal Services Act). One key change brought about by the law reform process was the broadening of the definition of 'domestic violence' so that it encompassed both the variety of intimate relationships common in western society, and the many forms of violence that may occur in relationships. Thus, the Act incorporated violent behaviour occurring in gay and lesbian relationships, by members of extended families, biological parents who have not lived together, along with other culturally-recognised family groupings and close personal relationships.
Under this legislation, 'domestic violence' refers not only to physical violence but also sexual violence, psychological abuse - including threats, intimidation, harassment, damage to property, and causing or allowing a child to witness physical, sexual or psychological abuse of a family member. The adoption of this broader definition was seen as a means of ensuring that the range of behaviours often used by violent perpetrators, particularly power and control tactics, were acknowledged as domestic violence. The Act has subsequently formed the basis of attempts to educate the judiciary about domestic violence. Judges are now required to explicitly consider controlling behaviours and other 'non-violent' acts within the context of a continuum of violence, whereas previously such behaviour may have been trivialised or minimised as what may have been seen as 'minor incidents'.
The reforms have also attempted to address problems associated with violence related to parental separation by acknowledging that: 'The end of a relationship all too often does not mean the end of violence between parents. In the short term it frequently marks an escalation in the violence' (Freckelton 1995: 141). The new legislation also offers protection for the new partners of previously abused adult victims. Further, the new legislation also increased penalties for perpetrators who breach protection orders. Those who make three breaches within three years are liable for two years in prison. The breaches do not have to be all against the same person for the penalties to apply. Another important change was the introduction of firearm confiscation and firearm license suspension as standard conditions of protection orders.
With regard to child residence and contact disputes, the legislative changes prioritise the safety of the children as the primary consideration. The law clearly states that the court should not give residence or unsupervised access to a parent who has used violence against the child in question, another child in the family, or against the other parent in the proceedings unless it can be satisfied that the child will be safe while the violent party has residence or contact with the child. Section 16B(5) of the Guardianship Act sets out the criteria that are to be used in determining child safety issues. These criteria include: the nature and seriousness of violence; recency and frequency of the violence; likelihood of further violence; the physical and emotional harm caused to the child; the other parent's opinion of the safety of the child; and the child's wishes. The Act also stipulates that the court imposes conditions that will protect the other parent if parent-child contact is given to the violent partner. The period surrounding a child being picked up for contact and/or being returned to the resident parent, times where the opportunity for violence is high, is explicitly incorporated into the Act.
Busch and Robertson (2000) provided the first assessment of the impact of the changes on court practice. Positive impacts of the legislative changes included that many judges had moved to using a broader definition of domestic violence and were considering the experience and impact of psychological violence when determining the safety of children. It was noted that many judges were also looking at violent perpetrators' control tactics within the context of power and violence. Thus, as the authors' note, previous conceptions of domestic violence appeared to have 'given way to an analysis which more closely reflects women's realities' (p. 276). Other positive impacts of the legislation included an increase in the range and number of supervised contact services being available and the formation of the New Zealand Association of Children's Supervised Access. Currently, however, there is no direct government funding of supervised access in New Zealand.
As with any legislative change, there appear to have been some teething problems. While it was found that progress had been made, a number of concerns have been raised. First, Busch and Robertson (2000) found evidence suggesting that some judges continued to trivialise acts of violence and engaged in 'victim blaming'. Second, there has been a lack of clarity regarding supervised contact (Chetwin, Knaggs and Young 1999). In some cases it has been found that 'supervised' contact has been actually supervised by the resident parent herself, posing a threat to the safety of that parent and the child. Further, supervised contact was found to be unpopular with Maori families in particular, who were less likely to use this option. It has been suggested that this was because such families were alienated by supervised contact in unfamiliar and culturally-inappropriate locations that excluded other family and community members.
Third, highlighting the balancing act confronted by judges and others faced with ensuring the protection of children, Freckelton (1995: 139) has argued that the reforms may not be in the 'best interests' of the children, as predictions of dangerousness 'in the legal process has been distinguished by error and an increasing tendency . . . Toward overprediction'. That is, while acknowledging that it is certainly not in the interest of a child to have contact with a parent who is likely to become violent, Freckelton contends that the judiciary has become too focused on the potential for violence, resulting in the unnecessary denial of parent-child contact.
Freckelton (1995: 150) notes that there should be recognition that 'by and large it is in a child's best interest to have meaningful contact with both parents', and suggests that the prediction of dangerousness should be based upon 'realistic and contextually relevant factors'. Freckelton sees the New Zealand legislation as dangerous as it places on the violent partner the onus of proving that the child will be safe in his (or her) care and questions whether this 'is an onus that realistically the parent will ever be in a position to discharge'. On this issue, Freckleton points out that the word of a violent partner who claims to have changed is unlikely to be believed, and the impossibility for the perpetrator to prove that a rehabilitation program attended has been successful.
While it may be that in some cases, judges will err on the side of caution and prevent parent-child contact in order to ensure a child's safety, it should be reiterated that the law reform was undertaken because the judiciary was failing to protect children and custodial parents.
The changes made to both Australian and New Zealand Family Law are positive steps in ensuring that courts consider the safety of children and their caregivers when determining whether parents with a history of violence should be given residence or contact.
While the New Zealand legislation clearly talks about how the existence of domestic violence should be handled in such matters, Australian law is less clear and there is some evidence to suggest that reforms designed to offer increased protection are actually having the opposite effect. In light of these problems, the introduction of the Magellan and Columbus projects provide great opportunities to enhance future Family Court matters and provide better outcomes for abused parents and their children.
Armstrong, S. (2001), 'We told you so . . . Women's legal groups and the Family Law Reform Act 1995', Australian Journal of Family Law, vol.15, no. 2, pp. 129-154.
Australian Law Reform Commission (1994), 'Equality before the law: Justice for women', Report, no. 69, Part I, at p. 180
Behrens, J. (1996), 'Ending the silence, but . . . Family Violence under the Family Law Reform Act 1995', Australian Journal of Family Law, vol. 10, pp. 35-47.
Brown, T., Sheehan, R., Frederico, M. And Hewitt, L. (2001), 'Resolving family violence to children: The evaluation of Project Magellan, a pilot project for managing Family Court residence and contact disputes when allegations of child abuse have been made', Family Court of Australia, Sydney.
Busch, R. And Robertson, N. (2000), 'Innovative approaches to child custody and domestic violence in New Zealand: The effects of law reform on the discourses of battering', Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, vol. 3, no.1, pp. 269-299.
Chetwin, A., Knaggs, T. And Young, Te Wairere Ahiahi, P. (1999), 'The domestic violence legislation and child access in New Zealand', Ministry of Justice, Wellington.
Chisholm, R. (2001), 'Reforming custody law: Recent Australian experience', Third World Congress in Family Law and the Rights of Children and Youth, Bath, United Kingdom.
Dewar, J. And Parker, S. (1999), 'The impact of the new Part VII Family Law Act 1975, Australian Journal of Family Law, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 96-116.
Family Court of Western Australia (undated draft), 'The Columbus Pilot Project'.
Freckelton, I. (1995), 'Custody and access disputation and the prediction of children's safety: A dangerous initiative', Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 139-154.
Hall, J. (2000), 'The Family Law Reform Act 1995: Living up to expectations?', Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre Newsletter, no. 4, pp. 11-13.
Johnson, M. (1995) 'Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women', Journal of Marriage and the Family, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 283-294.
Kaye, M. (1996), 'Domestic violence, residence and contact', Child and Family Law Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 285-296.
Laing, L. (2000), 'Progress, trends and challenges in Australian responses to domestic violence', Issues Paper no. 1, Australian Domestic Violence Clearinghouse, Canberra.
Nicholson, A. Hon Chief (1999), 'Court management of cases involving child abuse allegations', Keynote address to the 7th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Perth.
Nicholson, A. Hon Chief and Harrison, M. (2000), Melbourne University Law Review, MULR 30.
Parkinson, P. (1996), Family Law, Children and Domestic Violence, Office of Women's Policy, Occasional Paper No 9, Darwin, Northern Territory.
Rhoades, H., Graycar, R., And Harrison, M. (2001), 'The Family Law Reform Act 1995: The first three years', Australian Family Lawyer, vol. 15, no. 1, Autumn, pp. 1-7.
Sheehan, G. And Smyth, B. (2000), 'Spousal violence and postseparation financial outcomes', Australian Journal of Family Law, vol. 14, no. 2, July, pp. 102-118.
1 Prior to June 1996, the Family Law Act 1975 (Commonwealth of Australia) used the terms 'custody' and 'access' rather than 'residence' and 'contact'. New Zealand, on the other hand, still uses this terminology. A residence order is made in favour of the person with whom the child will live (formerly 'custody') while a contact order is made in favour of a person with whom the child is to have contact (formerly 'access'). The Australian terminology is used throughout this paper.
2 In this paper (unless otherwise specified) 'domestic violence' refers to the violence occurring between persons who are, or who have been, in an intimate relationship. It is generally acknowledged that domestic violence includes physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional and social abuse and economic deprivation (Laing 2000). For more detailed discussions about the types of domestic violence see Sheehan and Smyth (2000) and Johnson (1995).
3 The cases that were selected for the pilot were then handled by a team of two judges, with a registrar and two counsellors. These cases were placed in a special mention list within a fortnight of their identification and at the first mention before a judge: a legal representative for the child is appointed, an order is made for the prompt production of a thorough report by the investigating child welfare authority, and the investigating authority's file is subpoenaed to arrive at court several days before the next mention in six weeks time. At the second mention the court makes sure that the parties have complied with the previous orders and requests a Court Counsellor to prepare a family report, which must be available within seven weeks to allow three weeks consideration before the pre-hearing conference. This conference (10 weeks after the second mention) is conducted by the registrar and the counsellor and allows a further settlement opportunity, if no resolution occurs directions are made for the hearing between 6-20 weeks later (Nicholson 1999: 1).
4 A protection order is granted by the court when it is satisfied that the offender has used domestic violence against the applicant and the provision of the order is necessary for their protection. Under the order the offender can not abuse, threaten, loiter near, follow or make any other contact with the victim.
The relevant Australian Acts are the Family Law Act 1975 and The Family Law Reform Act 1995. These can be accessed from http://www.austlii.edu.au/
The relevant New Zealand Acts are the Domestic Violence Act 1995, and the amended Guardianship Act, Family Proceedings Act and the Legal Services Act. New Zealand Legislation can be accessed from: http://rangi.Knowledge-basket.Co.Nz/gpacts/actlists.Html
For a full discussion of the Bristol Murder case and the Ministerial Inquiry that followed, see Busch and Robertson (1994), 'I didn't know just how far you could fight: Contextualising the Bristol Inquiry', Waikato Law Review, vol. 41.
The full report of recommendations made prior to the Bristol Inquiry see Busch, R., Robertson, N. And Lapsley, H. (1992), Protection from family violence: A study of protection orders under the Domestic Protection Act, Victims Task Force, Wellington.
Katie Kovacs is the Project Officer of the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.The author is grateful to Wendy Parker and Bruce Smyth for their comments and advice on earlier drafts of this paper.
Families Australia is a newly established national peak body, funded through the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, that aims to represent the interests of families, young people and children in Australia.
The founding members of Families Australia are the Association of Services Supporting Australia's Families, Australian Foster Care Association, and Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia. With the first board consisting of representatives from these organisations, as well as the Secretariat for National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC), Families Australia has exciting potential to pursue issues such as child abuse prevention on a national level. A Working Group was established from the three founding members and SNAICC which now form an interim Board that will operate until the first Annual General Meeting (due to take place in the later half of 2002).
Families Australia is keen to be representative of the sector, and to this end general and associate membership will be open to organisations and people interested in the field of family policy. It is hoped that at the first Annual General Meeting of Families Australia, the new Board will be elected from people nominated by a wide-ranging membership of organisations with an interest in the impact of policy, services and practices on families and children.
Families Australia is committed to ensuring that its policy focus is as broad as possible and includes policies which impact on families, young people and children nationally. Its focus will also include policies related to non-government organisations that support families and/or children and young people. This broad focus is perceived to be very important given the diversity of family forms in Australia today, the significance of extended families to the health and well being of families, and the complexities of the current split of responsibilities between Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments.
The main objectives of Families Australia are:
Any individual or organisation interested in becoming a member of Families Australia or who would like to obtain further information, can contact Families Australia Executive Officer, Anne Marie Mioche on (02) 6262 5705 or 0408 64 5443; or email: amioche@familiesaustralia.org.au
The Australian Fathers Day Council, proudly supported by NIVEA, has begun the search for 'Australia's Favourite Dad'. The Council is inviting nominations from the public for a famous Australian who deserves recognition for his dedication to his own children or children in the community. According to the Chairman of the Council, Maurice Newman AC: 'The aim of the search is to increase awareness of the importance of the father in the family and recognise their unique contribution to a child's development and wellbeing.'
The 2001 Australian Father of the Year, Jim Rafter, was chosen for his efforts in raising his nine children with his wife Jocelyn. 'Recognising the importance of fathers is more important in today's society than ever before, ' he said. 'We live in a world with changing values and I believe a healthy society is dependant on a solid family tradition.'
The Australian Father of the Year Award is a fundraising event for the Shepherd Centre. In 1991, Dr Bruce Shepherd AM, was named Father of the Year in recognition of his role in raising two profoundly deaf children and his subsequent founding of the Shepherd Centre in 1971. Today, with limited government funding, the Centre provides its world class Early Intervention Program free of charge for families with deaf and hearing impaired children.
Again in 2002 the Australian Father's Day Council is delighted to be working in partnership with NIVEA, a brand well known for its support and encouragement of traditional family values. As the award is a celebration of the important role of fathers in children's lives, NIVEA also believes this deserves prominent recognition in our society for the benefit of the whole community.
Nominations close on Monday 5 August, and the announcement of the 2002 Australian Father of the Year will be made at the annual Fathers Day Luncheon on 23 August 2002 at Darling Harbour in Sydney.
Past Fathers of the Year have included: Dr Bruce Shepherd, Sir James Hardy, Mark Taylor, John Howard, Khamal, Slim Dusty, Steve Biddulph, and Jim Rafter.
Send nominations to Australian Father of the Year, PO Box 871, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012. For more information contact Karly Robinson, Special Events Coordinator at the Shepherd Centre. Phone: (02) 9351 7905. Fax: (02) 9351 7880.
Parents with a Disability and the NSW Children's Court
by David McConnell, Gwynnyth Llewellyn and Luisa Ferronato
The Family Support and Service Project,
The University of Sydney, August 20001
Reviewed by Katie Kovacs
In the last decade there has been a continuation of a 30-year trend towards the deinstitutionalisation of people with disabilities, together with a shift to more firmly establish the rights of people with disabilities in society. As a result, increasing numbers of adults with disabilities are living outside of institutional settings, forming relationships, marrying and having children (Tomison 1996).
For some time there has been evidence of an association between being a parent with a disability - and particularly parents with an intellectual disability or psychiatric illness - and higher rates of identified child abuse and neglect (Tomison 1996). Unfortunately, little research has explicitly explored or delineated some of the reasons for this association, the families' greater involvement with statutory child protection services, and the consequences for parents and their children.
One of the first investigations of the experiences and outcomes achieved by parents with a disability involved in child protection care proceedings in an Australian jurisdiction was completed in August 2000 by David McConnell, Gwynnyth Llewellyn and Luisa Ferronato at the University of Sydney. Their research, described in a report entitled Parents with a Disability and the NSW Children's Court, was based around a study of the prevalence of parents with a disability appearing before the New South Wales Children's Court in child protection matters.
The researchers examined the outcomes for the children and parents in each case in order to determine whether parents with a disability were treated differently from other parents before the Court.
For the purposes of the study, McConnell, Llewellyn and Ferronato defined parents with a disability as 'those with an identified impairment documented in the court file' which included those with intellectual disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory disabilities.
Specifically, the authors (p. 5) Define an intellectual disability as one which has been diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist and includes those with 'borderline; intellectual disabilities'. Parents with a psychiatric disability were defined as having a mental disorder that has been ''diagnosed by a psychiatrist for example - psychotic, mood, anxiety and personality disorders'. Parents with a physical disability were defined as 'including those with an acquired brain injury or other physical disability that is permanent or likely to be permanent'. The study considered parents with sensory disabilities to include those 'with a significant vision or hearing impairment that is permanent or likely to be permanent and is not likely to be corrected or compensated for by technological aids'.
In order to obtain a full picture of the outcomes achieved for parents with disabilities in care and protection proceedings, McConnell and colleagues adopted a multi-method approach to data collection. This included a review of court files, interviews and focus groups with magistrates, legal representatives and child protection workers, as well as courtroom observations of care proceedings. It should be noted that the views of parents with a disability and their children are noticeably absent from this report. It could be suggested that their inclusion would have further strengthened the report. However, the authors acknowledge this limitation and offer methodological and ethical justifications for their decision not to interview this group.
The files of all 407 case care and protection cases finalised at the Campsie and Cobham Children's Courts over a nine-month period were reviewed and a case database created which included information about each case, such as family characteristics, case characteristics and court details and history.
Additional information was collected via focus groups and interviews with several groups of people in order to determine their views and experiences of parents with a disability who were involved in care proceedings. In total, eight specialist children's magistrates were interviewed and attended focus groups; 34 legal representatives who work in the Camden, Campsie or Cobham Children's Courts participated in an interview or focus group, as did 155 Department of Community Services (DoCS) (child protection) personnel from the Sydney Metropolitan area. All of the interviews and focus groups were audiotaped with participant permission and then transcribed for analysis.
The authors also conducted a series of courtroom observations over 35 days in the Campsie, Cobham and Camden Children's courts and these observations were made on Court list days as well as at contested hearings involving parents with and without a disability.
According to McConnell and colleagues, of the 407 care and protection proceedings finalised at Campsie and Cobham Children's Courts for the duration of the study, 80 per cent of cases were care applications, 14 per cent were variation applications and 6 per cent were rescission applications (request for a previous order to be revoked). Of the 407 cases, almost one quarter (24.3 Per cent) were identified as involving parents with a disability.
With regard to the care applications, 326 cases came before the court and of these, 14 per cent were initiated by a party other than DoCS while the remaining 87 per cent were initiated by DoCS. Parents with a disability featured in nearly one third (29.5 Per cent) of the DoCS care applications.
With regard to the cases where a parent or parents suffered from a disability, there was an over-representation of parents with an intellectual disability compared with general population estimates of incidence. Parents with an intellectual disability were substantially over-represented, featuring in 7.1 Per cent of all cases and 8.8 Per cent of cases initiated by DoCS. Similarly, parents with a psychiatric disability featured in 18.4 Per cent of all cases and 21.8 Per cent of DoCS-initiated cases. Further, there appeared to be an over-representation of single mothers in cases where parental disability was identified.
Comparing cases where a parent had a disability with other cases in the sample, a number of trends were apparent:
The findings of the study suggest that parents with a disability are over-represented in care proceedings. Alarge proportion of the children whose parents had an intellectual disability were subject to wardship orders and placed in out-of-home care. The outcomes for parents with psychiatric disabilities were less extreme, (provided substance abuse was not identified in the family), with the children of these parents subject to less intrusive orders such as a supervision order of limited duration, where the children remained at home.
McConnell and colleagues attempted to determine some of the situational or systemic reasons that might explain the associations.
Using the case data, focus groups and observational data, the authors were able to construct a detailed picture of some of the factors influencing DoCS child protection workers' decision to initiate care proceedings. They concluded that DoCS staff had three key questions in mind when assessing families: Is the child in immediate danger? Is the situation good enough for the child? Can the child's situation be improved and made good enough?
The authors suggested that with regard to these questions DoCS staff held quite pessimistic views about the parenting capacity of people with disabilities (as did other court personnel). The report found that 'parents with intellectual disability were often thought unable to manage parenting' (p. 22).
'DoCS workers may hold the empirically invalid and prejudicial presumption that mothers with a disability ipso facto are not capable of caring for their children' and that notification and removal of children is 'based on presumed incapacity rather than evidence that the chid is at risk' (p. 18).
The authors suggested that this 'pessimism' may be based on wider societal prejudices regarding the ability of parents with disabilities to care for their children. The report also suggested that DoCS staff were more pessimistic about the possibility for change in cases where parents with a disability had had long histories of involvement with DoCS and had shown little evidence of compliance or change previously. Analysis of information obtained in focus groups indicated that DoCS workers were likely to have less hope of affecting change and improving the situation for the child in cases that: involved newborn children where older siblings had been removed; where parents had long histories of mental illness or substance abuse; and where there was non-compliance with medication or treatment.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the DoCS worker interviews suggested that when parental disability was the only issue present in the family, the case was more 'manageable', whereas the presence of other issues in the home (such as substance abuse or domestic violence) was often the grounds for a more pessimistic view of the potential for change. It is also interesting to note that the study found some differences in DoCS workers' level of optimism for affecting change between parents with psychiatric disabilities and parents with intellectual disabilities. With regard to the former, DoCs workers saw it as easier to affect change with parents with psychiatric disabilities as they believed that 'care concerns can usually be resolved with appropriate medications'. However, they showed more pessimism in terms of affecting change with regard to parents with intellectual disabilities where there were no 'quick fix' solutions available for these families (p. 50).
Clearly, an objective and comprehensive protective assessment and case management plan should be undertaken for all cases. However, is the 'pessimism' or prejudice of DoCS workers somewhat justified by their experiences? The child protection research literature has produced evidence of an association between increased risk to a child in families where there is a history of maltreatment of siblings, and mental disorder and/or substance abuse. On the face of it therefore, the DoCS decision making criteria as reported above is perhaps understandable - at least in theory. The context of the decision making process sheds more light on how workers may take a pessimistic view of families where a parent has a disability.
A number of additional factors were also identified by DoCS staff as affecting their decision making. First, from the DoCS point of view, the most important factor in weighing up the possibility of an improvement in parenting versus the decision to initiate care proceedings was the degree of parental compliance or cooperation with workers. Information obtained from DoCS workers in the focus groups suggested that parental non-compliance was more often a problem with parents with psychiatric disabilities than with parents with intellectual disabilities, with strategies of non-compliance reported to include open hostility, threats of violence, non disclosure of information, non-cooperation with support services and nonparticipation in assessment. With regard to parents with an intellectual disability, DoCS workers stated that 'parents with intellectual disability frequently welcomed DoCS workers into their homes and enjoyed their visits' (p. 24).
Despite this, it was apparent from the data that parental resistance to DoCS interventions was actually the grounds for initiating more care applications for children of parents with intellectual disability (41.2 Per cent) than for children of parents with psychiatric disability (36 per cent).
Second, the availability and adequacy of support services for families where a parent had an intellectual disability was also a factor influencing DoCS hopes for change. Informal support provided by non-disabled partners or extended family was seen as a key protective factor. Often it was parents reported to be isolated or estranged from extended family members and other supports (many were identified in the case sample) who were more likely to lead to statutory proceedings before the Court.
Further, the lack of suitable professional supports for parents with an intellectual disability and a tendency toward the marginalisation of disabled parents in mainstream services was also identified as an issue impacting upon worker judgements. Funding restrictions were identified as making the provision of intensive and ongoing services for parents with disabilities impractical. The lack of available, suitable supports combined with limited specialist DoCS training and resources, were reported by many DoCS workers as impinging on their case management. The workers stated that they had limited training in working with parents with a disability, and limited time to carry out effective casework, making attempts at family preservation less possible. As Booth and Booth (1995: 31) suggest: 'Parents with learning difficulties do not easily fit into the service system. They straddle the divide between services for families and services for people with learning difficulties.'
While McConnell and colleagues suggest that some workers held stereotypical views about parents with intellectual disabilities, it is unclear as to the extent of these views (the report used terms such as 'widespread' rather than providing specific figures). It seemed that the conclusions drawn by the authors focused quite heavily on the perceived impact of child protection workers' stereotypical beliefs about parents with a disability. They suggest that these stereotypical views reflect 'widespread community attitudes toward people with a disability' and as a result 'pessimism permeates the thinking of all involved about the hope of effecting change with parents with a disability' (p. 83).
In this author's opinion, the lack of suitable support services available for parents with a disability can combine with DoCS workers' prejudicial view of the potential for parental learning or change. However, it could also be argued that the perceived 'pessimism' or stereotypical views of DoCS staff, while unfortunate, may have a basis in the realities of child protection work where there is reported to be a lack of well resourced support options, and thus, a more pessimistic prognosis for families in the long term. Perhaps, then, the main message here is that a lack of effective alternatives, in combination with limited training, may reduce professional objectivity and hamper the attempts of DoCS child protection workers to keep children safe from harm, yet maintaining them in the family unit.
In addition to addressing the need for services, a focus on encouraging more cross-sectoral work between disability workers and child protection workers or the introduction of specialised disability training for a selection of DoCS workers from each geographical region, would seem to offer a way of achieving a better outcome for parents, children and workers.
With regard to the experiences of parents with a disability in the Court system, McConnell and colleagues found that such parents were being marginalised by court processes, and noted that the Court experience often proved 'stress magnifying' which in itself could lead discriminatory practices based on disability status: 'Parents with psychiatric or intellectual disability were identified as being particularly disadvantaged by having to wait in crowds of anxious/angry people. The tension created undermines their mental state and subsequently effects their presentation in Court' (p. 54).
Other systemic issues were seen as being discriminatory. Parents with disabilities were usually represented by 'duty lawyers' provided (or funded) by legal aid, who had not met the client until the morning of their first day in Court. The lack of preparation time meant that lawyers expressed concerns about representing disabled parents in these cases because of the difficulty of determining how much of the proceedings that the parent understood, obtaining reliable instructions from the parent, the difficulty of explaining legal strategies to disabled parents in a way which they could understand and accept, and of gaining assistance from the parents to scrutinise DoCS evidence.
Further, it was found that expert psychiatric and/or psychological reports were often used in care proceedings where there was a parental disability. The reports were used to provide 'a diagnosis as an explanatory framework for the behaviour of parents and children' and to provide a prognosis of future parenting capacity (p. 74). A highly significant relationship between expert opinion and outcome was found, with a negative report significantly affecting the decision to place a child on a supervision or wardship order. The authors suggest that this may result from an undue emphasis on a diagnosticprognostic assessment, which has little relevance when assessing parenting performance as it can not provide 'an adequate explanation of parenting deficiencies (where these exist) or a valid prediction of parenting potential' (p. 84).
Finally, the authors found that individual Magistrates presiding over the cases did not significantly affect care outcomes (minimal individual differences in decision making). However, they did find that, similar to child protection personnel, court personnel held stereotypical views about people with disabilities. Some of these beliefs included a perception that all people with intellectual disabilities should be objects of pity, charity and are 'eternal children' who are dependent and 'incapable of taking responsibility for their children, or of developing and learning the skills necessary to do so' (p. 83).
In order to address the concerns raised in this study and to ensure fair and equitable treatment for families where a parent has a disability, McConnell, Llewellyn and Ferronato identified five main areas for action.
The authors recommended that the New South Wales Attorney General's Department should consult with the Senior Magistrate of the Children's Court and court personnel in order to review the environment, court procedures and processes to ensure that parents with disabilities are given the accessibility they are entitled to under the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) and the Anti- Discrimination Act 1997 (NSW).
Further, a number of court-based support strategies should be employed to ensure a non-discriminatory environment for parents with disabilities. These could include:
The development of a joint training model such that child protection and Court personnel can be informed and educated on 'up-to-date empirical research and the broad range of community experiences of parents with a disability'(McConnell et al. 2001:V).
A professional development module should be developed on disabilities and parenting for child protection workers and assistant managers by DoCS. Such training should focus on empirical research on parental disability, and the inappropriate use of risk assessment as a proxy measure of parenting performance as well as appropriate measures of identifying parenting performance in relation to identified concerns. DoCS staff should also receive training on appropriate methods of identifying parents' support needs and suitable services and supports to assist parents overcome concerns and ensure the safety and wellbeing of their child.
Magistrates should be informed of the limitations of using clinical diagnoses with regard to current and future parenting performance and of more valid alternative measures.
Acknowledging the clear need for support services (specialist or generic) for parents with a disability, the authors recommended that the New South Wales Attorney General's Department should address this shortfall by looking at available research and expertise on the most effective forms of support services for disabled parents and then develop or modify current services to fulfil this need. Information about the availability of services should also be widely disseminated to court personnel.
McConnell and colleagues' study has raised a number of important issues concerning the difficulties faced by parents with a disability who are involved in child protection care proceedings. Their report outlines how the court environment and child protection assessment and procedures can be extremely stressful and confusing for parents with a disability. It highlights the disturbing fact that often these parents may not fully understand what is occurring in the Court and/or may have no real 'voice' in the proceedings. As a consequence, there appears to be an increased likelihood that the parents' views are not accurately represented and that the reality of the family's situation may not be fairly documented. This may lead to the Court's failure in some circumstances to make decisions truly in the best interest of the child, removing a child from her/his family when appropriate family support may produce a reasonable outcome.
Given the increase in the number of people with disabilities becoming parents it is vital that accurate, comprehensive assessments are undertaken as a means of ensuring fair and equitable treatment of such parents. The recommendations the authors have produced, if implemented, would go some way towards ensuring disability issues are properly considered by child protection personnel, and improve parents' accessibility to the Court.
However, the authors' findings and interpretations also cause some concern. First, although it is implied to some extent, they focus their discussions on the needs and experiences of parents with a disability, with little mention of the needs of the child to adequate care and protection. For example, while the report notes that parents with disabilities are very visible and are therefore more likely to be scrutinised by DoCS staff, there is no discussion of the factors that may result in more parents with a disability abusing or neglecting their children. While a full discussion of these issues may have been outside the scope of this report, some acknowledgment would have been useful for contextual purposes.
It is acknowledged that the rights of these parents are extremely important, and that the majority of parents with a disability may be able to care adequately for their children. However, it should also be clearly acknowledged that there will also be a proportion of families who will require some form of external support to rear their children, and other families where the children will need to be removed in order to ensure they are adequately cared for or protected. Thus, while this author would agree with McConnell and colleagues regarding the need for more accurate assessment of each family's ability to care for a child, and a 'fair go' for parents with a disability in the court system, it must be remembered that the primary objective must be to ensure that children are safe and appropriately cared for.
Often the child and family's needs will intersect, but in care proceedings which result from a clear risk of future harm 'the mother's wish for autonomy in caring for her children and the best interests of the children need to be balanced' (Glaun and Brown 1999: 96). With specific regard to parents with a disability, 'when reflecting upon the vulnerability of the child versus the vulnerability of a person with intellectual disability, it is clear that the child's vulnerability is greater' (Honey 1992: 2).
Second, the authors concluded that the case management decision making processes of DoCS child protection workers were strongly driven by misinformation and prejudicial beliefs about people with disabilities, and that the risk assessments made by these staff may be unreliable and discriminatory. This author would support McConnell and colleagues' recommendation for regular training for court and child protection workers on the issues associated with working with a variety of 'at risk' populations, such as parents with disabilities. However, McConnell et al. Appear to pay inadequate attention to how these beliefs may be reinforced or shaped by the realities of modern child protection work.
Ideally, the best outcome in many of the cases described in the report may have been the provision of intensive and ongoing support services to parents with a disability rather than the removal of the children. As Rosenberg and McTate (1982: 37) state: 'Our society has made a commitment to the rights of [parents with a disability] and to maintaining the integrity of families. Such a commitment implies that we must provide the services that are needed to make this goal a reality.' Unfortunately, the specialist and/or long-term services needed to work with families where a parent has a disability are often not available. Such services (specialist or generic) that are available often have to be rationed at a time when the number of families requiring assistance continues to grow (Tomison 1996).
Thus, in a climate where resources are scarce or non-existent, child protection workers will at times have to take statutory action to protect children because there are no appropriate support options available. This is clearly less than ideal for children and parents, but it is a reality of current practice. It is therefore important that the impact of the realities of child protection work, and the conditions that will lead to less-thanideal decision making, (and their impact on the formation of stereotypical beliefs), be more clearly recognised.
Finally, although parents with disabilities make up a substantial proportion of care and protection proceedings brought to the Children's Court by DoCS, there has been little systematic research carried out in this area. The work of McConnell, Llewellyn and Ferronato is therefore extremely important as it is one of the first pieces of research in Australia to conduct an in-depth exploration of the experiences of families and professionals working in this area. The authors offer some important and timely recommendations for improving the procedures and quality of outcomes to ensure that these families, and their children, are given the best possible chances to thrive.
Booth, T. & Booth, W. (1995), 'Unto us a child is born: the trials and rewards of parenthood for people with learning difficulties', Australia and New Zealand Journal of Developmental Disabilities, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 25-39.
Glaun, D. & Brown, P. (1999), 'Motherhood, intellectual disability and child protection: characteristics of a court sample', Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 95-105.
Honey, K. (1992), 'Parents with an intellectual disability', Social Biology Resources Centre, vol. 6, no. 4. McConnell, D., Llewellyn, G. & Ferronato, L. (2000), Parents with a Disability and the NSW Children's Court: The Family Support and Services Project, The University of Sydney, Sydney.
Rosenberg, S. & McTate, G. (1982), 'Intellectually handicapped mothers: problems and prospects', Children Today, pp. 24-27.
Tomison, A.M. (1996), Child Maltreatment and Disability, Issues Paper no. 7, National Child Protection Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.
1 This research was funded by the Law Foundation of New South Wales General Grants Scheme and was conducted over 18 months from January 1998 to July 1999. The Report can be downloaded online at http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au/projects/fssp/stream1_complete_07.html
Katie Kovacs is the Project Officer working in the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
The Purple Ribbon Project, began in the Gold Coast area in 1994, aims to establish the month of July nationally each year as 'Purple Ribbon Month'. During the month people are asked to wear a small purple ribbon as a protest against the extent of child abuse in our community. The colour purple was chosen as it is a spiritual hue signifying compassion.
Throughout the month, organisations in the community are encouraged to run or participate in events which will help educate people and break the silence about child abuse. The Wyong Council in New South Wales has used its staff and facilities to create signs for display in council buildings and has provided financial support for the purchase of purple ribbon and pins for distribution to citizens. The local hospital pink ladies have used their spare time to cut and pin thousands of ribbons, and the council conducts seminars, workshops, hypotheticals and forums on the issue of child abuse throughout the shire.
For the last three years, adult survivors of child abuse have compiled a survivors' book of poetry which has been published by Wyong Council, and thy have also prepared and updated a list of local therapists who work with adult and child survivors of child abuse. The local media participates also, with articles and information about events broadcast, televised or published regularly throughout the month.
Public support has grown in the six years the project has been running and, while the ribbons are free, the increasing amount of donations and feedback received each year is evidence of the concern the public feels about this long hidden issue. The campaign has won awards for Wyong Council at local government conferences, where it has been recognised as a potent way of bringing the shame of child abuse to public attention.
In July 2000, the project was adopted by a number of other councils in New South Wales. The aim is to have the project recognised on a national level, as only by breaking the silence on child abuse will we be able to fight and eliminate this evil in our society. To this end, in April 2000, I approached all Federal Members of Parliament and Senators and as a result the Purple Ribbon Project was observed in Canberra as Purple Ribbon Day on 28 June, as Parliament is in recess during July. All Adjournment speeches that day from both parties were about child abuse and six Members (three Labor and three Liberal) have subsequently formed 'Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse' - a bipartisan organisation dedicated to raising awareness of child abuse and working to address the issues which are of paramount importance in protecting our children, now and in the future.
While acceptance of Purple Ribbon Month by many councils in New South Wales is a good start, it is our intention to continue to work towards the project being adopted annually on a national level.
Purple Ribbon Month serves a worthwhile purpose in helping to raise awareness of the effects and extent of child abuse in our community. It makes it possible for participation to be at a 'grass roots level', involving everyone in the community from the Mayor to the smallest children in kindergarten, as well as the mums and dads at home. The feedback we have received has always been very positive with many people stating that 'this should have happened years ago'!
I would like to encourage people to approach their local councils or form their own committees to observe Purple Ribbon Month actively in their areas, and let it be known that the community will no longer tolerate this crime being perpetrated on our children.
For more information about Purple Ribbon Month contact Jan Watson at watson@fastlink.com.au or at PO Box 524, Wyong, New South Wales 2259.
One of the projects run in Purple Ribbon month is the Revealing Images program which run by Advocates for the Survivors of Child Abuse (ASCA), a national organisation for survivors of abuse. The program, which was steered by myself and Jill Darville commenced with a grant from the Wollongong City Council which enabled the establishment of separate art workshops for men and women. The workshops were offered at no cost to survivors of child abuse and were publicly advertised. Criteria for participation was based on personal interest alone with individuals with little or no artistic experience being the focus of groups. The workshops were facilitated by local artists Jasmine Hurst, Susan Levy and John Marsh, and culminated in he official launch of Revealing Images.
The final works produced in the workshops were then displayed at the Wollongong City Art Gallery throughout Purple Ribbon Month. The gallery generously donates time and space, allocating the exhibition as a primary part of gallery events during the year. Displaying the art works of survivors of child abuse became an integral part of the campaign in raising community awareness. Personal experiences were highlighted and those adults carrying the effects of trauma were given the opportunity and space to tell their stories.
The growth of Revealing Images has been propelled by the acclaim its artworks have received from community members with over 800 people attending the exhibition launch in 2001. The most notable part of the evening were the reactions from the artists themselves who had expressed a part of themselves and their experiences through photography, painting, models, computer generated art and mixed media.
The positive response from the community was not only rewarding for participants, but also served as an acknowledgment of the experience and impact of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, and domestic violence in children and adults. The diversity of materials used by the artists reflected the multitude of these experiences. Rather than being an expose of the horrors of child abuse, the exhibition was a celebration of the strengths and courage of the individuals who chose to speak out in evocative visual landscapes, and continue to survive.
The guest book for the 2001 event was saturated with praise for the artists and the integrity of a regional art gallery that could support such important work. The exhibition gave the community a view of a side of life that is so often shunned by our society and reminded many that these too are the voices of children who cannot yet name the horrors of their abuse. These images are those that so many children will know as they struggle to cope in adult life. For the participants, the images also confirmed the extent of abuse and it gave those who have suffered alone, the knowledge that there are many who can walk with them. Individuals suddenly found solace, support and unconditional understanding that in many cases could not otherwise be found.
Artwok produced by this year's Revealing Images was again displayed at Wollongong City Art Gallery. I have emerged from this year's program as an orgainser and participant with an enormous sense of pride in this initiative, and in the courage of those who gave it a go - those who, in connecting with others, have touched a part of themselves forever scarred by experience and memory. It is my hope that this initiative will go on and the images that are revealed will send a message out to the silenced, and set someone free.
To find out more about Revealing Images, contact Kerrie Moynihan at kaptain@hotmail.com
In 2002, the National Child Protection Clearinghouse is attempting to encourage agencies running child abuse prevention programs to write a short piece about the programs they are running and their experiences of being involved in those programs. As a result of a mail-out to agencies on our Clearinghouse mailing list, and a flier placed on the Clearinghouse web page, we have received information from several agencies, including the three listed below.
If your agency is conducting a child abuse prevention program or service and is interested in making a contribution to future Clearinghouse Newsletters, then we would be delighted to hear from you.
80 Kedron Park Rd, Wooloowin, Queensland 4030.
Phone: (07) 3857 8866.
The Abused Child Trust was established in Brisbane in 1986 by interested human service professionals and community members. The purpose was to advocate for the needs of children, provide therapy services where none had previously existed, and to create child-supportive communities, by being the leading provider of services for the prevention of child abuse and neglect throughout Queensland. The Trust receives 53 per cent of its funding from the State and Commonwealth Governments, and fundraises the rest of the funding which totals 1.25 Million dollars.
Contact House is a multidisciplinary intervention service which has been provided to families in Wooloowin (North of Brisbane) since 1990. The trust commenced a part-time counselling service on the Gold Coast in 1999, based in Pacific Fair Shopping Centre. The trust opened a Contact House service in Townsville in April 2002 after receiving funding from the Department of Families. Contact House is a child protection agency providing therapy, education, health and support intervention for children aged 0-8 years at risk of significant harm. Clients are referred from a number of sources including the Department of Families, Royal Children's Hospital, other community agencies, and via self referrals.
The service at Contact House works with 75 children (from approximately 35 families) at any one time. Due to the complex nature of these problems, the children remain associated with Contact House for extended periods of time (average of 15 months). During 2001, staff at Contact House - Wooloowin provided over 2850 hours of intervention services to 175 children from 73 families. Services are conducted at the Contact House Centre as well as on a home visitation basis, with all services provided free of charge to clients. Service include:
In mid 2001, Dr Monika Henderson conducted a comprehensive evaluation of Contact House - Wooloowin. The results highlighted the uniqueness of the multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of child abuse and neglect taken by Contact House, and how such an approach was consistent with the world's best practice. The report also emphasised the effectiveness of the service, with subsequent rates of notifications to the Department of Families decreasing significantly for families who had received intervention from Contact House. Moreover, both clients and referring agents reported high levels of satisfaction with the service, and external agencies commented on the high degree of professionalism of Contact House staff.
1 Jenner Court, Mildura, Victoria 3500.
Phone: (03) 5033 1786.
The Personal Safety Success Training (PSST) program is a resource offered to children between the ages of 7-12 years as a preventative measure against abuse. The program assists in promoting and teaching protective behaviours to children and is used widely in the Northern and Southern Mallee Region and borders of New South Wales. The delivery of the program is assisted by funding from the Mildura Rural City Council School Focused Youth Services.
The philosophies behind the Protective Behaviors Program are: children own their bodies and minds; children have the right to set their own boundaries and decide who, when and where their body is touched; children have the right to say 'no' to any unwanted or unsafe touching; children must be informed of potential dangers including abuse and taught protective measures to ensure their personal safety; and sexual abuse is never the child's fault.
Protective behaviours education primarily focuses on prevention and is required because we cannot be with our children every minute of the day. The Program teaches children to trust their intuitions, acknowledge their feelings and act on them. The program also aims to raise the child's awareness of potentially dangerous situations and teaches them coping skills to deal with all forms of difficult situations including abuse. The program also gives children and adults permission to talk.
The PSST program is based on the fundamental beliefs: 'We all have the right to feel safe all the time'; and 'Nothing is so awful we can't tell someone about it.'
The program discusses general safety, including problem solving exercises followed by introducing student to concepts such as: early warming signs, personal space, boundaries, body ownership, safe/unsafe touches, sexual abuse, safety strategies, safe/unsafe secrets, tricks, threats and bribes, assertive training, safety on the internet, friendships and networks. Even the most safety conscious child cannot always avoid abusive situations; however, children who are well prepared are more likely to tell if abuse has occurred - and this is the child's best defence. The PSST program teaches children skills coupled with actions that they can take to ensure their personal safety.
After parents, teachers spend more time with children than any other adult; young children place a great deal of trust in their teachers and look to them when they feel unsafe. Therefore, through the PSST program teachers are trained to observe changes in the appearance and progress of individual children. Teachers are encouraged to be sensitive to the fact that students in their class may have experienced abusive situations, directly or indirectly.
The PSST program aims to inform and enlighten rather than frighten children, and is conducted in a positive learning environment. The response from schools has been very positive and children have a wonderful time participating in the program. From January 2000 - June 2001, a total of 436 children attended the program at 12 different primary schools in the Northern and Southern Mallee Region. The Mallee Sexual Assault Unit aims to expand the program across all schools in the Mallee / New South Wales border regions.
PO Box 1625, Orange, New South Wales 2800.
Phone: (04) 27 427 416.
Interrelate Children's Contact Centres provide a supervised contact and changeover/ changeback service for families unable to resolve conflict around contact visits, following separation. The Centres are safe, well resourced and child focused facilities, staffed by sensitive and qualified professionals.
The philosophy of Interrelate Centres is 'To uphold the right of children to contact with their non-residential parent/guardian in a physically and emotionally safe environment'. This is achieved by ensuring that Centres have a unique child focus, where the program runs independently for children without gathering information for the court. The Centres enable a consistent pattern of contact between children and parents through staff facilitated practices. Staff ensure that parents acknowledge their responsibilities as carers; make sure parents behave respectfully and appropriately toward each other whilst in the company of their children; and discourage disrespectful talk about the other parent.
As a result of Commonwealth funding in 1995, ten Changeover Centres were established in capital cities with funding released in 2000 to establish Contact Centres in country regions. An evaluation of Centres was carried out between 1997-1999 and through this children expressed their delight in being able to see their non-resident parent while having present an adult they could trust. They also liked being allowed to enjoy their parent while being well supported in a safe environment.
Interrelate acknowledges the anger and frustration of parents and encourages referrals to other services for dealing with the issues that arise following separation. Staff support the movement of families away from Supervised Contact/Changeover/ Changeback to self management.
The admission process is formal, and appointments are necessary with all clients being interview and asked to sign a Service Agreement. Acceptance of clients is determined by staff according to their suitability and the level of demand on the service. Fees are set on a sliding scale.
This list was developed in response to queries from readers of the Clearinghouse Newsletter who were interested in finding out about professional development or training courses available for workers in the child protection/child welfare area. Information about these courses has been obtained from a variety of sources and was correct at the time of printing.To find out more about particular courses, please contact the respective providers.
Compiled by Katie Kovacs
Caseworker Development Course
Provider: Learning and Development Branch
NSW Department of Community Services
Phone: (02) 9692 7107
All new Caseworkers are employed centrally. They are employed at the start of the training calendar, and are placed in a group and stay with that same group throughout the Course. Topics covered include: Effective Interagency Relationships, Interactive Skills, Case Management, Legal and Statutory Responsibilities, Child Protection Dynamics, Assessing Risk of Harm, Cultural Awareness, Gathering Evidence, Working with Aboriginal Children and Families, Out of Home Care, Alcohol and other Drugs, Mental Health Issues, Responding to Domestic Violence and Building Relationships with Children, Young People and Carers.
Child Sexual Assault - Core Training
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 3 days
Cost: $300
Date: 10-12 September 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This workshop will explore the core issues surrounding the sexual abuse of children. It will assist workers to fulfil the core responsibilities of recognising and reporting suspected cases of child sexual assault and to develop strategies to respond to children and non offending parents when sexual abuse is disclosed.
Domestic Violence and Child Protection
Issues and Dilemmas
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $200
Date: 18 and 29 September 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This workshop provides a holistic approach to responding to issues of domestic violence and child protection. In particular, case management practices will be promoted that challenge offender actions and provide for the safety and well being of women and children. The dynamics of domestic violence will be explored and restraints theory will be examined in order to understand offender thinking and how this is manifested.
Babyhood Matters
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $100
Date: 26 November 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This course provides a solid introduction to the topic of infant mental health. It explores key issues such as the importance infancy plays in a person's developing mental health. The course examines research findings from the fields of psychology, biology and anthropology. The course also examines the question of what an infant needs from a caregiver for optimal development. There will be a mixture of learning activities including presentation by the facilitator, small group work and video presentations.
Establishing a Volunteer Home Visiting Program
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $100
Date: 16 October 2002 (Westmead)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
The Hills Family Centre developed the extra hands volunteer home visiting program six years ago in order to expand the support that could be offered to families in the Baulkham Hills Shire. As the State Government rolls out its Families First Strategies, many agencies have tendered or are tendering for funds to develop programs, one of which is to establish Volunteer Home Visiting Programs to support parents of young children. This workshop is for managers and coordinators who are interested in establishing a Volunteer Home Visiting Program.
Using Fairytales as Therapy with Children
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $100
Date: 19 August 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This one day workshop will examine the use of fairytales as a means of therapy in assisting children to deal with loss and trauma. Participants will be exposed to ways of supporting and facilitating a child's exploration, awareness and expression of trauma/traumatic feelings through the use of fairytales. The benefits of using fairytales and the potential of their use in situations relating to death and dying, sexual assault, domestic violence and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will be discussed. This workshop is practical and encourages participation and creativity.
Managing Aggressive and Violent Behaviour
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $200
Dates: 15-16 August 2002 (Newcastle); 28-29
October 2002 (Penrith); 4-5 November 2002 (Penrith)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This two day workshop will enable participants to understand what factors may lead to aggressive and violent behaviour of clients. It will outline appropriate violence prevention, diffusion and post trauma support techniques and enable you to formulate and implement effective strategies for change in order to make your workplace safer for yourselves and your clients. The two days will cover: self-awareness and management skills, knowledge of causes and types of violence, intervention skills, including evasive self-defence, prevention and post trauma support skills, analysis and recording skills, organisational change strategies, legal, ethical and moral issues in violence management and dealing with clients with special needs.
Evaluating your Service Part 1
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $110
Date: 2 September 2002 (Kiama)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This course answers questions such as: What is evaluation? How can you approach evaluation in human services? How do you know something worthwhile is happening in your service? What are the key evaluation concepts and language (eg aims, objectives, strategies, efficiency, effectiveness, adequacy, appropriateness, outcomes, performance indicators, benchmarks, TQM)? What mix of evaluation model and tools are useful in community organisations (for example, service plans, questionnaires, case studies, focus groups)? This one day workshop is a prerequisite for Evaluating Your Service - Part 2. By attending this workshop, participants will develop an approach to evaluation that is appropriate for human services and identify what needs to be done to have good evaluation mechanisms in place in their service.
Evaluating Your Service Part 2
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $220
Date: 16-17 September 2002 (Kiama)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
Do you want to evaluate your service? What do you do? Except for a brief theoretical introduction (a recap on Evaluating Your Service Part 1) this two day workshop will be practical. Participants will work on: what evaluation are you doing in your organisation?; What evaluation strategies would be useful to have in place in your organisation?; What tools are needed to implement the strategies?: Developing the tools needed. This will be a practical workshop and you should only come if you are ready to work on the practicalities of what you want done in your organisation eg. Developing evaluation plans, focus groups, databases, questionnaire design, case studies, graphical presentation of information, consultation processes, measuring social capital, etc. This workshop will get participants a long way down the path of putting evaluation strategies in place in their organisations.
Preventing Staff Burnout
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $110
Date: 1 November 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This workshop clearly identifies the difference between stress, exhaustion, depression and burnout and provides managers with the skills and strategies to identify and reduce their prevalence in the workplace. As employees struggle to meet performance targets with declining resources, stress becomes a prominent concern. Positive stress is an essential creative element. It can be channelled and used as the means to change. It can create opportunities through which personal development can be achieved. However, if not managed, it can also lead to exhaustion, burnout and depression. This essential workshop deals with ways of preventing one of the most serious dilemmas confronting management today.
Supervision: How and Why?
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $220
Date: 26-27 August 2002 (Canberra); 21-22 October 2002 (Westmead)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This two day training program is designed to provide managers and supervisors with a conceptual understanding of models of professional supervision and to develop their skills in individual and team supervision. This program requires participants to reflect on their own work as supervisors and to focus on the administrative supportive and developmental functions of supervision through the training exercises. The course will cover: issues of accountability and responsibility in supervision; importance of supervision in relation to assessment and decisionmaking; factors necessary for supervision to be effective; processes involved in the establishment and maintenance of supervisory relationships; problem-solving strategies regarding motivating staff, dealing with conflict, handling confrontation, etc; methods for monitoring the effectiveness of supervision.
Case Management in Out-of-Home Care
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $200
Date: 12-13 August 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
Are you so caught up in the minute details of a case you simply don't have the time to sit back and look at the bigger picture? Do you feel as though no sooner have you dealt with one crisis than another one is looming? This course is about identifying and finding the right mix of the skills and knowledge required for effective case management. It will explore the skills of engaging the key players in the case management process and looking at how effective case management can best meet the needs of clients. Some of the issues to be addressed are:; Preparing and implementing case plans; Understanding the purpose and process of case conferences and case reviews; Finding the right mix of assertiveness, self determination and negotiation; Prioritising and time framing key tasks; Building better relationships with stakeholders; and Record keeping. The workshop will inform participants of changes to case reviews and related practices as required by the new Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998.
What's New in Out-Of-Home Care?
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $20 (limit 2 persons per agency)
Dates: 31 July 2002 (Sydney); 29 November 2002 (Westmead)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
The 2002 proclamation of the out-of-home care chapters of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act brings never-seen-before changes to the way outof- home care services are delivered to children and young people in NSW. The purpose of these changes is to create a high standard in the provision of out-ofhome care and to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved. The Act sets in place clear guidelines for planning, record keeping and reviewing a child/young person's life, and what kind of information different parties should have access to. Asignificant shift in the working relationship between nongovernment designated agencies and the Department of Community Services will occur as the Children's Guardian takes over the function of monitoring and reviewing the placement of children and young persons in out-of-home care.
Bad Kids or Hurt Kids? Strategies for Working with Young People
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $200
Date: 21-22 October 2002 (Penrith)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This workshop will examine the nature of the helping relationship and strategies that can be used by those working with marginalised young people. The workshop is designed to facilitate skills which promote effective communication and the development of supportive, respectful, professional helping relationships with young people. Participants will learn strategies for working with angry, distressed, self-harming or suicidal young people, those with mental health issues and those who have substance abuse issues. There will be the opportunities for workers to look at obstacles and to apply appropriate strategies with clients in a variety of settings. Role plays and discussion of case studies will be used to identify areas of difficulty and examine practical strategies that help clients and protect workers.
Working with Schools and Connecting Communities
Provider: Centre for Community Welfare Training
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $100
Date: 16 October 2002 (Sydney)
Phone: (02) 9281 8822
Website: www.acwa.asn.au/CCWT
This workshop will examine the real issues that confront out-of-school workers who attempt to put 'policy into practice' and work with schools. Barriers to implementation and their causes, including participant's own experiences will be looked at. In discussing the educational paradigm and variable factors that differentiate schools, participants will learn the best ways to address their own particular issues and how to best overcome them. Abetter understanding of the education paradigm and how it works will assist many outside organisations in attempts to work with schools. Examining methodologies, they can better develop relationships where they can work with, rather than feel that they are working against teachers and schools.
Basic Counselling Skills - Part 1
Provider: Bankstown Community College (NSW)
Duration: 3 hours x 8 weeks (6.30-9.30 pm)
Cost: $190
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (02) 9793 8155
Website: www.bankstowncommunitycollege.nsw.edu.au
This course will teach participants introductory counselling skills for use in community and workplace settings. It will also teach participants to establish a counselling environment, interview people effectively, maintain accurate records and adhere to professional ethics. A Student workbook will be provided. Participants must purchase a textbook (about $45) and do homework and regular assessment tasks.
Basic Counselling Skills - Part 2
Provider: Bankstown Community College (NSW)
Duration: 7 hours x 4 weeks (9.30-5.00 pm)
Cost: $190
Date: Second semester (contact provider)
Phone: (02) 9793 8155
Website: www.bankstowncommunitycollege.nsw.edu.au
This course will teach participants to classify problem behaviours and use therapeutic intervention techniques derived from models such as Behavioural, Rogerian, Gestalt, Rational and Transactional. This course will covers grief counselling and crisis counselling covering issues such as suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault and mental illness. This course will also discuss workplace counselling including employment interviews, performance reviews and job dismissals. A textbook purchase is required (about $70) and regular homework will be set. A half day workshop will also run as decided by the group. Participants in this course must have completed the Part 1 course or equivalent.
Courses in Supervision
Provider: Interrelate
Duration: 120 hours (distance education and weekend workshop)
Cost: $650
Date: Course starts in September 2002 (contact provider)
Phone: (02) 9764 2466
The aim of this course is to train counsellors in the theory and practice of clinical supervision. Comprehensive readings covering broad theoretical aspects and intensive experiential weekend workshop, ensures that practitioners develop relevant skills and knowledge.
Facilitation of Men's Groups
Provider: Interrelate
Duration: 65 hours distance education (3-day experiential component and online
facility)
Cost: $350
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (02) 9764 2466
This course provides the opportunity for leaders to be exposed to the latest techniques and theories of working with men. A landmark initiative, based on current research, this course is highly recommended for those working with men in a leadership role.
Child Protection Training and Development Unit
Provider: Department of Human Services
Cost: Free
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9616 2991; (03) 9616 2866; (03) 9616 2992
The following courses will be run by the Unit for child protection staff at all levels within the protective services program. Places in programs are also available to regional placement and support staff, adoptions and permanent care, court advocacy unit and secure welfare staff. Some courses may have vacancies for community services organisation staff, which can be discussed with the course coordinators of individual courses. Courses run include: Induction, Violence in Families, Court Skills and Processes, Induction, Victorian Risk Framework for Supervisors and Managers, Working with Families for better outcomes, Effective Conflict Management., Transition to Supervisor, Working with Cultural Diversity, Kinship Care Placement, Engaging and Interviewing and Supporting Staff Effectively.
Managing Community Service Organisations
Provider: RMIT
Duration: 1 Semester
Cost: $1333
Date: Contact provider
Phone: 1800 067 117
Website: http://www.rmit.edu.au/shortcourses/
This course assists participants develop frameworks and skills for organisational analysis and personal action. The lectures will cover; theoretical frameworks and paradigms in organisational theory; a critical and action orientated perspective on organisational analysis; understanding the development of organisations and their structures, culture, purpose and primary task; social perspectives on organisations and organisational change; and unconscious processes in organisations.
How to Get the Best out of Your Volunteers
Provider: Victorian University of Technology
Duration: 1 evening, 6.00 pm-9.30 pm
Cost: $70
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9284 7920
Do you want to motivate, encourage and guide your team of volunteers successfully? Then this course is for you. At the end of the course participants will have gained skills to develop a team of committed volunteers whose contributions will be invaluable. Participants will also gain skills that will enable them to ensure that the volunteering experience is invaluable to the volunteers themselves.
Best Practice In Volunteer Management
Provider: Volunteering Victoria
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $66 members, $88 non-members
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9650 8868
Email: volunteer@infoxchange.net.au
This one-day workshop will examine a 'best practice' approach to volunteer management, looking specifically at the origin and key principles of best practice, a step by step process for applying a 'best practice' approach to volunteer management, how to benchmark an organisation's volunteer management practices against those of other organisations, how to assess an organisation's volunteer management practices and how to develop an action plan to improve volunteer management practices.
Using Stories to Heal: Narrative Therapy with Children, Young People
and Families who Experience Abuse
Provider: Australians Against Child Abuse
Duration: 2 days
Cost: $230
Date: 5-6 December 2002
Phone: (03) 9874 3922
Email: jmitchell@aaca.com.au
Website: www.aaca.netlink.com.au/
Stories are powerful meaning making strategies for children, young people and their families. This two day workshop offers the opportunity for participants to examine how personal life stories are influenced by abuse and family violence, the emergence of identity through stories, how stories can be used to heal and techniques for encouraging storytelling in therapy with children, young people and their families. The workshop will focus on ways to appreciate the principles of respect, transition and commitment in assisting in recovery from abuse related trauma. Through discussion of participants' own cases and series of exercises and role plays, participants will have the opportunity to practice this approach.
Responding to Sibling Abuse: Charting Unexplored Territory
Provider: Australians Against Child Abuse
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $120
Date: 9 August 2002
Phone: (03) 9874 3922
Email: jmitchell@aaca.com.au
Website: www.aaca.netlink.com.au/
Children who have been abused by their siblings experience a range of difficulties. This workshop will examine the structural responses required to support children in this situation as well as issues practitioners confront in working with the children's parents and other siblings. It will draw on recent literature and research on the area as well as offer the opportunity to develop specific skills in assessing the impact of sibling abuse.
Working with Families where a Young Person is Engaging in Violent
and Aggressive Behaviour
Provider: Australians Against Child Abuse
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $120
Date: 30 August 2002
Phone: (03) 9874 3922
Email: jmitchell@aaca.com.au
Website: www.aaca.netlink.com.au/
There are many families who present to clinical services who are at a loss to know what to do with an adolescent in their family who is displaying violent and aggressive behaviour. The result sometimes being that the young person is excluded from the family home. This workshop will promote the ability of participants to understand these behaviours and intervene in these families.
Developing Helping Conversations with Children who have Experienced
Abuse and Neglect and their Parents
Provider: Australians Against Child Abuse
Cost: $230
Duration: 2 days
Date: 17-18 October 2002
Phone: (03) 9874 3922
Email: jmitchell@aaca.com.au
Website: www.aaca.netlink.com.au/
This two-day workshop will explore the consequences of abuse and family violence on the development of a child's sense of self, relationships, confidence and abilities. Participants will have the opportunity to develop enhanced skills in working with children who have experienced abuse and trauma and explore strategies to engage participants in the child's recovery. This workshop will enhance participants' skills, knowledge and understanding in communicating with and responding to children who have experienced abuse or family violence. Participants will have the opportunity to examine the impact of abuse on the parent/s and parent-child relationship and explore ways to promote the parents' ability to better understand their child's experience and develop positive ways to support and communicate with their child.
Working Therapeutically with Parents whose Children have been Abused
Provider: Australians Against Child Abuse
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $120
Date: 27 November 2002
Phone: (03) 9874 3922
Email: jmitchell@aaca.com.au
Website: www.aaca.netlink.com.au/
This workshop will assist participants to explore their work with parents of children who have experienced abuse and the philosophies and assumptions that underpin this work. Using a child centred approach, this workshop will explore the importance of understanding the needs of parents. There will be a focus on the emotional needs of parents and appreciating the vulnerabilities of parents with their own history of abuse. Different psychotherapeutic theories of engaging and working with parents will be drawn upon throughout this workshop.
Adolescent Counselling
Provider: Professional Development Institute- Monash University
Duration: 10 weeks x 3 hours (Churchill, Clayton and Warragul)
Costs:$ 765
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9905 2618
This course aims to meet the needs of the community in the area of adolescent counselling by providing participants with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide support and guidance to young people with whom they are in contact with. Personnel providing counselling are not always fully prepared for the traumatic and often highly sensitive nature of the information they receive in their emerging role as both confidantes and mentors. The course has been designed to provide practical counselling skills which best meet the special needs of adolescents, within a framework of various community support networks and within the context of professional and ethical consideration.
School Welfare Leadership Program
Provider: Professional Development Institute- Monash University
Duration: 24 hours over 8 weeks (classes in the evenings)
Cost: Contact provider
Date: Semester 2 (contact provider)
Phone: (03) 9905 2618
This course aims to assist schools to develop effective student welfare support structures and processes. At the end of the course, each participating school will have reviewed its current policies and practices and have developed a comprehensive School Welfare Plan.
Introduction to Mental Health
Provider: SCOPE Victoria
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $88
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9536 4213
This course assists participants to develop an understanding of mental health,
to learn how to access relevant services, how to assist individuals with mental
health issues and what to do in a crisis, dealing with myths and to gain an
understanding of specific psychiatric conditions.
Introduction to Counselling
Provider: SCOPE Victoria
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $88
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9536 4213
This Program assists participants to develop effective communication strategies, support clients to communicate effectively, develop active listening techniques, clarify messages, interview effectively, learn about the counselling process and explore and clarify personal issues.
Supporting Clients with Disabilities Manage Loss and Grief
Provider: SCOPE Victoria
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $88
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (03) 9536 4213
This course offers participants with an overview of grief and loss as it relates to individuals with disabilities. The course aims to give participants an understanding of the grief process.
Certificate IV Coordination of Volunteers
Provider: Volunteering Queensland
Duration: 4 days
Cost: $350 members $450 non members
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (07) 3002 7600
Website: www.volunteeringqueensland.org.au/education2.html
This course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully coordinate volunteers. The course consists of 6 units; Plan and Develop a Volunteer Program; Recruitment and Selection of Volunteers; Orientate and Train Volunteers; Supervise and Support Volunteers; Motivate and recognise Volunteers; Evaluation and Quality Management of a Volunteer Program.
Volunteer Management Essentials
Provider: Volunteering Queensland
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $60 members, $80 non members
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (07) 3002 7600
Website: www.volunteeringqueensland.org.au/education2.html
This workshop is designed for participants who are initiating or developing a volunteer program; want to review and update volunteer management skills; or for new volunteer coordinators. This workshop develops the skills and frameworks vital to healthy and effective work with volunteers.
Introduction to Submission Writing
Provider: Volunteering Queensland
Duration: 1 day
Cost: $60 members, $80 non members
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (07) 3002 7600
Website:www.volunteeringqueensland.org.au/education2.html
This is a practical workshop that focuses upon the fundamental steps in planning, writing and presenting funding submissions: develop funding project ideas: identify appropriate sources of funding; address funding guidelines and applications; discuss project evaluation and reporting requirements.
Certificate IV Coordination of Volunteers
Provider: Volunteering WA
Duration: 4 days (9.15 am-4.00 pm)
Cost: member agencies $330, non member agencies $550
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (08) 9021 5552
The only Certificate IV level qualification of its type in WA, this course offers the coordinators or managers of volunteers the opportunity to gain national accreditation in achieving the skills and competencies required for effective management of volunteers and volunteer programs. The course utilises a flexible delivery process and includes both 'off' and 'on the job' learning. There are six modules to be completed: Plan and Develop a Volunteer Program; Recruitment and Selection of Volunteers; Orientate and Train Volunteers; Supervise and Support Volunteers; Motivate and recognise Volunteers and Evaluation and Quality Management of a Volunteer Program.
Introduction to Mental Health
Provider: Social Options Austra
lia Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 4 November 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This is an intensive introductory workshop for those dealing with people with mental health issues. Participants can be workers with contact with the public on a daily basis, or those with clients with a particular mental health concern who would like to improve their understanding and skills to enhance customer service. This workshop gives an overview of mental health issues, systems and referral networks, practical tips and input from a consumer team who will provide participants with information first hand.
Legal Aspects of Mental Health
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Two hours (9.00 am-11.00 am)
Cost: $40
Date: 19 August 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This course is for participants dealing with people with mental health issues and who want to know more about the legislative framework. This workshop gives an overview of relevant legislation and how it fits into systems and referral networks. It offers a practical approach to the Disability Discrimination Act, Mental Health Act, Guardianship and Administration Acts and the role of various authorities such as the Office of the Public Advocate and the Ombudsman and services such as Mental Health Services, Management Assessment Panel and doctors.
Mental Health Plus
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 18 November 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This course is open to people who have already attended our course 'Introduction to Mental Health' at any time over the past two years. A refresher of skills and knowledge previously learned is followed by sessions on legal issues in mental health, case management, accountability, confidentiality and boundaries of responsibility. Participants are required to bring a case study for group discussion.
Complaints Handling
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77 ($109 with handbook)
Dates:12 August 2002; 21 October 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This popular course examines the importance of training in complaints handling for the human services; key questions about complaints in an organisation; how to make an organisation complaints friendly; developing a complaints policy; and integrating complaints into an organisation's daily practice. It also teaches practical complaints handling skills.
Dealing with Difficult Situations and People
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 9 September 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This is an intensive workshop aimed at those who find themselves dealing with difficult customers and difficult situations. It offers 'a hands on' approach with practical tips, exercises and discussion which can be put to work as soon as the workshop is over. Participants can bring difficult situations to the workshop for discussion, analysis and action.
Conflict Resolution in the Human Services
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 22 July 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This workshop is full of techniques on how to achieve the win-win solution that can be found in situations where people see things differently and hold different views. Using examples from the Human Services, this course will explore how conflict arises, how difference can be valued and solutions found to most problems.
How to Facilitate Really Successful Meetings
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 26 August 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
Meetings have been called the 'heart of teamwork', and play an important part in team building and the successful achievement of our organisational goals. As well as covering what goes wrong at meetings, and the results of poor meeting leadership, the workshop will show how to lead a successful and participative meeting. Practical ideas will be presented on encouraging participation, managing the group process and getting to consensus and closure.
Balancing Management and Leadership
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 25 November 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
Being a leader and being a manager require different skills and a different head set. This practical program will explore the differences between leadership and management and is designed for those people who are aspiring to leadership and or have managerial responsibilities and want to bring others with them.
Building Teams
Provider: Social Options Australi
a Duration: Half day (9.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $77
Date: 29 October 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
A group of people working together is not a team - turning people into teams and getting them working to complement and support one another is a skill. This workshop will help team leaders and people wanting to be team leaders with practical strategies and skills.
Using Program Logic to Plan or Evaluate Your Program
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Full day
Cost: $143 includes lunch
Date: 5 August 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
Program Logic is a simple yet rigorous tool which can be used either as a planning tool for a program or as tool for planning an evaluation. Participants will be lead through the process of using program logic through examples and will then work with their own material to begin producing their own planning or evaluation tool.
Planning a Program Evaluation
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Full day
Cost: $143 includes lunch
Date: 23 September 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This course will take participants through the process of planning an evaluation. It will also examine some of the critical issues of evaluation including different types of evaluation; different models; various methodologies; outcome measurement; qualitative and quantitative approaches and statistics for evaluation.
Designing Questionnaires
Provider: Social Options Australia
Duration: Full day
Cost: $143 includes lunch
Date: 14 October 2002; 2 December 2002
Phone: (08) 8326 8033
Email: info@soa.com.au
This is a new course which examines the theory and practice of designing questionnaires by human service organisations. These questionnaires could be for use in evaluation, research or customer feedback. This course will examine the common principles and approaches which underlie good questionnaires
Motivating Volunteers through Rewards, Recognition and Support: The
Best Ways to Ensure Volunteers are Fulfilled and Valued
Providers: Volunteering South Australia
Duration: Half day (10.00 am-1.00 pm)
Cost: $80
Date: 19 September 2002
Phone: (08) 8221 7177
Webpage: http://www.volunteeringsa.org.au
This course aims to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills to maximise volunteer enthusiasm, commitment and retention. Upon completion participants will have: awareness of the power of recognition and support as a means of validating and motivating volunteers, a model for understanding the motivational interests and needs of volunteers, explored a system of rewards based on motivational needs, knowledge of rules for recognition, a range of inexpensive ideas for recognition and tips for improving motivation and an understanding of the 'work climate' in relation to motivation and retention .
Developing Leadership and Team Volunteering Skills: Optimising Paid
and Unpaid Staff Relations
Providers: Volunteering South Australia
Duration: 1 day (10.00 am-3.30 pm)
Cost: $140
Date: 28 November 2002
Phone: (08) 8221 7177
Webpage: http://www.volunteeringsa.org.au
This course aims to provide participants with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills to inspire and guide volunteers toward a team effort. Upon completion participants will have: a model for going into situations as a team leader, identified the qualities and skills of good volunteer leaders, explored and identified their own leadership style, assessed key coordinating and linking skills that assist volunteers to work as a team, challenged a range of myths about teamwork and developed methods for identifying and developing leadership in volunteers.
Child Protection Training
Provider: Department of Health and Welfare
Cost: Free
Date: Contact provider
Phone: (08) 8999 2400 ask for FACS Education and Training Coordinator
The Northern Territory has two FACS trainers and while most programs are run for FACS staff only, some programs are open to other welfare workers or interested professionals. Courses run include: Introduction to Child Protection, Life Story Work in Alternative Care, Case Management for FACS, Strategies for effective Communication, Introduction to Substitute Care, Alcohol and Other Drugs Implications for Welfare Workers and Report Writing. Katie Kovacs is Project Officer with the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
In the Firing Line: Violence and Power in Child Protection Work
Janet Stanley and Chris Goddard
John Wiley & Sons, UK, January 2002
Reviewed by Joe Tucci
If you are one of the many professionals who have been confronted by violent clients, it is important to read this new book by Janet Stanley and Chris Goddard. First, you will experience a sense of relief that the authors have managed an open and honest examination of how violence is an intrinsic part of the practice of child protection. Second, you will nod furiously as you identify with the level of violence related by workers in the field. Finally, you may be challenged enough from the conclusions drawn by the authors to adjust your view about how such exposure to violence affects your decision-making.
In reading the book, you will note the authors' legitimate claim that while inquiries into the deaths of children from abuse have preoccupied health and welfare professions and the media for nearly three decades, little attention has been given to the effectiveness of protective services, where a child has not died but has been severely abused. As such, In the Firing Line offers theoretical developments and research findings in a number of areas relevant to the failure of state child protection systems to protect children from re-abuse.
Significantly, the authors vividly demonstrate that for many children, abuse directed towards them is only one part of a larger picture of violence engaged in and experienced by the whole family. For example, in 78 per cent of the sample of case files studied, there were descriptions of physical assault of other family members, in addition to maltreatment of the child. Moreover, 70 per cent of files recorded that the male in the parent role was involved in at least one criminal activity requiring investigation by the police.
The authors then highlight the alarming amount of violence experienced by child protection workers in their day to day work. In almost half of the research sample, protective workers had received a death threat from the families of children with whom they were working. Just under a quarter of the workers had been assaulted, 14 per cent had experienced attempted assault, 44 per cent threatened with physical assault, and 10 per cent threatened with sexual assault - all in a period of six months.
Thus it is not surprising to read the claim by Stanley and Goddard that such workers often display hostage-like behaviour. It is in exploring the application of 'hostage theory' to the practice of child protection that this book is most valuable. It highlights the connection between the impact of violence on the protective worker and their capacity to accurately recall the extent of abuse suffered by the child. Responding as hostages, workers may minimise, distort and re-classify the extent to which a child continues to be at risk of serious re-abuse.
The major contribution of In the Firing Line is its capacity to focus our attention to the needs and vulnerability of child protection workers. The authors review the centrality of supervision and training, and propose a framework for integrating the research findings. Most importantly, the book highlights how systems should work to actively protect their own staff from threats of and actual violence. This recognition is pivotal to improving the practices of child protection.
Joe Tucci is Executive Director of Australians Against Child Abuse.
The following selections from new additions to the Clearinghouse collection over the last six month may be borrowed from the Australian Institute of Family Studies library, via the interlibrary loan system. Compiled by Judy Adams.
These selections from additions to the National Child Protection Clearinghouse library collection of the Australian Institute of Family Studies may be borrowed via the interlibrary loan system. Please contact your own library to arrange loans.
Social work practice and Indigenous Australians: Notes from a remote region, by J. Wilson, in P. A. Swain (ed.) In the shadow of the law: The legal context of social work practice, Federation Press (2nd edn), Annandale, NSW, 2002.
Aspects of social work practice with Aboriginal people in a remote area of the Kimberley region of Western Australia are described in this chapter. The author's position involved a legislatively derived responsibility to undertake child protection and juvenile justice work. Concurrently with this position, the author had a role to engage community development with the same Aboriginal family groups and communities. The author reflects on the conflicting interests and purposes contained within these differing roles. It is argued that the responses to these conflicting roles were determined by the nature of the practice setting and the personal values of the author, rather than the legislative frameworks within which the practice took place.
Keeping them home: The best interests of Indigenous children and communities in Canada and Australia, P. Lynch, Sydney Law Review, vol.23 no.4, pp.501-542, December 2001.
The author acknowledges that Australian Aboriginal children and Indigenous Canadian (First Nations) children have been removed from their communities from the time of European invasion, firstly in order to 'merge', 'absorb' or 'assimilate' those children into the non-Indigenous population and more recently in the name of the best interests of the child. He calls for reform of child welfare law, policy and practice which currently places a disproportionate number of Aboriginal and First Nations children in care, secluding them from their cultural identity and heritage. Although he believes that ultimately self-determination for Indigenous people should transfer responsibility for the welfare of their children back to them, in the meantime the prevailing best interests principle needs to be adapted and applied by the courts and decision makers to acknowledge the unique nature of Indigenous culture, identity and child care practices. Decisions about where the child's best interests lie should be informed by the best interests of the community as long as this approach does not mean that a child is left in an abusive situation.
Prevention of child sexual abuse: A survey of 87 programs, by Carol A.Plummer, Violence & Victims, vol.16, no.5, October 2001.
This article evaluates 87 child sexual abuse prevention programs. A range of variables are examined including funding, barriers (such as community denial of the problem), and the demographics of the target population.
Promoting family wellness and preventing child maltreatment:Fundamentals for thinking and action, by I.Prilleltensky, G.Nelson & L.Peirson (eds), University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, 2001.
This book offers recommendations for 1) a better understanding of wellness, maltreatment, prevention and promotion; 2) value-based actions; and 3) successful policies and programs. Written by members of The Family Wellness Project Team, chapters are: Mapping the terrain: framework for promoting family wellness and preventing child maltreatment by Isaac Prilleltensky, Leslea Peirson and Geoffrey Nelson; Context, contributing factors, and consequences, by Leslea Peirson, Marie-Claire Laurendeau, and Claire Chamberland; Vision and values for child and family wellness by Isaac Prilleltensky, Marie- Claire Laurendeau, Claire Chamberland and Leslea Peirson; Social policies for promoting the well-being of Canadian children and families by Ray Peters, Jessica Peters, Marie-Claire Laurendeau, Claire Chamberland and Leslea Peirson; Areview and analysis of programs to promote family wellness and prevent the maltreatment of preschool and elementary-school-aged children by Geoffrey Nelson, Marie-Claire Laurendeau, Claire Chamberland and Leslea Peirson; Programming for distressed and disadvantaged adolescents, by Gary Cameron, Jan O'Reilly, Marie-Claire Laurendeau and Claire Chamberland; Program implementation and diffusion by Gary Cameron, Jeff Karabanow, Marie- Claire Laurendeau and Claire Chamberland; Acircle of healing: family wellness in Aboriginal communities by Ed Connors and Frank Maidman; and the conclusion, Beyond the boundaries: themes for thinking and action in the promotion of family wellness and the prevention of child maltreatment, by Geoffrey Nelson, Isaac Prilleltensky and Leslea Peirson.
Neglect:Opportunities for collaboration between health and welfare:The Strengthening Families Program at the Royal Children's Hospital, by C.O'Neill, J.Hall, & J.Miller, Children Australia, vol.27, no.1, 2002.
Persistent neglect is thought to be just as harmful to a child as abuse. However, neglect is often difficult to assess for two reasons: firstly it often resembles poverty and secondly, neglecting families tend to have disorganised patterns of accessing health care and social support. This article looks at the importance of joint health and welfare input in interventions with families at risk of neglecting their children. The Strengthening Families Program at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital provides a model for interdisciplinary and intersectoral (welfare and health) collaboration, which offers care management to individual families and is working towards systemic changes in the hospital's response to these families. (Journal abstract)
Confronting cruelty: Historical perspectives on child protection in Australia, by D.Scott & S.Swain, Melbourne University Press, Carlton South, Victoria, 2002.
In recent years child abuse has received a great deal of attention in the media. This book argues that contrary to the impressions created by the media, child abuse has a long history. Using case records from the Children's Protection Society and examining the changing understanding of what cruelty is, this book traces the last 100 years of child abuse, and describes the struggle between philanthropists, social workers and other professional groups for the right to identify and treat children who are abused. Chapters are: The image of the child; The cry of the children has finally been heard; Launching the great crusade; Poverty is a factor but not an excuse; Civilisation hangs in the balance; Neglect in the midst of plenty; The second wave of the child rescue movement - the 'battered baby syndrome'; Child protection: whose rights? whose responsibilities? Child sexual abuse: from Freud to feminism and beyond; and, The pendulum swings: a century of child protection ends.
Protecting children: Student information package, Produced by Family and Children's Services, Department for Community Development, Perth, WA, 18p, 2001, Online only (72K) http:// www.fcs.wa.gov.au/_content/child_maltreat ment_investigations/CH PROT.pdf
This student information package is intended to give a broad overview of child protection to assist students, agencies and other members of the public who have an interest in this area. It defines child maltreatment and outlines the role of the Department in responding to allegations. It also covers myths about child sexual maltreatment, presents child maltreatment case studies, and offers further reading suggestions.
Child protection service system reform: A way forward, by D.Scott, Children Australia, vol.27, no.1, 2002.
This address formed part of a presentation at the 8th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in November 2001 in which the author spoke about the last three decades which witnessed a transformation in the history of child welfare. This transformation is symbolised by a shift from the use of the term 'child welfare' to that of 'child protection'. She then weighs up the credits and debits of the current system, and offers a blueprint for the way forward.
A history of child protection: Back to the future?, by A.Tomison, Family Matters, no.60, Spring/Summer, 2001.
The maltreatment of children has occurred through history. This article gives an overview of the development of child protection and efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect. It highlights the cyclical nature of the evolution of child protection services, noting that many of the current approaches have been tried a number of times over the last 150 years and look likely to be reapplied in the next few decades.
Hopes and reality: A sorry tale, by R.Fitzgerald, Developing Practice:The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, no.3, Autumn, 2002.
Many changes to the child protection and substitute care system are involved with the introduction in New South Wales of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998. In this article the author critically examines the promise and the reality of legislative reform and its impact on child and family practice. He argues that legislative reform alone is not enough to achieve the required practice changes and that an environment of sound planning, financial support and service delivery infrastructure is needed for legislative reforms to lead to improved service practices and outcomes.
The link between children's services and child protection: Final report, by K. Fisher, M. McHugh & C.Thomson, SPRC Report 1/00, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2000.Online only (370K) http://www. sprc.unsw.edu.au/reports/ChSer_ChProFinal.pdf
Research suggests that access to children's services may be an important factor in preventing young children at risk of harm from entering substitute care. However, there is little empirical evidence available to indicate whether the use of such services prevents children at risk from moving further into the welfare system. The NSW Department of Community Services (DoCS) Office of Childcare commissioned this project to examine the relationship between children's services for children under school age in NSW and the DoCS child protection function and to examine the effectiveness of children's services as a protection and prevention strategy for children at risk. The research involved 1) a literature review of contemporary child protection issues and research undertaken in Australia and overseas on the use of children's services as a child protection strategy; and 2) field-based studies encompassing the collection and analysis of data received from children's services staff and workers in child protection. Data were collected using surveys and focus groups. This report presents the literature review, analysis of data, findings from the project and recommendations.
Report on the review of the Auditor-General's special report no.43: Protecting Victoria's children:The role of the Department of Human Services: Forty-fourth report to Parliament, Parliament of Victoria, Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, Government Printer, Melbourne, 2001.
The Public Accounts and Estimates Committee examines all reports of the Auditor-General and manages outstanding or unresolved issues. This document contains the results of the Committee's follow- up review of the Auditor-General's Special Report No. 43 which gave the findings of a 1996 performance audit of child protection services in Victoria. The findings indicate that the Department of Human Services is not achieving maximum effectiveness in protecting and providing the necessary support for the children of Victoria, and that there is considerable scope for the Department to make cost-effective and efficient use of its existing resources.
Legislation and professional practice in child welfare, by D.Scott, Developing Practice:The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, no.3, Autumn, 2002.
Many changes to the child protection and substitute care system are involved with the introduction in New South Wales of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998. In this article the author critically examines the promise and the reality of legislative reform and its impact on child and family practice. She argues that good child welfare legislation is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for good child welfare practice. Legislation needs to support a policy framework so that effective prevention strategies limit entry to the child protection system to those children for whom statutory intervention is necessary. And for those children in need of protection it exercises sufficient authority in a timely manner so that further damage is not inflicted. Both of these features need to be incorporated, rather than incorporating one at the expense of the other.
The effect of services on the recurrence of child maltreatment, by Diane DePanfilis & Susan J. Zuravin, Child Abuse & Neglect, vol.26, no.2, February, 2002.
Using a quantitative approach this US study examines the effect of services on the recurrence of child maltreatment during Child Protective Services intervention. Results show that predictors of recurrence were: family stress, child vulnerability, partner abuse and lack of social support. Analysis also revealed attendance at services led to a decreased likelihood of child maltreatment recurring. The study highlights the need for actively engaging families into helping services which may lessen future child maltreatment.
Child protection and the media: Lessons from the last three decades, by Patrick Ayre, British Journal of Social Work, vol.31, no.6, December, 2001.
In this article the effects on the child protection system of sensational media coverage of child abuse cases are examined. In order to overcome the negative perception of the system a new way of understanding and managing media coverage is needed. The author suggests that the child protection systems needs to move away from the sensational types of abuse cases and align itself with the ongoing struggle to promote child welfare.
The influence of child protection orientation on child welfare practice, by Trevor Spratt, British Journal of Social Work, vol.31, no.6, December, 2001.
This article describes the similarities and differences between a child protection orientation and a child welfare orientation in child welfare services. A child protection orientation focuses on risk management. The research explores the influence this orientation has on child welfare cases. Risk assessment in child welfare:The art and science, by Scottye J.Cash, Children and Youth Services Review, vol.23, no.11, November, 2001.
This article examines how risk assessment of children in the child welfare system is currently handled. It discusses factors which predict occurrence and recurrence of child abuse and makes recommendations on how to formulate an effective and holistic assessment of the family.
Two hands, three baskets and hope: Parents rebuilding after child sexual abuse, by H.Whittington, in Family Strengths: Everybody's Business, Everybody's Gain:The Second Australian Conference on Building Family Strengths, University of Newcastle, December, 2001.Online only (117K) http://www.pco.com.au/familystrengths/Whit tington%20paper.doc
This paper focuses on developing a partnership with parents, after a child has been abused. The main focus is on families where a child has been sexually abused. However, much of it is also relevant to work with non-offending family members after a child has been seriously physically abused. The author argues that a worker with a child who has been abused needs to work also with the parents, building a partnership that is respectful of the parents' expertise while offering information and therapeutic skill, and supporting the parents in paying attention to their own reactions to the abuse. The paper illustrates ways of working with parents in counselling and groupwork, towards breaking down isolation, dealing with confusion and distress, and moving into constructive action. The author illustrates her discussion by working through a composite case study.
Describing individual incidents of sexual abuse: A review of research on the effects of multiple sources of information on children's reports, by K.P.Roberts & M.B.Powell, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.25, no.12, December, 2001.
The norm in most abuse cases is that the child must provide detailed information about individual incidents. The authors of this article review the research evidence in relation to the effects of two kinds of contaminating sources on children's reports of a particular incident: 1) exposure to related events, for example, post-event discussions, watching similar events on television; and 2) repeated experience of the same incident, as in cases of multiple abuse. They discuss the effects of a suggestive interview on children's recall of a particular incident of a repeated event, and discuss the implications of their findings, providing a set of researchbased recommendations for investigative interviewers.
Resiliency in the victim-offender cycle in male sexual abuse, by I.Lambie, F.Seymour, A.Lee & P. Adams, Sexual Abuse, vol.14, no.1, January, 2002.
The victim-offender cycle has been accepted as an explanation for sexual offending. This article describes a study which examined the factors that may prevent a male sexual abuse victim from entering the victim-offender cycle. The 'resilient' (non-offending) group in the study were less likely to report pleasure from the abuse than those in the victim-offender cycle. They were also more likely to have had close social contact with adolescent peers and to have had more family and non-family support during childhood. The authors conclude with recommendations for prevention of the victim-offender cycle.
Project Axis:Volume 2: Child sexual abuse in Queensland: Responses to the problem, Queensland Crime Commission and Queensland Police Service, Queensland, 2000.And online (655K) http://www.crimecom.qld.gov.au/ library/CMCWEBSITE/AxisV2_.pdf
This is the second volume of the Queensland Crime Commission (QCC) and Queensland Police Service (QPS) Project Axis report. Project Axis was established as a wide-ranging inquiry into child - sex offending in Queensland, and involved strategic intelligence and research activities, as well as tactical investigation. The first volume reported on the nature and extent of child sex offending and the defining characteristics of offenders and their victims. This volume describes the responses of state agencies and community organisations to the problem of child sexual abuse in our community. It aims to identify gaps in the policies, procedures and services in place to respond to complaints and notifications of child sexual abuse.
The socio-legal relationship in child sexual assault, by J.Breckenridge, in P.A.Swain, (ed.) In the shadow of the law:The legal context of social work practice, Federation Press (2nd edn), Annandale, NSW, 2002.
Interaction with the legal system is part of practice for most social workers, particularly so in relation to child sexual abuse. This chapter focuses on the nature of the association between the professions of law and social work, often referred to as the socio legal relationship. The author examines the possibilities and constraints intrinsic to this relationship with reference to child sexual assault in the Australian context, including: the legal aspects of practice; past and current themes characterising the socio legal relationship; and future developments in that relationship.
The legal construction of victim/survivors in parent-child intrafamilial sexual abuse trials in the Victorian County Court of Australia in 1995: A research summary, by S.Taylor, Women Against Violence - An Australian Feminist Journal, no.10, July, 2001.
A brief summary is provided of the author's doctoral thesis which sought to document, identify and articulate the structural disadvantages inherent and entrenched in the legal process and judical discourse. The researcher undertook an analysis of every contested case of intrafamilial sexual abuse that went to court during 1995, and by necessity followed two cases that went into 1996 and further tracked the appeal outcomes of several trials into 1997. The thesis 'demonstrated the nefarious link between dominant masculinist theoretical paradigms regarding intrafamilial sexual abuse and the legal response to this crime.'
Regarding children, by M.Rayner, Eureka Street, vol.12, no.3, April, 2002.
It has been suggested that the Federal government establish a Royal Commission to examine child sexual abuse issues. This paper argues that while a Royal Commission might help publicise the issue of child sexual abuse, it would not be an effective way to address the problem, and would serve as a distraction from the more important issue of establishing and defending the rights of children. The author argues that the government should instead provide a Children's Rights Commissioner. Citing the Office of the Children's Rights Commissioner for London as an example, she suggests that this would be an effective way of addressing child sexual abuse by monitoring what the government does, being accessible to children, working independently of government yet being integral to its decision making, advising on laws and policies, and focusing public attention on the state of children.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Intercountry collaboration and organizstional responses, Child Welfare, vol.80, no.5, September/October, 2001.
This special section contains the following articles: Confronting adolescent bias and intolerance through cross-cultural immersion: an American-Croatian collaboration by Nan Dale, Roman Danko & Markham Breen (pp.623-630); The multinational transfer of competencybased foster parent assessment, selection and training: a nine-country case study by Maria Herczog, Rob van Pagee & Eileen Mayers Pasztor (pp.631-644); Families for children: international strategies to build in-country capacity in the Philippines, Thailand, Romania and India by Carole F. Stiles ..[et al.].(pp.645-655); Ensuring the best interest of the child in intercountry adoption practice: case studies from the United Kingdom and the United States by Joanne Selinske ..[et al.].(pp.656-667); Organizational responses to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: international lessons for child welfare organizations by Lisa Woll (pp.668-679).
Legislative responsibility for child protection and human rights in Queensland, by A.Farrell, Australia and New Zealand Journal of Law and Education, vol.6, nos.1-2, 2001.
Rising levels of public concern over child abuse have led to increased legislative and policy initiatives towards child protection as a human right. Taking Queensland's Child Protection Act 1999 and Commission for Children and Young People Act 2000 as examples of recent children's rights legislation, the author considers the issues of responsibility raised by children's rights versus child protection. She concludes that if the human rights focus of child protection policy and legislation is to be effective in practice, social structures must change: children need to be seen and heard to participate fully in society, and responsibility for children and young people must be shared throughout the community.
Towards healing: Principles and procedures in responding to complaints of abuse against personnel of the Catholic Church in Australia, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes (rev edn), Canberra, ACT, 2000.Online http://www. catholic.org.au/statements/sexual_abuse_th200 1_1.htm
This is a revision of the 1996 document which set out principles to form the basis of the Church's response to complaints of abuse and the procedures to be followed in responding to individual complaints. It is explained that the major change in the principles is the extension of abuse to include sexual, physical and emotional abuse, formalising a change that had already been accepted as experience unfolded. The more numerous changes to the procedures aim to clarify the steps to be taken and to provide a document that is clear and able to be applied to the many and varied matters that can be brought forward. The goal of moving 'towards healing' remains paramount. The document comprises two parts: Part one: principles for dealing with complaints of abuse; Part two: procedures for dealing with complaints of abuse.
The church, confession, forgiveness and male sexual abuse, by P.O'Leary, International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, no.1, 2002.
While acknowledging that forgiveness by victims of sexual abuse can be used as part of the silencing which often accompanies abuse, the author points out its positive aspects. For some victims of male sexual abuse, forgiveness is one of the few available options for moving on with their lives, particularly when their social networks include the perpetrator of the abuse; forgiveness therefore has a valid place in therapy for sexual abuse victims. However, the author finds that forgiveness poses a dilemma in the context of the church, and in particular the Catholic Church, when those responsible for abusing children are also responsible for dispensing forgiveness and absolution. He believes that the church can find processes of reconciliation which would include collective ways of addressing the abuse that has occurred in its name. He suggests that the ways in which Australia as a nation is approaching reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians may offer directions for families and institutions to take in addressing the issue of child sexual abuse.
The economics, by Mark E.Courtney, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.23, no.10, 1999.
This article considers the economic cost of child maltreatment and its manifestations. No reliable data on the overall cost of child maltreatment exists. However there is considerable debate over how society should respond to this social problem. The human costs of child maltreatment are unquantifiable and it is difficult to separate the economic costs of child maltreatment from the economic costs of other social problems. Even conservative estimates of government spending show that child maltreatment is very costly. Government expenditure directed toward child maltreatment has increased rapidly and has exceeded spending for a number of essential supports for children and families.
Outcome and cost of child abuse, by Jose E. Irazuzta, James E. McJunkin & Kapriel Danadian, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.21, no.8, 1997.
This retrospective cohort study compares cases of child abuse in a pediatric intensive care unit with other admissions for differences in health costs specific to patients, severity of illness and mortality. Results show that interventional medical care in response to severe child abuse is very costly and is much worse than other diseases. The importance of allocation of resources to prevention is emphasised.
Children's safety:Contradiction in the system, by P.Cross, Domestic Violence, Action and Resources Magazine, no.12, December, 2001.
The author refers to research findings that children exposed to the abuse of their mothers by their fathers often demonstrate all of the characteristics and problems experienced by children who are physically abused themselves and that these problems are just as longstanding. She then discusses Canadian legislative responses to the increased mainstream understanding of this reality which have, in turn, 'created some conflict between those working in the violence against women and child protection sectors and have highlighted some important contradictions between child protection law and custody and access law'. In Ontario, the author shows, it is possible to have a father who has been abusive to his partner granted unsupervised access to his children at the same time as child protection authorities tell the mother that she may be unsuited to parent her children because she has failed to protect them from witnessing the abuse of their mother.
Through the kaleidoscope: An emerging model of working with families affected by sexual assault and domestic violence, by L. Luchi & D.Dale, Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW, Conference papers - Seeking Solutions, Australia's Inaugural Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Conference, September, 2001. Online (33K) http://www.austdvclearinghouse. unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/Luchi, Laura%20a nd%20Dale, Deanne.pdf
This paper describes the development of a model of clinical practice with children, young people and their families, where the effects of sexual assault and domestic violence are presenting difficulties. It describes how Wentworth Area Health Violence, Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services has been endeavouring to develop a 'joint work' model between the co-located Sexual Assault Service, providing services to adult and child victims of sexual assault and the PANOC (Physical abuse and neglect of children) service. It discusses the historical, ideological and organisational context of the services, and sets out what has been learned along the way that may assist other services considering this direction.
Domestic violence and child protection, Critical Directions monograph series, vol.1 no.1, Domestic Violence Resource Centre, Brisbane, June 2001.
In this paper an overview of research is provided into the relationship between domestic violence and child protection, with a critical view of current intervention strategies adopted. Statistics are provided on the links between child abuse and domestic violence in Queensland, throughout Australia and internationally. The paper addresses issues of who should be held accountable, the effect of domestic violence on children and women, and how the response to protect children can be improved. It is asserted that through appropriate intervention that both acknowledges and addresses domestic violence, effective protection of children in violent families can be better achieved. A collaborative, coordinated response from both domestic violence and child protection workers is viewed as most appropriate.
Exposure to abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction among adults who witnessed intimate partner violence as children: Implications for health and social services, by Shanta R. Dube, Robert F.Anda & Vincent J.Felitti, Violence and Victims, vol.17, no.1, February, 2002.
This article explores how the experience of intimate partner violence - which harm's a womans's physical and mental wellbeing - increases the likelihood of her children experiencing abuse, neglect and other adverse experiences. Questionnaires about traumatic childhood experiences were administered and responses were used to retrospectively assess the relationship between witnessing intimate partner violence and the nine 'adverse childhood experiences'. Witnessing domestic violence as a child incresed the prevalence of all forms of childhood abuse and led to other consequences such as substance abuse and depressed affect.
Strengthening parents through caring, connected communities:A community development approach to parenting education, by K.Andrews & A.Ellis, Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, no.2, Summer, 2001-2002.
Burnside's Neighbourhood Based Family Centres in Macarthur provides support services for families with a particular focus on early intervention to prevent child abuse and neglect. The authors describe initiatives undertaken by the Burnside services to strengthen at risk families and to build protective, caring communities to support them as a strategy in preventing child abuse and neglect. Parent education is a core component of these initiatives, often achieved through groupwork programs which work positively to build networks among parents.
Nurture or nightmare: Helping vulnerable families in the first three years of a child's life, by P.Nelson, The Benevolent Society, Bondi, NSW, 2000.Online (615K) http://www.bensoc.asn.au/ research/upload/Nurture%20or%20Nightmare.pdf; http://www.bensoc.asn.au/research/eip_monograph.html
This report identifies the scope and impact of child abuse and neglect in Australia; highlights the importance of the first three years of a child's life; describes how The Benevolent Society's early intervention programs prevent child abuse and neglect; and describes the outcomes of the Society's early intervention programs.
An unacceptable risk: Child contact arrangements when there is violence in the family, by Z.Rathus, K.Rendell & A.Lynch, Domestic Violence, Action and Resources Magazine, no.12, December, 2001.
In this first part of a two-part document, an overview is provided of research that was conducted by the Abuse Free Contact Group, which was formed in 1997 by welfare and legal practitioners who identified concerns relating to the abuse of children during contact visits with non-residential parents. A survey of various practitioners, focus groups and individual interviews with women and interviews with staff in key agencies were conducted around Queensland. This article explores three of the assumptions upon which the research framework was based: that a pro-contact culture has emerged under the Family Law Act; that the Family Court sometimes plays a primary or 'front-line' role as a child protection agency; and that living with domestic violence affects the post separation behaviour of women.
Resolving family violence to children:The evaluation of Project Magellan, a pilot project for managing Family Court residence and contact disputes when allegations of child abuse have been made, by T.Brown, R.Sheehan, M. Frederico & L.Hewitt, Family Court of Australia, Sydney, NSW, 2001.Online only (447K) http:// www.familycourt.gov.au/papers/pdf/magellan. pdf;http://www.familycourt.gov.au/ papers/html/magellan.html (Executive summary)
The Family Court of Australia introduced Project Magellan as a pilot program to a selected 100 residence and contact cases involving allegations of serious physical and or sexual abuse drawn from the Melbourne and Dandenong Registries of the Court in Victoria. In this report, Project Magellan is evaluated in order to determine what impact it made on the problems previously identified and to establish what its precise outcomes were. The report includes a description of the project, its background, the pilot program and how it was operationalised. It provides information about the case studies, the children and families, program outcomes, costs of the project, views of participants, and conclusions. The report concludes that the goals established by Project Magellan for the pilot of its new specialised case management program for residence and contact disputes where child abuse allegations were involved were achieved. Project Magellan's pilot program provided more rapid, less costly and longer lasting resolutions of the disputes in the cases that were selected into the program. There were fewer changes in residence and contact for the children and fewer children suffered extreme emotional distress. The program attracted wide support from the legal practitioners, from professional staff in the participating organisations and from the parents. Suggestions are made for areas needing further research.
Australia's fragmented family law system: Jurisdictional overlap in the area of child protection, by F.Kelly & B.Fehlberg, International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, vol.16, no.1, April, 2002.
Jurisdictional overlap in the area of child protection in Australia is due to the federal system of government, in particular the distribution of powers between federal and state legislatures. This division of powers means that neither the Commonwealth nor the States has exclusive legislative competence in the areas of law relevant to family disputes. Specifically child protection comes under state law, while disputes between separating parents concerning children comes under federal law. This article presents the findings of an empirical study of cases of jurisdictional overlap in the area of child protection. It was found that in over two thirds of the cases, the matter was moved from the Children's Court (state level) to the Family Court (federal level). The authors draw some tentative conclusions regarding prospects for reform.
The Family Court and child abuse, by S.Page, Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of New South Wales Conference papers - Seeking Solutions, Australia's Inaugural Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Conference, Sydney, NSW, September, 2001 (57K) http://www.austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/P DF%20files/Page, Stephen.pdf
Focusing on child sexual abuse, the author explores the cascading test employed by the Family Court in dealing with sexual abuse allegations, and discusses the details about a number of cases.
The Hague Convention on Protection of Children 1996, by J.Degeling, Australian Children's Rights News, no.31, December, 2001.
Once the Commonwealth Parliament has ratified the Hague Child Protection Convention Australia will be party to the rules governing conflict of laws between countries in relation to child custody matters. The convention applies to children under the age of 18. Its aim is to determine which State has jurisdiction over the protection of the child, which law is to be applied in the State with jurisdiction, and who has parental responsibility. It also provides for recognition and enforcement of protection in all the signatory countries, and establishes cooperation among the authorities of the signatories. Australian State and Territory legislation will be amended to achieve uniformity with Commonwealth legislation so that Australia can implement the Convention. The author believes that the Convention has successfully promoted cooperation among the signatory countries in the development of this multilateral instrument for the protection of children.
In the child's best interest: Inter-disciplinary approaches to child abuse and family violence: Managing family violence in a family court context: Lessons learned and challenges to be faced, by A.Nicholson, Family Court of Australia, Papers and Reports - Columbus Pilot Launch and Symposium, Perth, November, 2001.Online only http://www.familycourt.gov.au/papers/html/ columbus.html
The interaction between child and spousal abuse is increasingly being recognised as significant, particularly as it impacts upon children. While more attention is now being given, (in both legislation and case law), to the pervasive nature of such violence and to the damage it can cause, a number of unknowns and some misconceptions, still surround the issues. The Columbus initiative provides an integrated approach to the management of cases involving family violence, whether it be child or spousal abuse. In this presentation the author discusses this initiative, and the environment in which it was conceived and delivered.
The Columbus Project is a specialised program for managing residence and contact disputes when allegations of child abuse or domestic violence arise during Family Court proceedings. It is being piloted by the Family Court of Western Australia, the primary purpose being to increase the safety of children and their carers, reduce litigation and improve residence and contact outcomes. This article provides an overview of the project and how it will function.
Supplementation of urban home visitation with a series of group meetings for parents and infants: Results of a 'real-world'randomised, controlled trial, by John N.Constantino, Nahid Hashemi & Ellen Solis, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.25, no.12, December, 2001.
This study found that home visitation services are underutilized in some urban settings. In order to encourage more parents to use the service a 10-session group intervention was piloted. Findings indicate that group meetings may be effective in assisting stressed urban families to use the home visitation service.
Accusations that hospital staff have abused pediatric patients, by Kenneth W.Feldman, Carol Mason & Richard P.Shugerman, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.25, no.12, December, 2001.
This article examines how hospitals handle allegations of abuse by staff against young patients. Accusations of abuse where levelled at all types of hospital staff and from all areas of the hospital. The study found that few children's hospitals have formal protocols in place to handle accusations of abuse or training programs to avoid complaints.
Intergenerational transmission of abuse: A two-generational prospective study of an at-risk sample, by Katherine C.Pears & Deborah M.Capaldi, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.25, no.11, November, 2001.
This article examines a model of the intergenerational transmission of abuse where the abuse is mediated by parental psychopathology, early childbearing and consistency of discipline. Findings indicated that parents who had been abused were more likely to abuse their own children.
Kinship care of the abused child:The New Zealand experience, by J.Worrall, Child Welfare, vol.80, no.5, September/October, 2001.
The principle of keeping children within their own kinship, community and cultural networks is reflected in the 1989 New Zealand Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act. The Act represents a shift from the state to the family in terms of taking responsibility for children in need of care. Family group conferencing allows families to make decisions about the future of kin children and reflects the belief that even though most abuse is intrafamilial, the family is also the most committed to keeping the child safe. In this article the author draws on qualitative research in describing the experiences of carers and their kin children who have been the subject of a care and protection order.
Multiple forms of child abuse and neglect: Adult retrospective reports, by D.J.Higgins & M.P.McCabe, Aggression and Violent Behaviour, vol.6, no.6, 2001.
The authors present a critical review of 29 studies assessing adult retrospective reports of multiple forms of child abuse or neglect. They identify methodological flaws in the studies which often failed to acknowledge the interacting effects of multi-type maltreatment. Where the effect of multi-type maltreatment was assessed, it was shown to result in greater adult impairment than single forms of abuse or neglect. The authors conclude that a multi-dimensional approach to child abuse and neglect needs to be taken which can address children's vulnerability to multi-type maltreatment.
Developmental risk factors for sexual offending, by Joseph K.P.Lee, Henry J.Jackson & Pip Pattison, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.26, no.1, January, 2002.
Using quantitative methodology and a comparative approach, this study aims to highlight the general, common and specific developmental risk factors for pedophilia, exhibitionism, rape and multiple paraphilia and to explore five issues of methodology observed in this area of research. Analysis reveals that Childhood Emotional Abuse and Family Dysfunction, Childhood Behavior Problems and Childhood Sexual Abuse are general developmental risk factors for paraphilias. In addition, Childhood Emotional Abuse and Family Dysfunction is a common developmental risk factor for exhibitionism, rape, pedophilia, or multiple paraphilia. The results of this study have implications for child abuse prevention and sex offender treatment.
Are father surrogates a risk factor for child maltreatment?, by Aruna Radhakrishna, Ingrid E. Bou-Saada & Wanda M.Hunter, Child Maltreatment, vol.6, no.4, Nember, 2001.
This research examines whether having a father surrogate in the home will affect the risk of child abuse. Findings show that children were twice as likely to be abused if there was a surrogate father, compared to a biological father or no father figure, in the home.
The effect of fathers or father figures on child behavioral problems in families referred to child protective services, by David B.Marshall, Diana J.English & Angela J.Stewart, Child Maltreatment, vol.6, no.4, November, 2001.
This article examines whether the presence of fathers or father figures will affect the behavior of young children. Little difference was noted at age 4, but by age 6 lower levels of aggression and depression were noted if the child had a father or father figure in their life. However, after controlling for a number of factors the direct effect of a father or father figure was found to be no longer significant.
Male roles in families 'at risk':The ecology of child maltreatment, by Michael E.Lamb, Child Maltreatment, vol.6, no.4, November, 2001.
This article examines child maltreatment in the context of the children's relationships, especially with their fathers and father figures.
A three-generational study comparing the families of supportive and unsupportive mothers of sexually abused children, by Myra Leifer, Teresa Kilbane & Gail Grossman, Child Maltreatment, vol.6, no.4, Noember, 2001.
This study examined the family histories, over three generations, of supportive and nonsupportive mothers of sexually abused children. A history of conflict between grandmother and mother, and mother and child predict a nonsupportive mother. Nonsupportive mothers also displayed a range of other problem behaviors.
Growing up with parental alcohol abuse: Exposure to childhood abuse, neglect and household dysfunction, by Shanta R.Dube, Robert F.Anda & Vincent J.Felitti, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.25, no.12, December, 2001.
This study presents a detailed examination of the relationship between parental alcohol abuse and adverse childhood experiences, including child abuse. Findings indicate that children who were exposed to parental alcohol abuse were more likely to have adverse childhood experiences than children who were not exposed.
The relationship between parental psychiatric disorder and child physical and sexual abuse: Findings from the Ontario Health supplement, by Christine Walsh, Harriet MacMillan & Ellen Jamieson, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.26, no.1, January, 2002.
Using a quantitative approach, this study examined the link between parental psychiatric disorder history and child abuse history within a general population sample of Ontario residents. Results showed that amongst those with a prevalence of psychiatric disorder there was an increase in the rate of abuse, particularly physical and sexual abuse. Gender of the respondent made no difference to the relationship between psychiatric disorder and childhood physical or sexual abuse.
Supporting families with a mentally ill parent: European perspectives on interagency cooperation, by Rachael Hetherington & Karen Baistow, Child Abuse Review, vol.10, no.5, September/October, 2001.
This article discusses and compares the cooperation between community mental health services and child protection in 11 European states. Children who have a parent with a mental illness have needs above and beyond those of other children. Many of the same needs have been identified in the different countries. This article also examines alternative ways of responding to these needs.
Primary preventative intervention in a modern and diverse society, by B. Mesuraco, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, vol.23, no.1, March, 2002.
The realisation that cultural contexts were impeding access to services for many disadvantaged families and hindering the disclosure of child sexual abuse prompted two agencies to organise collaborative primary prevention strategies. Family groups were convened from the local Cambodian, Vietnamese, Latin American and Arabic-speaking communities. Focus groups were attended by one or more members of each family. Participants contributed to the formation of a collective understanding that could then be adapted and passed on to other families in their communities. It was observed that once individual families entered this process, isolation diminished and steps towards exploration of the issues could be taken. This paper outlines a process through which family therapists can use primary prevention strategies to reach NESB groups. (Journal abstract)
National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing: Description and information, NSCAW Rearch Group Updata, vol.12, Fall, 2001.
The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing (NSCAW) was designed to address crucial program, policy and practice issues which are of concern to all levels of government as well as child welfare agencies. The study aims to provide new understandings of how the interactions between family, child, community and service factors affect children's well-being.
The future direction of Australian research on the prevention of child maltreatment, by J.Stanley & A.Tomison, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.Conference Papers and Presentations:Paper presented at the 8th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect 'One Child's Reality - Everyone's Responsibility', Melbourne, 19-22 November, 2001. Online only http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/papers/stanley3.html
The Australian Council on Children and Parenting commissioned the National Child Protection Clearinghouse to provide detailed assessment of the current state of child abuse and neglect prevention research in Australia, within a context of international research trends, and to develop a national research strategy for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Mandatory notification training for suspected child abuse and neglect in South Australian schools, by R.Hawkins & C.McCallum, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol.25, no.12, December, 2001.
The South Australian Education Department Mandated Notification Training program was developed to prepare educators and other mandated reporters to fulfill their reporting obligations for suspected child abuse and neglect. This article reports on a study which investigated whether Mandated Notification Training achieves its stated aims. The article describes the study methodology and results, and discusses implications of the findings.
Where child protection systems and schools meet, by R.Best, Australia and New Zealand Journal of Law and Education, vol.6, nos.1&2, 2001.
The time has long passed since anyone suggested that child protection issues are not the province of educational institutions. In this article the author examines three broad areas where the confluence of child protection and educational systems takes place, and argues that it is necessary to achieve a better balance of the competing needs of education and care and protection. These areas are: where the school becomes aware that a child may be in need of care and protection, wherever the abuse may have occurred; where a child is being abused by other children; and where a child is being abused by a teacher.
Factors influencing school counsellors' decision not to report child sexual abuse, by J. D.G.Goldman & U.K.Padayachi, Children Australia, vol.27, no.1, 2002.
Using a state-wide sample of 122 school counsellors (52 males and 70 females) in Queensland Australia, factors which influenced their decision not to report child sexual abuse were examined. These factors were a lack of evidence; lack of confidence in the authorities to accurately evaluate or protect sexually abused children; adverse effects on the family's social standing in the community; potential to break up the family; and the fear of breaking counsellor-client confidentiality. Further, school counsellors were not likely to report all cases of child sexual abuse when they suspected it, thus confirming the popular belief that child sexual abuse is under-reported by them. (Journal abstract)
The relationships among childhood abuse, borderline personality, and self-harm behaviour in psychiatric inpatients, by Randy A. Sansone, George A.Gaither & Douglas A.Songer, Violence & Victims, vol.17, no.1, February, 2002.
This article explores the relationship between sub types of child abuse (physical, emotional, sexual abuse; witnessing violence) borderline personality and self-harm behaviour amongst psychiatric patients. This quantitative study found that when abused and non-abused respondents were compared there was a higher level of self harming behaviour in those with a history of child abuse as well as more borderline personality disorder diagnoses. A complex relationship was found, amongst psychiatric inpatients, between childhood abuse and Bordeline Personality Diagnosis and self harm behaviour.
Child welfare workers'use of theory in working with physical child abuse: Implications for professional supervision, by Y.Darlington, J. Osmond & C.Peile, Families in Society:The Journal of Contemporary Human Services, vol.83, no.1, January/February, 2002.
A qualitative research study that examined the understandings held by child welfare workers about child physical abuse is the focus of this article. The study involved in-depth interviews and focus groups with statutory child welfare workers in Queensland. The authors outline and review the existing empirical and theoretical examinations on theory use; outline the methodology used to examine practioners' theories; detail findings and discuss the implications of the research for professional supervision.
Safe from harm: The role of professionals in protecting children and young people: A professional development kit, by B.Goulborn, R.MacRea, J.Gleeson & C.Gladstone, Department of Human Services, Melbourne, 2001.
The Victorian Department of Human Services has put together this resource kit for people working in the area of child protection with the aim of providing training materials and information about child abuse, the broader child protection system, and the role of the statutory Child Protection Service. The kit contains four modules: Child protection context; What is child abuse?; Responding to concerns; and Industry specific materials. There is also a section containing training tools, including a glossary, references, handouts and overheads.
Community professionals and reporting to child protection services, by J.Stanley, C.Goddard, B.Saunders & J.Tucci, National Child Protection Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne, 2001.Online http://www. aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/papers/stanley2.html
This paper presents some findings from an Australian Research Council funded study which examined issues around reporting to protective services, using a sample of community professionals based in Victoria. The study found considerable confusion about reporting decisions, including a reluctance to report, a range of factors influencing this decision, and varying perspectives on what constitutes risk to a child. This paper provides some of the major findings from the study, the implications of these findings, and makes recommendations about measures which can be taken to improve the reporting of child maltreatment by community professionals and thus improve the outcome for the child.
Child welfare workers'use of theory in working with physical child abuse: Implications for professional supervision, by Yvonne Darlington, Jennifer Osmond & Colin Peile, Families in Society, vol.83, no.1, January/February, 2002.
Using a qualitative approach child welfare workers' understanding of physical child abuse is explored, The study found that child welfare practitioner understanding of physical child abuse is in line with the existing theoretical literature. The study also found that this reflective approach to practice has important implications for supervision. This process will for example result in more informed practice. In addition a more reflective approach prevents workers from making hurried decisions, increases the chances of more meaningful interventions and may help to prevent further abuse.
More than just child's play: A study on sibling incest, by N.Owen, Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of New South Wales Sydney.Conference papers - Seeking Solutions, Australia's Inaugural Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Conference, September, 2001.Online (29K) http://www. austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/ OwenNicki.pdf
This discussion of sibling incest includes assessing the difference between childhood sexual exploratory behaviour between siblings and sibling incest; causes; effects of sibling incest on those victimised; and an overview of a research study in which ten women who experienced sibling incest as children were interviewed with the aim of exploring their retrospective perspective of the experience and whether there was a subsequent impact caused by the incest. Also discussed are disclosure and intervention.
Children in care: Some current Australian perspectives, by R.Thorpe, Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, no.3, Autumn, 2002.
With the widespread closure of residential establishments for children, foster care has become not only the predominant form of care, but the only available option. This has placed enormous pressure on the supply of foster home placements, resulting in a minimum of appropriate matching of child with placement and with the foster care systems experiencing high levels of strain. As a means of better meeting the developmental needs of children in out of home care, the Looking After Children (LAC) system, developed in the UK, is being trialled in Australia. LAC required participation in planning, not only of children and their carers, but also of natural parents. It is hoped that LAC can facilitate a more effective focus on the developmental needs of children in care, without compromising the emphasis on continuity of relationships and family reunification.
Catching the light:The fostering experience, by L.Childs, Parenting SA, Adelaide, 2000.Booklet (40p).Video (25min)
This material is the result of a collaborative project between a number of South Australian agencies: Child Protection Services at Women's and Children's Hospital, Family and Youth Services at the Department of Human Services, Child and Family Welfare Association of SA, Parenting SA, and Foundation Studios. It is intended for current and potential carers, professionals and students. The experience of foster care is explained from the child or young person's point of view, the birth parent's point of view, and the carer's point of view. There is information about how the foster care system works and the circumstances in which a child may come into care, and advice for potential carers. The booklet concludes with a set of discussion topics.
Family preservation, family reunification and related issues, by F.Ainsworth, Children Australia, vol.26, no.4, 2001.
This paper sets the context for a review of family preservation and family reunification research by briefly noting the national and international crisis that currently surrounds foster care. It then presents the recent family preservation and family reunification research from the US and Australia. Some of this material is drawn from the book by Maluccio, Ainsworth and Thoburn (2000), 'Child welfare outcome research in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia' . The decision to focus on the US material stems from the fact that these terms originated there in the 1980s and this is where the major research studies are to be found. The final comments focus on the re-emphasis on permanency planning and adoption, at least in New South Wales (NSW), and the implications of this for family preservation and reunification services. (Journal abstract)
Foster care practice: What does the research say?, by J.G.Barber & R.Gilbertson, Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, no.3, Autumn, 2002.
This article is an excerpt from the book 'Foster care: the state of the art', and has been reproduced with permission from the authors J G Barber and R Gilbertson. The authors look at evidence based practice and improving outcomes for children and young people in care. In their book, the authors review the empirical literature and practice policy from around the world in an effort to identify best practice in foster care. The article gives an overview of the following aspects of foster care practice: propositions for which there is at least a moderate degree of empirical support; propositions for which evidence is mixed or weak; and interventions worthy of further investigation.
Emotional abuse in early childhood: Relationships with progress in subsequent family placement, by Cherilyn Dance, Alan Rushton & David Quinton, The Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines, vol.43, no.3, March, 2001.
Drawing on data from two prior studies, this paper examines the circumstances of children who were placed alone - away from siblings - with the intention of permanence. Findings show poorer outcomes for children in the first year where there is a history of being 'preferentially rejected' by birth parents. For example these children were more likely to exhibit deteriorating behaviour patterns and found it more difficult to form satisfactory relationships with new family members. Another important finding was that older age at placement meant a poorer outcome for children.
Women's outrage and the pressure to forgive: Working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, by J.Verco, International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, no.1, 2002.
Although forgiveness is a strong part of Christian culture and mental health practice, and is often emphasised as part of the healing process for victims of sexual abuse, the author believes that a requirement to forgive can be oppressive. She is concerned that for women in particular, who often bear the blame, self-blame and guilt for childhood abuse, forgiving the perpetrator may stand in the way of the woman who needs first to recognise feelings of outrage about what happened to her. She believes that justifiable outrage is often necessary in order for women to break free of self-blame and self-loathing, to stop seeing themselves as victim and to start believing in their ability to care for themselves.
Forgiveness and child sexual abuse: A matrix of meanings, by A.Jenkins, R.Hall & M.Joy, International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, no.1, 2002.
The authors show that forgiveness has differing meanings and effects for different people. In the context of child abuse forgiving the perpetrator may help the healing process for the victim, but equally an expectation of forgiveness may be oppressive. The authors provide a matrix of forgiveness and atonement describing a range of positions and meanings which can help map the varied experiences of victims and perpetrators. However, they warn that although the matrix may be helpful in promoting self-determination for victim and perpetrators, there are dangers in using such schema too rigidly to interpret and judge the reactions and responses of others.
Healing traumatized children:Creating illustrated storybooks in family therapy, by L Hanney & K.Kozlowska, Family Process, vol.41, no.1, Spring, 2002.
The authors argue that the treatment of the results of trauma in children requires the child to be an active participant in the therapeutic process. This article describes the therapeutic practice of creating illustrated storybooks in family therapy with traumatised children. Creating a storybook encourages participation by children and enables a child's life story to be taken into account. The creation of storybooks is compatible with family interventions, and fosters a safe family context, strengthens attachment relationships, insures appropriate structure and boundaries, and enhances parenting capacity as well as those interactions that facilitate understanding and dialogue between family members.
The child abuse victim as a hostage: Scorpion's story, by N.Mudaly & C.Goddard, Child Abuse Review, vol.10, no.6, November/December, 2001.
Recently authors have used findings from the field of terrorism to describe the interpersonal relationships that may occur in the field of child abuse and protection. This paper presents the descriptions by one young person of his experience of extreme abuse and how he attempted to survive. The paper also draws out the parallels between his experiences as an abuse victim and those in a hostage situation. The case is drawn from a study in progress that seeks the views of abused children and young people about their experience of victimisation and how they understood the abuse and its impact on their lives. The research also looks at their perceptions of the resultant interventions, and aims to gain insight into the relationship between children and young people who have been abused, and their parents and/or carers.
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